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Nawa 21 |
Nov 12 2003 |
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BE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT READING (BEAR) UPDATE
 Six students and three teachers from Canby High School found a different way to spend their summer vacations this year. Departing from Portland, Oregon, the nine made the long journey to Okahandja, a small municipality in central Namibia. There, under the auspices of the Echo Group, and with financial support from USAID`s Education for Democracy and Development Initiative, they shared two particularly successful programs, one to improve literacy and the other to promote agricultural development, with Namibian students and teachers. The literacy program has proven to be especially successful. Known as the Be Enthusiastic About Reading program, or BEAR, it is built on the idea that successful learners are strong readers who develop a love for reading and read for enjoyment.
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A BEAR Room was established and officially launched on July 29th at the Aurora Primary School, with the intention of serving all schools in the surrounding area. The first day the Bear Room was opened, 305 learners arrived. Students come to the BEAR Room from 2:30 to 4:30 each afternoon to read, listen to stories read by volunteer teachers, and report to other students on the books they have read. As part of the program, new methods of reading for comprehension are being introduced by the Echo Group. Importantly, parents are encouraged to visit the BEAR room with their children, reinforcing the message that parental attitudes toward education make a difference in a child`s motivation to learn. Not all parents have a strong grasp of English but they can support their children by listening to them read, or by talking about the books in their home language.
Enthusiasm for the program has remained high. Even during school vacations, approximately 80 students visit the BEAR Room each day. Moreover, two other schools in the area have started with construction work to open their own BEAR Rooms before the end of the school year. |
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OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF "NEW START"VCT FACILITY
 October 31 - In a well attended and celebratory ceremony, which emphasized partnership and collaboration among the multiple donors, private companies and members of the community, the Walvis Bay Multi-Purpose Center (MPC) launched its "New Start"voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) facility. Additions to the Center including catering facilities for the positive living group and a Catholic AIDS Action expanded facility for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) were also inaugurated. The USAID-supported MPC was lauded for continuing to provide hope to the youth, OVC and people infected with HIV/AIDS. Reflecting the feeling of community celebration, the audience was entertained by singing and dancing by the youth-based Lagoon Cultural Group. In addition, Catholic AIDS Action awarded medals of honor to several dozen volunteers, denoting at least three years of service to the organization.
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The Walvis Bay MPC, opened in 2001, was built on land donated by Walvis Bay Municipality, with construction costs supplied by the U.S. Department of Defense and staff and activities supported by USAID and the Peace Corps. In three years, the Center has served more than 25,000 community members with services ranging from care and support for OVC, for youth in life skills education and employment training, and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS. The additions to the Center will allow the MPC and Catholic AIDS Action to build upon previous successes and expand the network of critical services and support to the community. The new VCT facility, which opened its doors in September, 2003 has already served more than 100 clients in a confidential and safe facility.
The event culminated with the Director of the MPC, Beverly Figaji; the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Richard Kamwi; and the Deputy Mayor of Walvis Bay, Adelaide Kanjala, each making appointments to be tested at the new facility. In a country where the stigma against HIV/ AIDS is still alive and going for testing not yet common, the gesture on the part of these community leaders is a clear demonstration of central and local government commitment to the effort to combat HIV/AIDS in Namibia. |
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LIFE SKILLS TRAINING THROUGH SPORT FOR VULNERABLE YOUTH
 In January 2003, the Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre (KAYEC) initiated a new "Life Skills Through Sport"Project with support from USAID, provided through the Namibian Institute of Democracy.
In January 2003, the Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre (KAYEC) initiated a new "Life Skills Through Sport"Project with support from USAID, provided through the Namibian Institute of Democracy. KAYEC began the project at the Martti Ahtisaari School, a primary school with children from very impoverished homes. A KAYEC Life Skills and Sports Officer spends four mornings a week teaching cricket and interacting informally with the school children in Grade 7. |
While sport is the initial draw-card, it is not long before bonds of friendship between the children and the trainer become the main motivation for participation. Appropriate discussion opportunities are utilized by the trainer to engage the children on important life skill topics and to listen to their joys concerns and sorrows. Learning and the exchange of information is informal but effective. Topics discussed include sexuality, HIV/AIDS, parents, peer pressure, fashion, religion and much more. The intention is to engage young teenagers in discussions that will cause them to question the world around them and enable them to make non-pressured choices that will be beneficial to their futures.
For the first time ever, the Martti Ahtisaari School was able to enter a team in the regional schools` cricket league. Equipment was made available through a grant from the British High Commission. The participation of girls in the project has been a great surprise, with girls showing more commitment generally than boys.
In September 2003, one more Trainer joined the training team and another two schools in Katutura were included. Thus far, approximately 253 vulnerable children are involved in this popular project.
What began as something of an experiment (since KAYEC has historically not worked directly with school children) may now be upsized into a fully fledged training program during 2004. KAYEC is likely to use the goodwill platform to build cohesive groups of teenagers to revitalize the Namibian chapter of the International Youth Award program, an award program which originated in the UK and recognizes young people in the age group of 14-25 who have done something special to advance their own personal development and that of their communities. |
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AWARENESS WORKSHOPS ON CHILD ABUSE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HIV/AIDS
 Lifeline/Childline Namibia, with USAID support, conducted awareness workshops on child abuse, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS for 60 teachers from six primary schools in the Khomas Region graduated during 2003. This training complements the Life Skills program "Feeling Yes, Feeling No," supported by USAID through its implementing partner, Family Health International, in three regions of Namibia.
The Life Skills program is tailored for primary school learners aged eight to twelve. Over the past four years, learners have been informed on how to avoid abuse through participatory drama. However, the teachers were not skilled on how to recognize abuse, nor on how to support and assist the affected children, and refer them to Lifeline/Childline or other professional services, if necessary.
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| The aim of the teacher workshops is to create awareness among primary school teachers about the impact of child abuse, domestic violence, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS on the lives of the learners, as well as to equip them with basic skills in the protection of the children. During the workshops the teachers have shown much interest and active participation. On October 1, a certificate awards ceremony was held and the teachers were presented with their certificates. |
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