THANK YOU FOR BEING AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE NAMIBIA PROJECT
INCREASING FOOD SECURITY
THANK YOU TO THE ANONYMOUS DONOR whose generous donation enabled the Namibia Project Charity to continue to provide supplementary food supplies for the eighty four orphans and vulnerable children at the llKhuta!hoas Primary School hostel for the rest of 2022. The Namibian Government’s feeding programme provides one bowl of porridge per day, per child and the charity has supplemented the nutrition for these young children, for the past fifteen years, by supplying tinned meat, fish and vegetables.
We have also built a covered school garden and provided seeds and equipment to help the school to become self-sufficient and increase their food security.
Unfortunately Namibia has suffered from a severe drought for a number of years which has forced the nomadic goat herders to leave their children at the llKhuta!hoas Primary School hostel as they are unable to feed their children and need to move away in search of pasture for their goats.
The pandemic has affected the Charity’s ability to raise ‘face to face’ funds, over the past two years and we were particularly fearful that we would be unable to purchase the supplementary food supplies for the children especially as the winter arrives in Namibia.
This donation has allayed our fears as we are now able to purchase the nutritious food supplements which will make a noticeable difference to the lives of the children and keep them healthy for the rest of this year.
OLIVER AND IRMGARD REFLECT ON THEIR FINAL YEAR AT UNIVERSITY
FROM OLIVER
“Thank you so much for everything that you keep doing and thank you for the good wishes, I will forever be grateful. I am also thankful for the support and guidance that you and Dr Andreas give to us. Let us indeed hope for a successful 2022.
Thank you so much for always reminding us about our journey, from where we started, where we are now and where we are heading to. You have already started advising us on life after university and I’m indeed so lucky to experience all this.
As it is a time of reflection, it also reminds me of the great period of 15 to 22 April 2016. It has been six years since we were in the UK but the memories are so fresh as if they are from yesterday. Also to think that it was this certain journey to ACS which brought about the huge positive impact in my life and this is just priceless.
Thank you for the housekeeping reminders. Indeed, it is very important for me to remember who I am and where I come from and that way I will not let myself down.
Being at home over the holiday was a good reminder of where I come from and why I am in Windhoek. Finding an internship and subsequently a job is indeed a very stressful and difficult thing to do. I can testify how I have been making numerous contacts at different companies and there is not a positive answer. I will however not give up; I know I will get a positive answer someday.
With the graduation dates, it is still early to know the exact dates. But should things go according to plan academically, graduation should be in the month of April 2023. NUST however has two graduations in a year, which is in April for those that will have finished their qualifications at the end of the year and in November for those that finished in the middle of the year. If by the end of next semester I pass all my modules, complete my final year project and it's graded and do an internship for 3 months or more and the reports are handed in and graded as well, then graduation should be in April 2023. If there is however, a delay in doing one of the above mentioned, then the graduation will end up being in November 2023.”
FROM IRMGARD
“I also want to appreciate Andreas, we were only together for a year and you have done a great impact on us. Thank you so much for all the support you have given to us and that you are still giving us. I should admit that I miss your presence, the meeting we would have in person meant so much to me and I can only be grateful.
Completing university is really overwhelming for me, I don’t know what the future holds but we can only hope for the best. Hoping for the year to be a success and start a new stage of life, I know it’s overwhelming but I’m looking forward to it. I can only wish for the best.
Thank you again so, so much, sometimes these emails get me emotional because of how time flies so fast. Just now we were discussing about going to university, in a twinkle of an eye we are already discussing about graduation. It’s the growth for me in this journey, I can’t express my feelings.
I am still doing my teaching. It is quite fun. I am enjoying bonding with the learners and the relationship with my colleagues is also amazing. I must admit it’s a little exhausting though as we teach both morning and afternoon sessions but I do enjoy my work. I will however soon finish with the practice, I have exactly 3 weeks remaining before I go back to Windhoek. We are going to have all face-to-face classes, compared to last year when we had only some classes. I am excited to see my Campus full again. I am looking forward to going and finishing up my course, and transforming from the student life to the work life and to keep discovering my life purpose.
I just want to appreciate once again everyone that has contributed to my success. I couldn’t have made it this far without your love and support. I am very grateful. I have sent you few pictures of me and my learners, hope you love them!
Lastly, we also have two graduation events, one in March and the other in November. I believe I will clear all my modules for this year, once that happens then I should graduate in March. Hopefully your idea of visiting Namibia at the period of our graduation will be a success, if so then it will be a very emotional day for me.”
CONGRATULATIONS
CONGRATULATIONS TO TRUSTEE, DR. ANDREAS ELOMBO upon receiving his PhD in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford.
Andreas is a wonderful student mentor for our university scholarship students, Oliver and Irmgard. He is a superb role model for all young people as his hard work, dedication and his ability to overcome setbacks have resulted in an impressive set of qualifications.
Andreas moved to the UK in January 2022 and took up a Research Associate position in Future Energy Networks within the Supergen Energy Networks (SEN) Hub, under the School of Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Engineering Mathematics (SCEEM) at the University of Bristol.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), and a Master of Science (MSc) in High Voltage Engineering from the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa).
Andreas has recently been seconded to the University of Strathclyde as he will be working on his initiative of a tripartite collaboration research link between the universities of Bristol, Strathclyde and Namibia! This is a remarkable achievement for someone who has only been in the UK for five months and is a great sense of pride for us and our scholarship students who are mentored by Andreas.
TRUSTEES ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES ANNOUNCEMENT
The Namibia Project trustees have offered the position of “Student Representative co-opted by invitation” to Carol Jourdan for her invaluable contribution to keep the Namibia Project Charity relevant at ACS Cobham and in Namibia.
Carol has impressed the trustees with her dedication and enthusiasm for her project
“A Journey in Paper and Print Making”.
We also commend Carol for her organisation of five discovery workshops with teachers and students at ACS Cobham UK and the teachers and learners at Dr Alpo Mauno Mbamba JS School in Namibia.
The aim the co-opted student position is for students who are going on expedition to Namibia or students involved in the Namibia Project to feedback to the trustees and to share input on behalf of their team or project and vice versa. Carol has accepted this position and will be inducted at the next trustee meeting in June 2022.
NAMIB DESERT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION TRUST (NaDEET)
NaDEET is a founding permanent member of the Namibia Environmental Education
Network (NEEN) and they are mandated to advise and support the implementation of the
National EE/ESD Policy for schools in Namibia.
The Namibia Project, the ACS students and llKhuta!hoas School have benefitted from
partnership with NaDEET for over seven years.
When things return “to normal” and our fundraising improves we will look forward to linking the “Tree Planting Project and Compost Making Initiatives” with the ACS Early Childhood Garden, NaDEET and llKhuta!hoas Primary School.
The Namibia Project should also consider:
Co-Sponsoring a two year teacher training programme to teach ESD = £70 per person.
Sending a school class to the NaDEET centre for a week = £2,5
PLANTING TREES FOR HER MAJESTY’S PLATINUM JUBILEE IN 2022
The Queen’s Green Canopy is a unique initiative created to mark this historic event. The Namibia Project submission to plant a crab apple tree in Sussex has been approved our Jubilee tree planting has been uploaded the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) Map.
QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH CANOPY – 54 countries working together for: PROSPERITY, DEMOCRACY AND PEACE.
The Namibia Project’s submission included a link with llKhuta!hoas Primary School and the ACS Early Childhood garden.
In October we intend to purchase indigenous camel thorn trees from NaDEET which will be planted in the llKhuta!hoas school grounds and when a tree is planted at ACS it will be uploaded to the Queen’s Green Canopy Map.
Ann and Rijn Brandse
8th May 2022