Exploring site, hunting expedition and more...

Below are photos from around my site, and from a hunting expedition for Kudus and Oryx yesterday.

The first one shows how our site has changed a lot and has a varied history. It was originally a mainly German town, functioning to serve the surrounding farms. Since then, many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair, and there are no longer banks or stores in our town.

This is our village clinic.

Khaibasen Sewing Project and Cooperative – women work together to sew clothing as an income-generating project. You can see on the other side where it used to say “Standard Bank,” which has since closed.

These photos are from the hunting expedition in a farm nearby my site. You can see the scenery, us in the truck, and the Oryx.

Tsumeb, Windhoek and Sports Day !

Below are pictures from Tsumeb, Windhoek and Sports Day ! I have included captions as well. Enjoy! Comments are welcome!

Above is the abandoned mine tower in Tsumeb. Tsumeb was built around a large copper mine. The mine is gone, but a copper smelter remains.

The next group of photos are from the Namibian National Museum, located in Windhoek in the "Alte Feste" building.

Above is the Namibian coat of arms, found on the flag of Namibia.

This is the Namibian flag, with me documenting it. :)

The poster above urged voters to participate in the 1989 election for a free and fair Namibia. Namibia gained independence in 1990.

The photo above shows the 1st President of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, kissing Namibian ground upon re-entering the country after 30 years in exile.

Above is Mr. Nakale Leo, one of many Namibian prisoners kept on Robben Island during the fight for independence. Namibia was first under German colonial rule, and then under South African control, and an apartheid system. Honoring those who were brave in fighting for their country!

A dark part of Namibia's past, this photo documents the genocide of the Hererro people of Namibia under German colonial occupation.

This is the large, new Namibian independence museum, set to open in January of 2013. It was funded by the South Korean government.

Above is the beautiful Namibian Parliament. The parliament gardens are stunning. Especially hard to believe given that it is located in the middle of a desert!

Sports Day at our school - our men's team won! We invited 5 other schools to compete. The men competed in soccer and the women in netball - sort of a Namibian equivalent of basketball. It was a great day of athleticism!

A Deadly Mix: Poverty and Desperation

In Namibia today, many young women, due to the vagaries of poverty, and a basic violation of their human rights, are forced to make the implicit exchange of sex for money or other material support. These concepts have become such predominant facets of Namibian society that the term “sugar daddy” has become commonplace.

Later in life, such an unequal partnership, with unequal power imbalances, and the false belief that because the man supported the (often) younger woman, that he then “controls” or “owns” her. This misconception on behalf of the man, is false. Of course, no one can own anyone else. Too often, this illusion on the part of the man, results in a “passion killing.” A “passion killing” is the murder of a woman a man has supported. He can’t accept that the woman took his support, and then later broke up with him.

This trend in Namibian society must change. What can be done to reverse the trend of “sugar daddies” and “passion killings”? Change must occur on a number of levels in order to keep our young women and girls safe; these inclde policy measures, local organization, engagement and entrepreneurship to combat poverty, economic development to shore up the economy, and providing more jobs for Namibians. Addressing this issue must occur at the all levels: national and local, as well as at the very personal, individual level – teaching young women to respect and protect themselves, and teaching young men to respect both themselves and the women in their lives. We must educate the young women and men about these issues and to advocate for their own futures. Youth must be educated such that they understand and grasp the importance of education. They must take control of their education, career and training, and thereby of their lives and futures. They also need to understand the inherent dangers of becoming involved with “sugar daddies” and the related and serious risks of “passion killings.”

At least from my personal and cultural perspective, freedom, agency and independence are among the most important aspects of life. Young women must fully comprehend that they are compromising their future and independence, freedom and control over their own lives when they become dependent on others. Education, on the other hand, improves young people’s prospects for a brighter future, better jobs, and a pathway out of poverty.

Poverty is at the root of most global social problems. Our national and global leaders must work together to reduce poverty and increase security and opportunities. But their responsibility does not alleviate us, the citizens, from our obligation to strive for greater opportunities and security for all.

These steps, taken at the local and individual levels as well as at the national and global levels, will need to work together in concert to reduce the problems of “sugar daddies” and “passion killings.” These issues should be replaced with respect, dignity and the preservation of basic human rights for all Namibians, and all people everywhere.

Shadowing

This week I am shadowing another PC volunteer in a larger Namibian town. It is great to learn best practices and teaching techniques from other PC volunteers. Namibia is beautiful and diverse. Being now more in the North, the lush diversity of Namibia is apparent - mountainous, green, stunning landscapes!

Next week, I am looking forward to attending a training about gender equality and youth empowerment. It is a PC organization called "Guys and Girls Leading our World." Namibian students can actually attend a week-long camp on this topic in Windhoek, Namibia's capitol.

PC provides endless learning opportunities and I am enjoying this journey very much.

I will post pictures soon ~ I hope that all of you are doing well.

Have S’More !!

Below are photos from the past few days. You can see my host Oma cooking the traditional “Vet koeks” – fat cakes…basically like Namibian doughnuts or fry-bread. They are delicious, but you can only eat one!

You will also see a photo of the scene from near our yard.

Next…you will see photos from tonight. It was quite an exciting evening! You can see me cooking over the fire. Then, I decided to introduce my host family to the American delight of S’MORES! They loved it…pictured below are my host sisters enjoying the S’Mores.

Finally, you will see my host sisters in their beautiful traditional Ovambo dresses! Next week I will be shadowing another Peace Corps volunteer in a nearby town to learn about her experiences and advice for best practices and approach. Then hopefully I will be in Windhoek for training on gender equality and youth empowerment.

Conservation

I have been noticing how many of my community members are natural environmentalists. Not only is Namibia a leader in the environmental conservation movement with numerous nature conservancies, many inhabitants practice a very green lifestyle.

For example, in my current homestay, we recycle everything that we can. Any fruit and vegetable scraps are fed to the chickens or other livestock. Apple seeds are kept so that they can be planted and hopefully grown into a tree. Any bath water is saved and used to water the trees and plants. The tap outside also collects water used from washing and is used to water the garden.

This really brings to light how wasteful I was back in the U.S. – with long showers and baths and throwing away a lot of unused food. Living a different way helps to make you think about resources in a different light. It may be poverty that is driving many Namibians to use their resources carefully, but all of us can learn from their conservation techniques and green lifestyle.