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Nawa 29 |
Nov 2 2004 |
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LIVING IN A FINITE ENVIRONMENT PLUS PROGRAM
 On Monday 25 October, the LIFE Plus Program was launched. USAID, together with other donors, has been assisting Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) since 1993, and has produced remarkable results. Recent analysis by the Economics Unit of Namibia`s Ministry of Environment and Tourism reveals the dramatic national level impact of USAID`s investment.
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Between 1993 and 2003, USAID`s funding has leveraged more than 115% in support from a range of other donors to the sector. While donor funding peaked in 2002, economic returns and wildlife stocks are climbing rapidly. The total value of net national income (value of goods and services CBNRM economic activities make available to the nation) and increased capital value of wildlife from 1990-2003 amounts to approximately $60 million. This is an impressive development return relative to the total investment of $66.8 million thus far made by the donor community and government over the same period.
USAID/Namibia`s Director, Gary Newton, representing the U.S. Mission at the event, commended the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, World Wildlife Fund-U.S., the Namibian implementing NGOs, the private sector, and the local conservancy communities in their contribution to this major conservation and rural development strategy that contributes to national as well as global sustainable development goals.
LIFE Plus will:
· Build on the existing activities of the LIFE Project and continue to support conservancies;
· Expand the types of resources under community management and support the government in promoting integrated management of these resources;
· Focus more strongly on supporting business development within conservancies and on broadening the resource base on which new enterprises can be built;
· Support the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in promoting coordinated policy development and implementation across the Natural Resource Management sectors;
· Develop synergies with other major programs within our development assistance portfolio in Namibia. These programs include combating HIV/AIDS, strengthening local governance, supporting improved education and assisting private sector development;
· Cooperate closely with two other CBNRM projects launched on the same evening, the Integrated Community Based Ecosystem Management project, funded by the UN Global Environment Facility and administered by the World Bank; and the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation project, funded by the World Wildlife Fund. |
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POWERFUL ONLINE TOOLS TO SUPPORT BUSINESS COMMUNITY
 Thanks to a partnership between USAID and the International Trade Center (ITC), a Geneva-based United Nations trade development agency, two online tools for trade analysis, Trade Map USAID and Product Map are now available to users in Namibia. These powerful online tools were introduced at a workshop held October 20-21, 2004 at a Windhoek hotel. The workshop included participants from business, the Chamber of Commerce, trade organizations and research institutions.
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ITC`s Bastiaan Bijl, the workshop facilitator said, "…these tools involved years of development work within ITC, supported by expertise from around the world. They provide quick answers to the questions exporters and trade advisors ask most: What should I export? Who are my customers? Who are my competitors? Which are the best suppliers? At what prices?"
Thanks to a generous grant from USAID, access to both Trade Map USAID and Product Map is freely available to enterprises and trade support institutions in Namibia. Users in Namibia can use these tools to help design trade strategies, develop export marketing plans, promote regional trade, diversify exports, target investments, assess trade performance, and take advantage of trade opportunities like the US-SACU Free Trade Agreement now under negotiation. Similar workshops have been held in Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Haiti, Lebanon, Madagascar, Morocco, Panama, Paraguay, and Thailand.
Interested readers can visit http://www.trademap-usaid.org to get a free password to access these tools. They are easy to use and designed specifically to support international business development.
The International Trade Center is the technical cooperation agency of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) for operational and enterprise-oriented aspects of international trade development. As the United Nations focal point for technical cooperation in trade promotion, ITC works with developing countries and economies in transition to set up effective trade promotion programs to expand their exports and improve their import operations. More information is available on http://www.intracen.org. |
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SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ACTS ON AIDS KNOWLEDGE
 Mr. Richard Mapenzi, Principal of the Mavuluma Primary School in the Caprivi Education Region of Namibia, writes:
"I attended the USAID-funded Principals` Sexual Health and HIV and AIDS workshop that was conducted at the Katima Mulilo Teachers` Resource Center. Initially, I thought this workshop was going to be like many other workshops that I have attended on HIV and AIDS, which were repetitive and rather boring. But, I was wrong.
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The session on breaking taboos was indeed an eye opener for me because I learned that some of our traditional beliefs and practices are contributing immensely to the spread of the epidemic.
You may not believe it if I tell you that immediately after that workshop, I was one of the principals who went for voluntary pre-counseling and testing at the local New Start center. I was relieved when I found some principals in a queue waiting to be counseled and tested at the center. This was encouraging. So, what I liked most at the New Start center is that numbers were used to identify us, unlike at the State Hospital where real names are used and recorded. Before the workshop, I did not like to go to the hospital in fear of stigmatization, especially if my results came out positive.
I subsequently convened a staff meeting for my teachers. During the meeting I encouraged and urged my teachers to go for voluntary pre-counseling and testing, just as I did. It could have been different for me to tell my teachers to go for HIV testing while I do not have the courage to do so. So far, about one fifth of my staff have gone for HIV pre-counseling and testing at the New Start center which is near our school. I do not ask them about their results as I regard that as too personal and confidential.
I have made it a policy to make sure that I mention one or two things about HIV and AIDS every Monday and Friday during devotion at the start of the school day. I hope this will help my learners to be aware of the risks that can befall them if they are not careful with their lives.
I am now planning to call school-board members and interested community members to come and discuss our way forward in trying to prevent the spread of the pandemic. Hopefully, during the meetings, issues on how to eradicate stigma will be discussed and how people who are infected can be helped through HIV and AIDS groups that offer life-prolonging drugs such as the Mapilelo Project". |
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U.S. DONATES LAPTOPS TO ALL REGIONAL EDUCATION PLANNERS
 The United States Agency for International Development donated 13 new laptop computers to the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture during the bi-annual workshop for Education Planners in Namibia held at the Safari hotel in Windhoek from October 18 - 22, 2004. Deputy Permanent Secretary Mr. Stanley Simataa was on hand to receive the donation from USAID Assistant Director, Douglas Ball. Also present at the donation was Todd Malone, Chief of Party for the USAID-supported Academy for Educational Development`s iNET Project. In handing over the laptops to the Ministry, Mr. Ball stated, "the United States firmly believes that an investment in Namibian education is an investment in the future. We sincerely hope that these computers will assist the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport, and Culture in improving the responsiveness and information management of the education system to meet the growing demands for quality education in Namibia."
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The 13 laptops, valued at approximately N$150,000, are just one small part of the estimated N$7 Million provided to the education sector through USAID`s iNET project. iNET, the Initiative for Namibian Educational Technology, is a collaborative project with both Ministries of Education designed to speed the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within the Namibian education system. This two-year initiative includes several activities to expand the use of ICT at different levels within both Ministries of Education. In addition, the U.S. government, through USAID, also provides an average of over N$18 million each year to support primary education through the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture.
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