Sorry for the delay in updating our blog! Things have really picked up on our end, and as we start to wind down our time in Windhoek and

Namibia at large, it’s time to catch you all up to date.

 

When we last left off, we were preparing to head up north to the Caprivi region, the most impoverished area of the country, stricken with extremely high rates of HIV/AIDS, violence and social unrest. The workshop in Katima Mullilo (Caprivi) was a difficult one to attend and even harder to facilitate. The environment was tense, and our efforts were met with ungrateful demands and constant complaints. The workshop sessions themselves proved to be interesting and insightful in understanding the social condition in Caprivi. The participants’ understanding of violence was basic at best, so it was necessary to first introduce the fundamentals of women’s rights and human rights to the group. There was a heated debate between the participants discussing men’s need for sex and women’s role and responsibility in cases of reported rape. They argued about women torturing men with their provocative clothing, discussed issues of morality, self control, manhood and womanhood, and the legal framework for rape. Everybody seemed interested and engrossed in the conversation, but for us it was difficult to validate their claims when their reality is so different from what we are used to.

 

Another issue arose with the formation of community policing in Katima.  The role of this group is to investigate reported claims before they are officially filed to the police. However, the community police unit consists of untrained, biased men who actually serve as a barrier for claims and ultimately end up silencing women and the community instead of empowering it. In light of the tense environment, we felt stressed and uneasy. Thus, our short excursion to Livingstone, Zambia to see

Victoria Falls was greatly needed and appreciated.

 

After a quick vacation, we returned to Windhoek where we were met with the high paced atmosphere of both WSN and The Opportunities Center, forcing us to really hit the ground running. On our first day back, we met with the women from our sewing and baking workshops. With the group we established ground rules and expectations and established conditions for participation. We invited the sewing group to see the temporary center, the machines we have purchased and the material and cloth so that they could begin to brainstorm products to sell. That weekend we headed south to Mariental where we were welcomed by an excited and energetic support group and near freezing weather.

 

The workshop was extremely motivating for us, especially after our struggle in Caprivi. The support group had invited community stakeholders from the Woman and Child Protection Unit (WCPU), the church and the community at large, drawing a diverse group. While it was an intense full day workshop, participants seemed to be attentive and engaged throughout. You could see participants’ hunger for information expressed in their faces and could tell that the topics covered (domestic violence, sexual abuse, challenges in getting maintenance and protection orders, etc.) really hit home for many. Their “mmmm”s and “ahhhh”s were enthusiastic, and validated the relevance of WSN’s work.

 

In Mariental, the WSN support group formed a second organization meant to tackle the issue of sex work in the community. They are very active and well organized, and both groups have taken to annual planning and targeting and involving a wider network affected by the issue of violence. The WSN support group’s chairperson, Ingrid, hosted us at her house, where she also runs a home business making affordable school uniforms for Mariental schools. Her initiative will be integrated into The Opportunities Center’s work, the hope being that once the current sewing group completes their training in three months, they’ll be ready to join Ingrid in her project and produce affordable, high quality school uniforms for schools in Windhoek.

 

From Mariental, we drove to Tsumispark, a remote rural village. There, we identified a strong interest for The Opportunities Center programs (specifically sewing) as well. As we work with the sewing group in Windhoek, we are simultaneously working to integrate ongoing trainings in communities such as Tsumispark.  Arriving back from the south on Sunday night, we were able to catch a local jazz concert with some friends and colleagues.  

The following week was fully devoted to finalizing the logistics of WSN’s first strategic planning meeting. It was a two-day meeting that tested everyone’s creative and critical thinking skills. The first day we mainly briefed the participants, which included members of WSN support groups throughout the nation, the national board, steering committee, related NGOs, and our donors (The Finnish Embassy and the Council of Churches Namibia) on the work accomplished by WSN to date. We continued to cite the Finnish Embassy evaluation report, identify organizational challenges, and hear from the support groups on their regional challenges. We divided into groups and each group processed through a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of the organization. We brainstormed on how to transform the weaknesses into strengths and the threats into opportunities to guide the rest of the strategic planning meeting and to outline our action plans for the future. We struggled through issues of organizational challenges such as lack of funding, limited staff and office space, as well as larger concerns of communication between rural support groups and urban headquarters. We struggled with understanding how to guide our conversation effectively to address not the issue of violence in Namibia, but rather how WSN as an organization could better address violence.  On the whole, the meeting was positive for the growth of the organization and a unique experience for us in that we were able to see the way in which NGO’s operate.

 

Right after the strategic planning meeting, we headed out to another weekend workshop in Khorixas. There they were especially concerned with questions about Child Maintenance and the Protection Order. The Khorixas support group is actively pursuing their own income generating projects, producing different crafts like pillow cases, tie-dye cloths, jewelry and duvet covers, and are seeking additional funding to strengthen their project. From Khorixas we drove to Kamanjab, passing Fransfontein, a community where Rosa used to work and attempted to establish

Namibia’s first shelter for abused women. The building now stands deserted as a painful reminder of the complexities, intricacies and care with which violence needs to be addressed in the Namibian context.

 

In Kamanjab we met with women to again explain about the legal framework of abuse and violence. A big concern that we found in both Khorixas and Kamanjab are issues of incest and extramarital sex. Women have been forced to watch their husbands have sex with their daughters, or alternatively move a girlfriend in to the extended family compound and have a second family simultaneously, leaving them powerless in the situation. Women were further met with reluctance from the law enforcement units to issue protection orders against abusive men unless they were their legal husbands. WSN is now following up on these issues with the WCPU and police. On our drive back, we passed the gateway to Etosha reservations, enabling us to see some wildlife such as kudus, snakes and guinea fowls (that we nearly hit!).       

 

Returning to the office after the weekend’s workshops, we discovered that WSN’s receptionist had resigned after over a year of employment, leaving the office in complete disarray. We have been trying to reorganize and make sense out of the mess while simultaneously moving forward with The Opportunities Center plan. The first two baking classes took place this week, and the ladies baked cookies and scones which we have been selling out of the office. We are also creating a formal business plan and action plan for the coming months, trying to envision the progress of our project once we head home. It has been an enjoyable, albeit hard, process as it tests our commitment and relationship to the organization, its mission and the people it serves.

 

As we enter our final week in Namibia, we are sad to have to wind down and conclude, but proud of the work we have done here. Our next blog post will be our final report for

Davis for Peace, the grant we received to do our work over here. Again, thank you all for your immense support and love!

The past week or so has been quite busy running around town and really getting the project rolling! While the past week has been hectic, it has also been incredibly exciting. We identified two trainers to begin the pilot training workshops with next week, Oma Tallie and Marianne. Oma Tallie, an older woman living in Katatura, is skilled in sewing, makes traditional African dresses and does amazing beadwork. She will teach sewing classes starting next Saturday, focusing on patchwork at the beginning. Marianne is a renowned chef in

Windhoek, working for one of the nicest hotels in town. She had approached

Rosa long ago saying she would like to work for herself and her community. Marianne will teach bi-weekly cooking and baking classes, providing food initially to the Dolam Childrens Home (an orphanage

Rosa began years ago). Marianne is extremely excited to take a leadership role in the Center and hopes to open her own bakery and café with the Center in future.  

We have been running all over town this week getting quotes and shopping for materials that are essential before we begin these workshops. We bought sewing machines, cloth, and an electric cord to power the temporary container we’re currently using, just to name a few. Our week-long shopping spree began last Friday when we drove to Okahandja, a town less than an hour away.  Okahandja is known for its jail where Rosa and many other activists uprising against the apartheid regime in the 1980s were imprisoned.Rosa described to us how the South African army tortured them, taking them away at night and driving in circles so they wouldn’t know where they were imprisoned. She said that when she first arrived at Okahandja she had no idea where she was. Left to solitary confinement, she was scared to be caught seeking her location.  After some time, she summoned the courage to look out the window.  Upon discovering she was forty minutes away from

Windhoek, she thought to herself “Bloody hell, I’m in Okahandja.” We continue to be fascinated by the nonchalant tone she uses in telling us stories about her incredible life of activism.  

The past week has also involved the planning of Women’s Solidarity Namibia’s first strategic planning meeting to be held on July 16-17^th.  Helping to prepare for this important meeting has been an incredible learning experience.  We have invited members of WSN support groups throughout the nation, NGO’s, CBO’s and the Board of Directors.  In addition to educating ourselves on the latest issues of violence, etc, we will also spend time re-evaluating the role of WSN, addressing issues of governance, and identifying our beneficiaries and their needs. 

Another big accomplishment this week was clearing out the center (what we’ve been calling the container) to make space for where we will hold the sewing workshops. The center was filled from wall to wall with boxes of activist posters, old books, informational pamphlets and literally hundreds of newspapers. From a western perspective, it was incredibly overwhelming to sort through all this “junk.” However, we are learning to be really resourceful and mindful of what is truly ‘trash’ and what can be re-used. We moved four full boxes of newspapers dating back to 2000, all of which had articles related to violence and rape against women. It was really difficult to conceptualize how much pain and suffering has occurred in this country, all of which was represented by mounds of old newspapers.

This weekend we are headed to the east coast—off to Swakopmund for a little relaxation and to hike the incredible sand dunes. On Tuesday we have a long drive up north to the Caprivi Region, which is pretty much as far north as you can get in Namibia. We will be giving a workshop to a group of women there, discussing violence in their community and the ways in which they can come together to address these challenges. Caprivi is an extremely lush and tropical area which is a vast contrast from the arid landscape which defines most of Namibia. Seeing as we will already be near the border of Zambia, we have planned to continue on and take a couple days to visit

Victoria Falls.  Then, with clear heads, we will return to

Windhoek and continue on this amazing journey.

The past week has been busy with site visits to craft centers as well as workshops with local women which have helped to refine the vision and scope of our project. We visited two local craft centers in Windhoek, Pambili and Penduka, to see their business plans, get advice, and ask questions to better guide our project. The folks at Pambili, with more of a focus on high fashion and interior design, were helpful in explaining the way in which they were started and how their trainings are conducted. We hope to meet with the founder of Pambili, Melanie Becker, and sit in on a jewelry making workshop later this month. Penduka, on the other hand, has more of a tourism focus and aims to employ people with disabilities (specifically the hearing impaired) to create quality crafts—bed linens, mugs, etc. With similar initiatives already in thriving in this area, it is important that we create a unique niche for ourselves.

This week we also started meeting with support groups in the Windhoek area. On Wednesday we held a meeting with The King’s Daughters, a support group of current and former sex workers. As seen in all of Rosa’s work, she works to reclaim places with tragic histories and transform them into places of positive social change. In terms of The Opportunities Center, we have discussed the idea of incorporating the Tropic of Capricorn, a route that passes through Rehoboth, Namibia and surrounds the globe. In Namibia, the area is marked by the B1, a major roadway characterized by prostitution and high crime. We envision this stretch serving as a marketplace, perhaps allowing us to expand to international markets that run along this invisible marker. For groups such as The King’s Daughters, we envision them taking on marketing roles, using the skills they have acquired in selling their bodies and applying them in a positive way. Members of this group also expressed interest in being involved in the production stage, with an interest in sewing, baking and computer skills.

With these ideas mind, we approached our first workshop of the summer in Otjomuise, an informal settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek. Otjomuise is primarily populated by two large extended families that have been dislocated from their communities in Okahandja Park and were moved to Otjomuise under the promise of free land. Despite promises, residents are expected to pay for the land, water and electricity. Water is extremely expensive and is communally shared. Electricity does not even reach their area and families are forced to rely on fuel generators for electric power. The workshop began with an enthusiastic group song and prayer, and continued by identifying various problems in their community (translated into three languages throughout!). The main concerns of the women of Otjomuise can be categorized into three themes: infrastructural failures such as a lack of a police station, fire brigade, taxi service and public transportation, and a failing and overpopulated school system; social issues such as teenage pregnancy, high crime rates, disrespect and threatening behavior from the youth, and social disintegration between the community and women; and finally health concerns such as the high price of ARV (anti-retroviral) tablets. To address these issues, solutions were brainstormed by the women and facilitated by Rosa. They learned about ways in which to organize their communities and demand to have their voices heard.

Next we were able to introduce the idea of The Opportunities Center to the women, receive feedback (which was overwhelmingly positive) and start planning feasible and immediate action plans. The workshop uncovered the many skills and talents of the Otjomuise women. Skills included things like cooking/baking, bead work and sewing. They showed us several pre-made products including a cute stuffed elephant and giraffe and a beautiful beaded bracelet. In asking what types of projects and trainings they would be interested in participating in, four groups were formed: dressmaking, bead making, cooking and baking and a group that wants to be trained in different sewing techniques. Within each group, they nominated a contact person, identified available times and listed the materials needed.

Our plan for this week is to clean up the existing center (which is currently being used for storage) and begin to utilize the space for future trainings. Meeting with the women at Otjomuise reaffirmed the immediate need for a center such as ours. As we had anticipated, these women have many skills and incredible enthusiasm, but lack the resources and space necessary to make such endeavors possible. Meeting with the women who will ultimately benefit from The Opportunities Center was exciting and reminded us of why exactly we are doing this work.

We are concluding our first week in the city, which has been eventful and incredibly inspiring already. We arrived on Tuesday and it already feels like we’ve been here for weeks. Rosa Namises, the director of Women’s Solidarity, a former Parliament member, and the founder of several NGOs, community organizations and even the Congress of Democrats political party, welcomed us with endless enthusiasm, and lots of possibilities for the development of the project.

Women Solidarity applied for a new plot of land to use for The Opportunities Center that is significantly bigger than what we were originally allocated. We will receive it in a couple of weeks and construction on the center can begin. It is a great location in the heart of Katutura, the former black township and home to the majority of Namibia’s working poor.

While we are waiting for the municipality to officially grant the plot of land, we are proceeding with a grassroots survey of needs. These surveys have been collected from over 12 support groups made up of men and women struggling with poverty, HIV/AIDS and violence in their communities throughout Namibia. We are working on coordinating site visits to these support groups to facilitate workshops, raise awareness of gender violence, organize communities and to gage interest and enthusiasm around The Opportunities Center. We plan to use these workshops as a forum for interviews with local women and activists and continue to mold The Opportunities Center.

Rosa took us to the future land plot where The Opportunities Center will be built. It is a fairly large open space overlooking the mountains surrounding Windhoek, in the shadow of the national soccer stadium. Rosa explained how this plot of land has a history of violence and struggle, where street crime has occurred over the years. Her vision is to turn this place that has brought tears of sadness into a haven that provides opportunities for individuals to flourish. As we stood there, on the barren plot of land, we listened to her dream and vision for The Opportunities Center. There will be rooms for women to utilize for crafts and vocational skill workshops, a room for children to come in and relax in a safe environment off of the street, with comfortable furniture and a friendly atmosphere as well as rooms for individuals to begin marketing and selling their products. These products may range from baked goods and crafts to offering massage therapy services to clients. The center will be environmentally friendly, with a garden in the center and dormitories for visitors coming for conferences and workshops.

Needless to say, this vision is one of a kind in Namibia, and is in great need- as we have found from our surveys. Thanks to all of your support, we will begin building the center at the end of June, while in the meantime networking with individuals to offer ongoing vocational training and support for women and children in need. These services will assist existing initiatives that will be integrated into the center’s mission. We are so thankful to all of you who have been so generous in your support. Donations are continuing to come in, which expands the scope of this project. Keep checking for more updates to come!

With Peace and Gratitude,
Emmy, Amy and Kesem

Women’s Solidarity Namibia (WSN) is a Non-Governmental Organization based in Katutura, Namibia which provides legal advocacy and emotional support to women and children who are subject to gender related violence. The Opportunities Center is a new project of WSN which seeks to empower individuals through economic opportunity. Through the production of hand-made crafts, The Opportunities Center will assist local women, men and children provide for themselves by loaning craft supplies and providing vocational skills courses.

Click to view slideshow

Plan of action: Davis for Peace Project Proposal