Strike continues…

I wrote the post below on the 12th..fortunately, the strike ceased on Nov 13th.

Since I last posted, the strike has continued here in Namibia. The Namibian National Teacher’s Union (NANTU) is demanding higher wages and better benefits for teachers. Especially in Windhoek, Namibia’s capitol city, teachers cannot afford to live on their teacher’s salaries. Therefore, teaching has been suspended for over two weeks. We are now in the third week of the strike, and many schools are without teachers. It is an unfortunate situation; while waiting for the negotiations to conclude, the students are suffering. They are sitting in classrooms without teachers, lesson plans, guidance, or proper instruction. You can see both sides – yes, teachers should be paid adequately; yet also, one sympathizes with the students who are being denied their right to education.

The atmosphere is tense; the students are meant to be taking exams and are asking when and how they can take their exams. Meanwhile, no teachers are present at many schools. The classrooms are left in chaos and disrepair, with students running rampant across the school grounds. Administrators and support staff are caught in the middle. Parents and community members are in an uproar. The government does not want to give in and offer the salary increases that teachers are demanding. It is unclear at this point how all of this will end up.

Otherwise, our school community has been busy with a “Fun Day” and Talent Show. The day-long event was an income-generating activity for the school fund. A group of dedicated parents and teachers worked very hard to pull the event together. We had egg races, apple bobbing, tug-of-war, 3-legged races, and sack races. We sold soda, candy, chips, hot dogs, “poinky” or African stew, and special, home-made “ginger beer” (non-alcoholic).

The day was a success, with a lot of kids showing up for the fun day, and many also performing at the talent show. We were also pleased to see many community members show up for the talent show. Perhaps the most important part of the day was simply giving the kids something positive to do with their time. We live in a small community with very scarce resources. There are not a lot of activities for youth to engage with on the weekend. This is one of the main reasons that our village suffers from alcohol and drug abuse – without positive alternatives or outlets for their energy, youth start drinking. Throughout Namibia, alcoholism is a huge problem. Some women, for example, are so addicted to alcohol that they do not, or cannot, stop drinking - even during their pregnancy. Many of them DO know the dangers of fetal alcohol syndrome, yet they continue to drink because they are so dependent on the effects of alcohol. Even people living with HIV/AIDs often drink excessively, claiming they cannot stop. So it was in this spirit that our event tried to also offer a positive alternative to some of the negative behaviors that our youth can easily fall into.

The talent show was a success, with our students really showing off their talent and singing and dancing skills. The most important part was for them to develop and display their self-confidence. I am proud of our students, and honored to be a part of their community.

I am including below some of my most recent photos.

This photo shows the stunning Namibian sky. I have been captivated by the sky here lately. For some reason, it looks so different than at home. What I also like about this photo is the rugged beauty of the sky contrasted with the reality of the location (township where most of the community lives). You can see the roof to one of the family’s chicken coops. It is made of corrugated sheet-metal, with an old sink and toilet placed on top to weigh down the roof so it does not blow off. This is common practice here, and quite clever – people use old tires, or anything heavy to keep their roofs secure. Even with these efforts, it is so windy here that sometimes these efforts do not work, and the roofs blow off.

The second photo is another beautiful photo of the Namibian sunrise behind our village.

When you see scenes like this . . . it is easy to believe in God.

Below are photos from the “fun day” and talent show. The first is the egg race, and the second is some of our students with their 1st place trophy! The black pot is the Namibian way of cooking “poinky” or African stew.

I will conclude this post with a quote that my dear friend Jennifer Lucero Earle recently posted on her blog. It ties together nicely the spirit of our student’s talent show:

"When the flame of creativity is shared, all benefit and no one single fire is diminished. Passions shared and combined can create a bonfire big enough to light up the entire sky…I spark creativity in others while tending my own creative flame." - by Joanna Powell Colbert

Thanks for following my blog, and I would love to hear your feedback, comments, or questions! Please, stay safe and well!