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Nawa 4 |
Jul 10 2001 |
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HIV-AIDS, ORPHANS, AND EDUCATION
 One of the most severe and heart-wrenching aspects of the HIV-AIDS epidemic is the impact on children. Some become infected with the disease through HIV+ mothers. Many others become orphans. Children affected by HIV-AIDS is a large and rapidly growing problem in Namibia. In 2000, there were an estimated 31,000 AIDS orphans. By 2006, the number of orphans in Namibia is projected to quadruple. One child in eight will be an AIDS orphan, some of these will, themselves, be infected. |
 Many AIDS orphans live in poverty, sometimes lacking the means to attend school. Without an education, they have little or no chance of ever escaping destitution. The resulting despair, lack of information about HIV/AIDS, and economic pressures to use sex to get food and other necessities, place these children at high risk of becoming infected and being conduits to further the epidemic`s spread. With Catholic AIDS Action (CAA), and with funding from the Education for Democracy and Development Initiative, USAID Namibia and its partner, Family Health International, launched a pilot program to provide education for children affected by AIDS. With the modest sum of $4,000, the goal was to provide education for 75 children. This included school fees, uniforms, and supplies. CAA left no stone unturned to contain costs and bargain down prices, including school fees. It was not always easy to get the children admitted. Sometimes the first response was that the school was overcrowded already and there was no more space. Nevertheless the obstacles were overcome and, instead of 75 children, in January 2001, 99 children entered school. Their fees were paid and all had new uniforms. For many of these children, it was the first time they had ever had new clothes. Their gratitude, elevation in self-image and hope and enthusiasm for school was and remains high. Reflecting this, six months later all 99 children are still in school. In the coming year, CAA hopes to expand the program to 1,000 children. During the second phase, CAA will help ad- ditional families claim support that the Namibian Government offers in discounting school fees while strengthening the ability of communities to assess orphan needs and provide much needed psychological support. |
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TOURIST ATTRACTION BENEFITS PREVIOUSLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY
 Spitzkoppe is a granite massif jutting over 5,900 feet into the air above the Namib Desert. Against this inspiring backdrop, there is squalor. Nearby is a tiny, impoverished community of about 600 people, forcibly resettled there when Namibia was under control of the former apartheid regime of South Africa. The desert land makes meaningful agricultural activity impossible and Spitzkoppe is distant from other potential sources of employment. |
 Realizing the tourism potential of Spitzkoppe, the community formed the Spitzkoppe Community Development Association (SCDA) to run a campsite. Each camper pays the equivalent of US $3.00 per night. By the economic standards of the community, the campsite was a boon. In 2000 about 4,000 campers came. It was a good start. But considering the spectacular nature of the massif, Spitzkoppe`s potential was far from being realized. In 1999, the USAID-supported World Wildlife Fund and the Namibia Community-Based Tourism Association assisted SCDA to solicit proposals for further development. Training and other assistance was given to help SCDA increase its expertise in management, business planning, negotiating, and tourism. In June 2001, an agreement was signed with a developer to create an upscale lodge. Through the lease and other payments it will receive, the community will significantly increase its income. There will be expanded opportunities for local enterprise to supply goods and services to the lodge and its customers. Catering to very different clienteles, the lodge will complement the campsite. Campers will have access to the lodge`s food and beverage services, increasing the attractiveness of and revenues from the campsite. Because of the lodge, there is the opportunity to develop a viable local economy as formerly unemployed community members, themselves, are able to demand more goods and services. Beyond revenues from day-to-day operations, the lodge owner is committed to investing in the community. Employees will receive training, including a degree program for a community member to become one of the lodge`s managers. Moreover, in recognition of the cooperative nature of the effort, in fifteen years, the community will receive a 25 percent equity share in the lodge. |
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ELECTIONS IN OSHAKATI INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
 On Saturday June 16, elections were held in nine informal settlements at Oshakati (situated in the north of Namibia) to select members who would serve on community development committees. These representative bodies take decisions with regard to land tenure, allocation of plots, water points, medical services, etc. Candidates present themselves for election, based on the support of at least 20 fellow members of the community. Each household chooses only one of its members to vote for the candidate of its choice. Voter turnout was more than 90%. |
| Observers representing organizations such as the Namibian Society for Human Rights (NSHR), Urban Trust, the Town Councils of Rundu, Otjiwarongo, Oshakati, IBIS (Danish Aid Organization), and Stiaan Titus from the Program/Democracy & Governance office of USAID participated as monitors. Checklists were developed to document possible incidents of intimidation and misconduct. As a result, elections in two of the informal settlements were cancelled due to discrepancies between ballot papers and the candidates’ lists. Re-election in these areas was held on Saturday June 23, 2001. The numbers of spoiled ballots was relatively low, which indicates that voter education programs in the region had been successful. Interestingly, it seemed that women in the settlements were more aware of the elections and also that there was an equal number of females and males casting their ballots. |
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