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Nawa 38 |
Sep 2 2005 |
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U.S. ACKNOWLEDGED AS NAMIBIA`S TOP BILATERAL DONOR
 On August 17, 2005, three new USAID bilateral grant agreements were signed for development assistance to Namibia with a total `life of project` value of N$200 million over the next five years. The three agreements focus on the areas of basic education, community based natural resource management, and democracy and governance.
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In her remarks at the occasion, U.S. Ambassador Joyce Barr drew attention to the partnership between the two Governments: "Since 1991, the American people have granted almost $1.5 billion Namibian dollars in development assistance to Namibia. Experience shows that a country`s successful development depends on its commitment to govern democratically, to invest in its people, and to promote economic freedom and opportunities. The continued collaboration on development between Namibia and the United States confirms the success that Namibia has achieved since independence and your commitment to working for a brighter future for all Namibians."
The Director General of the National Planning Commission, Honorable Helmut Angula, speaking on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, expressed sincere thanks for the assistance, applauding the substantial resources made available to the country. He said: "Not only has your Government decided to extend the period of support to Namibia, it has also increased the level of funding, making the United States Namibia`s top bilateral donor."He also paid tribute to the high level of assistance Namibia is receiving under the President`s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to support comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs. |
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USAID SUPPORTS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION SEMINARS
 Teacher educators and student teachers from Namibia`s four colleges of education participated in intensive professional development seminars for two weeks in August 2005. The seminars were organized by the USAID-funded Basic Education Support Project Phase 3 (BES3) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education`s National Institute for Education Development (NIED). A unique series in professional development was implemented for second year student teachers and their teacher educators in the departments of mathematics, science, English, and lower primary instruction. |
 The seminars were the first of their kind in Namibia with international teacher education experts working alongside professors from the University of Namibia, NIED, and local consultants to facilitate training sessions on ways to integrate ICT into instructional programs, improving teaching in mathematics, science and English, and incorporating HIV and AIDS concepts and issues into classroom activities.
The seminars were held at all four Colleges of Education in Namibia: Windhoek College, Rundu College, Caprivi College and Ongwediva College. The participants included 67 teacher educators and 409 student teachers. In keeping with the policies of the Ministry, all sessions were based upon participatory learning strategies with many opportunities for exchange of ideas among the participants and the facilitators. One student teacher said: "I see now that if group work is just facilitated in the right way it can do a world of good and a lot of learning can come out of it." |
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COLLABORATION IN COACHING BASKETBALL YOUTH ON NUTRITION AND HIV/AIDS
 40 young athletes from the Namibia Basketball Association came to Windhoek in their capacity as community peer educators and informational ambassadors from 10 of the nation`s 13 regions. The occasion was a four-day workshop organized by the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (PAS), which included leadership training for coaches, event planning, ethics and sportsmanship and health and living.
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Representatives from Family Health International teamed up with members of the U.S. Peace Corps to lead a presentation entitled, `HIV Prevention: Staying Healthy On and Off the Court.` Using a sports context to relay messages on HIV prevention and nutrition, presenters used participatory activities and a dramatic role-play to illustrate how poor nutrition can harm individuals living with or without HIV. They integrated observations from such basketball legends as Magic Johnson and Dikembe Motombo to reinforce the message that everyone is vulnerable to HIV infections and that prevention begins with education. You must know the facts about HIV/AIDS in order to make intelligent life choices.
The facilitators conveyed the seriousness of the AIDS pandemic in global and national terms. As the workshop attendees reviewed the 2004 national statistics from UNAIDS, they were curious to know why some regions were higher than others. One young man asked why the prevalence rate increased by over 10% in his region. When the facilitator asked what they thought it meant, the young man responded: "It means we have to start taking this thing very seriously."
Youth from the Hardap, Khomas, Caprivi and Erongo regions served as regional representatives, providing brief presentations in response to a video documentary about Gilbert Josamu, a young Zimbabwean whose boxing career was devastated and life cut short by HIV/AIDS. "His dreams were destroyed just when his career was on the rise," noted one young lady. Another workshop attendee regarded Josamu as a courageous community educator, and called on Namibians to be more open and honest about living with HIV when talking to the youth. "We can`t just keep hiding from this," he said.
This workshop was the first program under the PAS "Youth for Hope" project to form grassroots clubs nationwide to encourage young people to abstain from sex and drinking by offering healthy alternative activities. The coaches trained at this workshop will not only start basketball clubs but will also initiate other youth activities such as reading and science clubs, teaching health and HIV/AIDS awareness as part of the clubs` activities. The four representatives were awarded with basketballs, and were encouraged to share their new sports equipment and knowledge of HIV/AIDS with members of their respective communities. FHI receives its funding from the US President`s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief under its cooperative agreement with USAID. |
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