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Nawa 30 |
Dec 20 2004 |
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TRAINING HELPS WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS TO EXPAND
 Kathrine Shimbulu, the owner of Kamwitulwa Electrical & Building Construction (KEBC), operating in a male-dominated industry, is a prime example of how the USAID-funded SMEs Compete program has empowered entrepreneurs. A client of SMEs Compete since 2003, KEBC benefited from training and one-on-one mentorship in business management, marketing and information technology and in specialized construction cost estimating, tendering and subcontracting.
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A year ago, KEBC was operating from the owner`s house without proper equipment and organization. KEBC now has an office, with a computer and a fax machine; it documents its business properly, and pays its employees social security and worker’s compensation. The company, which was recently awarded another large contract, now employs 75 fulltime staff as well as a dozen intermittent workers and generates approximately US$200,000 per annum in revenue.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) provide income and employment to approximately one-third of the most disadvantaged Namibians; however, SMEs are constrained by the lack of practical business management, entrepreneurial and technical skills. USAID provided US$9.2 million to assist SMEs owned by historically disadvantaged Namibians to improve their business skills and to develop new markets, thereby increasing their incomes and creating jobs. The program helps entrepreneurs by providing technical assistance, training, market access, trade fair participation, and assistance with the development of market linkages. USAID is also providing grants to business service organizations to implement training, mentoring, business plan development and marketing plans for their SME clients. |
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WILDLIFE RETURNED TO RURAL NAMIBIA
 The area of Uukwaluudhi in Namibia consists of flat plains dotted with small hills and once supported large numbers of wildlife including elephants. However, the spread of people and the war for Namibia`s independence from South African rule had reduced wildlife populations to a few springbok antelope, some ostriches and the occasional wandering elephant. King Hosea Taapopi of the Uukwaluudhi Traditional Authority wanted to restore the wildlife and also provide development for his people who are among the poorest in Namibia. Legislation passed by the Namibian government in 1996 enabled the people of Uukwaluudhi to form their own conservancy to manage wildlife and gain the economic benefits from tourism and hunting. However, in order to provide a platform for creating local jobs and other income generating opportunities, wildlife had to be restored to attract the tourists.
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The 30 year vision of a King to return wildlife to the plains north of Etosha National Park in Namibia, and bring development to his people was eventually realised with USAID support when the Uukwaluudhi Conservancy was officially launched in August 2004. King Taapopi had long dreamed of ensuring that his community`s children and grandchildren would again see wildlife on their traditional lands. In order to help the King and his people realise their dream, USAID provided technical assistance and financial support of US$120,000.
USAID supported the King and his people in forming a conservancy and in developing a core wildlife area so that wildlife could be re-introduced. The Namibian government responded by re-introducing 300 head of game including 31 rare black-faced impala and four endangered black rhino. Local people are employed by the conservancy as game guards to manage the wildlife and maintain the core area in cooperation with government game rangers. There are now plans to develop a tourism lodge so visitors can be accommodated close to the conservancy`s burgeoning wildlife. The lodge will provide jobs and income in an area where jobs are few and there is little cash. There will also be opportunities for local women to sell crafts to the tourists. With a relatively small investment USAID created the enabling environment for local people to reconnect with their wildlife heritage, stimulate economic development, promote of biodiversity conservation and develop partnerships between government and local residents. |
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DRAMATIC DECREASE IN STOCK THEFT
 Stock theft and illegal hunting in certain regions in Namibia is depriving local farmers of their primary source of income. Due to understaffing and a lack of vehicles, the Namibian Police are not always able to assist in the prevention of stock theft, undermining the confidence of communities in the legal system.
The Ditsa-I-Mu Stock-theft prevention organization (DIM), a community based organization, was given technical assistance and a grant by USAID through the Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID). DIM assists the police by providing equipment and advocating harsher sentences for convicted criminals. Para-legal advice is also offered to communal farmers to prevent them from taking the law into their own hands when dealing with poachers.
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DIM appointed 14 fieldworkers in six communities in the Kunene region. They facilitate activities at the grassroots level and, together with the police, conducted an awareness campaign among communal farmers and traditional leaders to document problems and grievances with respect to stock theft. Through its fieldworkers, DIM established close contact with these communities and through a consultative process compiled a document containing proposals to combat stock theft and illegal hunting in the region. A public march was organized to hand over a petition requesting that more attention be paid to the issue of stock theft and illegal hunting, and was submitted to the Kunene Regional Council and the Khorixas Police Station Commander.
In 2004, DIM`s activities helped reduce the number of reported stock theft cases by 62% compared to the same period in 2003. The group helped to increase public awareness of and response to crime through regular meetings between DIM fieldworkers, the communities and the police to follow-up on reports of stock theft and through citizens` arrests of poachers. New systems such as requiring permits for themovement of livestock have been introduced to ensure that transactions between consumers and producers are legal. DIM proved that communities can greatly assist authorities by policing their property without violence and human rights abuse. |
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TELEVISION HELPING TEACHERS TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
 "Tomorrow, I will teach a lesson on hydro-electricity. My learners have never seen a river. For them to understand the lesson they must understand what a river and dam look like. My task will be made easier because I will show all this using a VCR and TV", says Matthew Shikongo. |
| A seventh grade science teacher, Matthew wanted to teach how hydro-electricity is produced to students who had never seen a river or a dam. Matthew’s school — the Ongenga Combined School — is about 100 km from Oshakati town in northern Namibia. Ongenga is a remote village with bad roads, but it has electricity. The school is one of 18 schools that have been provided with a VCR, television and satellite dish to receive television programs from a local television network. The Global Development Alliance project is jointly funded by USAID and 4 other partners — Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, the Namibia Institute of Educational Development (NIED), Multichoice Namibia and the Africa America Institute. |
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