Learners from llKhuta!hoas Primary School visit the seaside at Luderitz and the town of Keetmanshoop
POSTITIVE NEWS FROM llKHUTA!HOAS PRIMARY SCHOOL
In August the Grade 7 learners and the school prefects went on a field trip to the Aus Multipurpose Centre where the learners engaged in physical activities, self-discovery, motivational talks and carried out responsibility tasks.
For the first time in their lives learners also visited Luderitz where they saw the Diaz cross and played on the beach and for some learners visiting Keetmanshoop was their first time to see a large town!
The school had a visit from Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry and a Technician showed the staff a practical way of sowing seeds. There was further training for the grade 7 learners, teachers and community members about horticulture's ups and downs.
Wendy contacted Ms Leonard, the teacher responsible for the llKhuta!hoas School garden and discussion are underway to link the Northern Hemisphere ACS Early Childhood garden with our Southern Hemisphere school garden.
We are delighted to report that the vaccine is being rolled out at llKhuta!hoas and that three staff members have finished their second jab of the Covid 19 vaccine.
A BITTERSWEET ANNOUNCEMENT!
Dr Andreas Elombo has made the decision to leave NamPower in Windhoek to take up a position in the UK which will give him an opportunity to consolidate his research skills as an engineering scientist.
It has obviously been a difficult decision to make as we know that Andreas had a desire to serve his country, but now is not the right time and we would like to congratulate Andreas on becoming a Research Associate in Future Energy Networks within the Supergen Energy Networks Hub based at the University of Bristol.
This research programme is funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC).
We are delighted that Andreas has confirmed that he will continue as the student mentor trustee. We are very grateful for the part Andreas has played guiding our scholarship students in their academics and exposing them to healthy work-life balance options.
His knowledge of Namibia and the relationship which he has developed with Oliver and Irmgard is invaluable to the charity and we are delighted that Andreas has agreed to continue as a trustee and student mentor.
Details about the frequency of his Zoom meetings with Oliver and Irmgard will have to be discussed once Andreas has settled in the UK at the end of this year.
We are sure that you would like to join us in wishing Andreas the best of luck as he takes up this exciting career development opportunity at the University of Bristol and we look forward to linking up again in person, in the United Kingdom!
A memory from the Night for Namibia at Landing 42 in 2018 when the Namibian High Commissioner, His Excellency Ambassador Steve Katjiuanjo, Madam Christophine and Members of the Mission joined the Namibia Project trustees and Andreas Elombo!
NEWS FROM OLIVER SHIRUNDA, OUR UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
Oliver shared his Arduino traffic light project with this link and he comments that, “the video is really not up to standard and he is pretty sure a pro youtuber will be able to tell it was a beginner's work, but it does the purpose of presenting the work to the lecturer”.
Oliver is the project leader for his team and was very pleased to receive a Raspberry Pi and video support from Graeme Lawrie, ACS Partnership Director. The Raspberry Pi will give Oliver exposure to and experience with another programming microcontroller. Many thanks to Graeme Lawrie for this generous gift.
A response from Dr. Andreas Elombo.
“Congratulations on completing the traffic lights control project! Programming microcontrollers is an essential skill in the digital world into which your career will be launched. I am sure that with the further work of your group project you will have improved your programming skills a great deal. The YouTube video was not bad at all -- it is a good piece of work for a beginner. Well-done”.
FUTURE PLANS
Past and Current Activities
Governance: In 2020 the charity adopted the Charity Governance Code and assessment template to help the trustees to develop high standards of governance. The process was deferred during the lockdown and will be reinstated after October 2021.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations accepted the Namibia Project charity as a member. (NCVO) The trustees will have access to the Know-how Non-profit site and a suite of tools, model documents and guidance on compliance.
THE NAMIBIA PROJECT has registered with the Stephen Hawking Foundation for access to educational resources designed to promote critical thinking and provide reliable, well sourced information to help school-age students and their families to make informed decisions about vaccinations. The materials are in use in more than 1000 schools in the UK, have been endorsed by the National Education Union and have been downloaded by schools in more than 30 countries. Find out more here
In 2022 the Namibia Project would like to support the Teaching of ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) at NaDEET.
NaDEET is a founding permanent member of the Namibian Environmental Educational 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 the partnership with NaDEET. 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 2 year teacher training programme to teach ESD = £70 per person.
Sending a school class to the NaDEET centre for a week = £2,501.
Raspberry Pi “Lab in a Box.” When the time is right and our fundraising returns, we should look into supporting a “Raspberry Pi project for a Namibian School. Darren Siseman (ACT Systems and a Friend of Namibia) could train an ACS student expedition team to implement this ”Raspberry Pi Lab in a Box” initiative as it could give the ACS students a STEAM research opportunity.
Ann and Rijn Brandse
22nd September 2021
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