PCV for the Republic of Namibia

As of Thursday April 14, 2011, I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer for the Republic of Namibia. Twenty-one other health volunteers were sworn in as part of Group 33. For the ceremony, all of our Namibian friends and family came to join us as the Country Director gave us the oath of office and were accepted for service by the US Ambassador to Namibia. We were also honoured by a keynote address from the Minister of Health and Social Services, and he also read a letter on behalf of the President of Namibia. We sang and danced. It was nice to begin the ceremony with the national anthems. The TV crew came and we were even on NBC (Namibian Broadcast). Volunteers from each of the language classes gave speeches in the languages they learned. Even though they did not write the speeches, at least not in the languages, they spoke with proper pronunciation and such emotion!

My broer Zorro en ek. 

It was also great to see the women of our group in Namibian dresses. It was fun to see all of the different patterns, styles, fabrics, and colours, not to mention that they wore them all so well. It would have been fun to wear something local, oh well. I also can’t wait to wear my Peace Corps Polo’s. They’ve got my name, the Peace Corps logo, and both the Namibian and American flags, one on each sleeve.

Elizabeth in a traditional Herero dress and I

It was an emotional day. We were really relieved that PST is over, excited to be official Peace Corps Volunteers, but sad that we’re not going to see each other on a daily basis. My good friend Helen, helped keep things in perspective and helped me make sure that I enjoy the moment and take a second to celebrate and be proud.

Tomorrow I’m off to Kamanjab and to start my 24 months of service!

A Tennessee Stallion

I was fortunate enough to take a trip to Windhoek to the U.S. Embassy to meet the staff and show me off like a prized stallion. I definitely didn’t mind, it was prestigious and I like Windhoek. Due to all of the embassy issues America has had over the years, the road that it’s located on can not be driven on and there are barricades, which made it feel like a sketchy dark alley way. There weren’t many things I could take pictures of, but I managed to get a picture of the press background that has the US seal and said “US Embassy Windhoek.” There was a lot of security to get in, but it’s nice to know about it incase I need anything while I’m here. Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet the ambassador but I’ll have plenty of time to meet her. We then went to the cultural center and met with the PR person for the embassy. We’re planning events that we hope to have the ambassador to come to and it’s always good PR. It was great to meet so many caring people. I spent the night in Windhoek at a nice motel and I even had KFC! I must say it’s much better than in America. The place was cleaner and the food was AMAZING. You know I’d never say that about KFC. I had two pieces and didn’t feel like I was going to have a heart attack.

Getting around and out of Windhoek was a nightmare. If you think American Taxis are bad, come here. I miss them so much! Basically, most of them drive older cars, think 1980’s Toyotas or VW Golfs, and they’re all in some state of disrepair. It’s also scary to know if they’re licensed or just some dude with a car. The license from the City of Windhoek, is a few big sticker decals on the back window that has a letter and a number such as B35. But who’s to say you don’t just buy the stickers and make something up? Then, they’ll make up pricing, so you can’t plan on the cost until you’re in the cab and ask. The last and worst complaint, besides the fact that they are terrible TERRIBLE drivers, is the fact that they will always have all of the seats full! If there is an empty seat and someone hails them, they will pull over and pick them up. Sometimes, they’ll pick up people that aren’t exactly on the way to your destination and make a detour and then drop you off! It’s insane. You’ll always be in a crowded little car and the only way you’ll make it to your appointment on time is to leave quite early or to pray that the others are all going to a similar area. You also have to hope that the passengers you’re with don’t smell terrible! Not to mention that it costs per person not per trip.

The skyline of Windhoek from Independence Ave.

So then I had to take a Taxi from Windhoek to Okahandja that was terrible. A taxi drove me to a drop off point where you’ll find taxis that take you outside of the city. I was warned about these places. Once the taxi stops, you’ll be swarmed by men and you have to watch your bags. Not because they’ll be stolen but once they have them its hard to get them back without taking that taxi. Plus the taxi usually has friends or family and tries to pawn you off on them for a higher price. It was difficult to make sure I had all of my bags, it was annoying because men were trying to get me into their taxi to go to a different city when I told them where I needed to go. They just wouldn’t listen. I was finally able to secure my bags and find a taxi that was reasonably priced, but we had to wait till the car was full! While I waited I was hassled by other taxi drivers trying to get me to switch to their car. I think the whole process of getting a taxi and waiting was like 45 minutes. Thankfully we left and made it home without incident.

About Kamanjab

 Kamanjab is a village, but not in the sense of huts and typical African attire. According to wikipedia, there are about 6,000 people so the size makes it a village. It’s laid out over rolling hills, so it is a bit challenging to get a feel for the place. Basically, the main road comes into Kamanjab, there are a few businesses on the main road and there is an intersection. Right (north) takes you to Opuwo, strait (west) takes you to the farm areas, left (south) takes you to more of Kamanjab and to Khorixas, and they way you came (east) takes you to Outjo, Otjiwarango, and down to Windhoek. By taking left, you’ll pass a few stores, a motel, a place for food and a bottle store (alcohol). If you keep going, you’ll pass a combined school (all ages on one campus) a clinic that’s being upgraded to a “hospital” and down the hill is the turn off for the locations. Past that, the road turns to gravel and takes you to Khorixas.

I really enjoyed Kamanjab. There is another volunteer there, he’s a little over half way through his time, and he teaches math and science at the combined school. We met up for lunch one day and made pizza. He was cool, showed me the town and told me what’s up. He also showed me how to hitch hike. It’s relatively easy to do and much safer than in the States. Most people know the PC and will give rides, which is nice. The people in the locations, although they were fascinated by a white person, were really friendly to me. When I return I hope to be in my own flat (apartment) and will attend various churches to introduce myself and integrate into the community.

The goat head.

Through Pots of Hope, I met several people on the local governments and will meet many more. We even went with them out to the farms to distribute blankets and towels. While we were out there, I got to visit a few farms. One of the farms, with a very important family of the area, offered us a goat head! Apparently there is no greater sign of respect and welcoming into a community that to be offered the head of a goat. It was cooked, boiled I think. It was actually pretty good, but I didn’t eat anything too crazy. There was a lot of meat around the head and neck that was good, and I even had the tongue. It was much better than beef tongue and I’m really starting to like goat. It’s a bit tough but it’s lean, has a good taste, and cheaper than lamb. By the time the others I was with were done with the head, it was basically a skull, it was picked clean! The farms though were very beautiful, they’re quite far from Kamanjab but the scenery was amazing. There has been a LOT of rain, so much that a small area of the north was evacuated, and everything is green. There were a few rivers that were a little tricky to cross, but our driver handled it like a champ.

About Pots of Hope

Over the past week, I was able to spend a week in Kamanjab, my future site, with my organization Pots of Hope. I’ve taken a few aspects about the trip and made them into separate blog posts.

For the first post, I’d like to tell what Pots of Hope really is and how I hope to contribute to this amazing organization and to the people of Kamanjab.

Pots of Hope has many purposes but the overall goal is to help combat HIV and bring meaningful change to the Kunene region of Namibia. (In Namibia, there are Regions, like our States, and there are districts, like our counties. We serve the Kunene region and more specifically Kamanjab and the outlying farms.) There are several avenues that they use to approach HIV, and I hope to add a few more.

First is income generating projects. In Namibia, the unemployment rate is really high and has been for quite a while, although most of it is not related to the global recession. It can be challenging, especially for women, to make an income for themselves without much training. This can lead to various outlets for income and the two most problematic, in my opinion, are prostitution and marriage for financial stability. Both of these two outlets can put women at risk for HIV. The first is pretty obvious, but the latter isn’t so much. If a woman is financially dependent on a husband, it can be difficult for a woman to leave an unfaithful partner and can create leverage for some men to extort. The hope is to teach women to sculpt pots to sell and have some source of income.

The second and equally important aspect of Pots of Hope are community dialogues, outreach, and support. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of stigma, discrimination, fear, ignorance, etc surrounding HIV. One of the bigger and more complex issues is gender-based violence. As mentioned above, there can be scenarios where HIV is brought into the marriage and violence occurs. Sadly, from what I’ve learned, it’s mostly the man’s fault but the women are always the scapegoat. Through dialogues, activities, etc, the goal is to help remove these issues and work towards a healthier Namibia.

Members of the Support Group

So there are several ways, in which I hope to help:

First and foremost, gardens. A lot of people here have space and water, but there isn’t much technical knowledge. The people here are really poor and they’re barely struggling to survive. Some are starving, going many meals without food. Or there are those who may not be starving, but don’t have the best of diets. The main thing eaten here is called pap, braai pap, mille pap, but basically, it’s grit made of corn. It can be eaten for all three meals and other than starches and filling the stomach, it’s not really good for anything but it is cheap and easy to make. It doesn’t really taste like anything though. Not only is this a problem with normal child development, as it can stunt growth, but it’s especially problematic for those who are taking ARV’s (Anti RetroViral medicines). ARV’s don’t cure HIV, there isn’t one, but they suppress the virus to help keep people alive. The problem is that they’re extremely hard on the body. I can’t imagine ever having to take them. It’s even more important to take them while having adequate nutrition and a well balanced diet; something, you can guess that most people don’t have. It’s sad, as a kid, I heard to eat all of your food for there are children starving in Africa. Well I got to meet those children. During my trip, we got to meet people who are in our support group. There was one family in particular. She and her husband have 9 children and don’t have a penny to their name. They have a few chickens and live in a small mud hut with a small garden around the house. Most nights, they said water is all that they have to fill their stomachs and even then there is a good possibility that their water is not the cleanest. What was even more shocking to me, was the fact that some of the people in this family, are HIV+ and taking the ARV’s. As I mentioned earlier, I can’t imagine taking them at all, or with poor nutrition, but I especially can’t fathom how people can take them with NO food for days. It was this family that inspired me to want to teach others to garden. This family had the land and the water, but they were not gardening effectively. The corn was not planted efficiently, there were plants planted next to each other that don’t like each other, e.g. corn near tomatoes, and many other things that is preventing their garden from being at full capacity. My goal, by the end of the year is to help people have a garden to where they can grow food for 1 week worth of food. I hope this will either help people from going a week of starvation, or help a week where they aren’t eating pap and can free up a little money to use in other, but positive ways. (Not for alcohol) I want to teach people about growing spices and herbs that can give new flavors to foods and make herbal teas. I also want people to plant a few flowers and things. My main hope for the last two items, spices/herbs and flowers, is to help bring some variety and happiness into otherwise bleak lives. I plan to start off with a garden at the Pots of Hope center that will mainly be mine, but will serve as a workshop/hands on classroom to teach others and be a model of something they can duplicate. There is also a clinic at the farms, I hope to have another garden there for similar reasons and have that as an example for those who don’t leave the farms. The food, I hope will go towards those who are too old and can’t grow much.

Second, I hope to eventually enact a program called “Male Engagement.” It’s a program that PC has mentioned to us and we’ll be trained about it in July. Basically, as mentioned above, gender based violence is one of the biggest problems in spreading HIV. I think a lot of the problems stem around the fact that women empowerment is beginning to take hold, but there isn’t a role in this for men to play. I’m sure many feel threatened, scared, concerned etc. Essentially, I feel that these men don’t know what’s going on or what to expect, and are acting out any way they can. I feel that if men were involved and explained what is going on etc, that things can be more positive. I hope I can be an agent of change who is respected and they can relate to me since I am a man as well.

Third, I hope to engage and interact with younger people. While I was there, we met with people in the support group, about 40 people, but they were all 45 to 70, or they were children brought with their parents. I think I only met one person who was in the 18-45 range and he seemed really reluctant to be there. For some reason, wither it’s pride or shame, the most important generation of people in Kamanjab and to a larger extent, the Kunene region, don’t get help. We don’t know if they’re getting medicines, if they’re taking them, if they’re doing anything to prevent HIV spread etc. But we really need to get to them and get them active. I also hope to use my age to try to connect with people to seek out the services and info they need.

And lastly, I plan on helping of course with the normal day to day projects of Pots of Hope. They do great work and their pots are renown. I hope to teach branding, especially a logo or something that they can incorporate into the pots. They want to sell these pots to people outside of Namibia, and I feel if they had a small logo, something recognizable, such as product(RED) or something that it would greatly help. I can see one of the pots in a home back in the states, where it’s on display in a house. Guests come over and someone asks about the pot because they see the small logo on it. Instead of just saying oh it’s some pot made in Africa, they can say, “this pot comes from Pots of Hope and was made by NAME, a woman who is HIV+. By purchasing this pot, I was able to support her and her children….” I think the stories of the women would move the buyer and others to help these women out. 

Off to Kamanjab

Today, March 24, I finally got more info about my next two years and I got to meet my supervisor. I must say I’m excited, but obviously nervous and a little confused. I’m sure the Peace Corps knows why they’re sending me there, but there are others who seem more qualified. I am going to make the most of the two years and to quote a good friend and fellow PCV Helen Burns, Keetmanshoop “use what you have and do the most good.”

I was supposed to leave today, but due to a delay, I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I’m actually glad, I was able to repack (I was told to pack a little differently), relax a bit and distress. I’m hoping that tomorrow will be a better day for travel anyways. I’m told that Kamanjab is about six hours from Okahandja. I also have to stop in one of the bigger cities on the way to get a few things to give to the family. I’ll be spending the week with a different family, I’ll be leaving my awesome family in Okahandja L, and will then return for at least another six weeks after I’m sworn in on April 15, 2011. After that I’ll have an apartment to live in.

So now for the important stuff, info about my next two years!

Pots of Hope has two main goals: income generation and information awareness/ behavior change. The first goal is to train people to make pottery to gain financial independence, which can better their lives with respect to HIV. The second is to focus on gender-based violence education, HIV/AIDS awareness, and reduction of stigma and discrimination.

My main role is to: help design programs and address issues such as gender-based violence to help community link gender, culture and HIV/AIDS. My secondary role is to participate in community dialogues to help the community realize the power to make meaningful changes in their lives. I hope to add a third goal of gardening to help with food security as a part of financial independence.

So there you have it. I realize that this is quite vague, but I’m happy to have some info. I can tell you that the people I’ve met so far and the things I’m hearing are phenomenal. There definitely seems to be no limit to what I can accomplish, but I’ll have to try my hardest to not get too eager or burn out. Might be easier said than done! I’ll try to post more later when I know more, perhaps a picture or two.