Mid-Service Conference! (Part Imwe)

Can you believe I've been an official PCV for a year now! Yikes- time flies....and I have a week back in the village, after the wonderfully fun, much-needed vacation, before heading back to Windhoek for my mid-service conference! 

(I promise to give more details on the vaca this next week. Truth is, I've been unmotivated to write blog posts. Things at work have been slow and frustrating are times, and then I'll have an incredibly fabulous, satisfying day, and then the next feel like I'm back at the bottom of the mountain again. And so goes the roller-coaster they told us we would experience....)

Every 6 months, the PC requires us to fill out a detailed report on what activities we've been doing at site, as well as any other activities, such as teaching Namibians about Americans, and Americans about Namibians. Finally, the day before it was due, I completed it, and sent it in. This report will be reviewed by my Director, who will then send off a report to Washington, DC. Phew...... And although I felt I hadn't accomplished much, filling out this report made me realize that I have - though slowly - been accomplishing things. It also made me realize many things I have learned about myself, as well as the growth I've made as a young woman. Let's say this has sort been an "Eat,Pray,Love" kind of experience for me :) Ahhh...but I will write about that in Part Mbali (which means "two" in Oshikwanyama) of this post...

So let's talk work- some of the things I had wanted to accomplish at the school, never happened- at least, not yet. Goal #1- this next year will be much different- now that I've gotten to understand the flow of the teachers, learners, and the school, itself. I did get the chance to be part of a wonderful workshop for the grade 8 learners, called My Future My Choice. It's all about rights and responsibilities, making good decisions, HIV and sex and communication. It was a 3 day workshop, and although the first day was a little slow, as the children were not sure what to expect, the other 2 days were much better, with their active participation and learning to think critically. See, these kids are used to a teacher just standing in front of the class and lecturing to them. They aren't as used to thinking on their own and coming up with their own answers, versus the regurgitation of answers that they had come accustomed to. But I think in the end, they enjoyed it, learned a lot, and overall gained some knowledge and confidence from this workshop. Success!!

Also, at school, I have started to play guitar with the school choir. I also taught them the song "You Raise Me Up", and they seem to enjoy singing it, as well as taking turns playing my guitar. (When the kids first saw me walking around with the guitar in a lightweight case I can throw over my shoulder, I was told some of them thought I was carrying a big gun. Yikes. Not the impression I was trying to make! And not that I've seen anyone with a gun, here in the village. But I'm hoping now, they all understand it's just a fun musical instrument!) The choir teacher also wants me to help them become better, so they can enter a choir competition. These kids really know how to sing- it's become so natural for all of them- and everyone else in the village- to sing perfectly in tune and with perfect harmony! The problem is, they have no idea what notes they are singing, or how they created the harmony. For instance, they're so used to singing in the upper register, that they can't understand how, or even hear themselves, sing in the lower register. So, I'm looking forward to this challange. The choir director also took some singing classes over the holiday, where the instructor used a keyboard and taught them scales (at least, do-re-mi etc). So we will see what we can get accomplished this year!

I could give you excuses, but I consider them reasons, for why my girls club has not met yet, as well as only a few meetings with the AIDS club. But I'm trying not to think about the negatives- and many of the reasons it did not happen was because I had to go out of town for a meeting or workshop or there was a holiday. But I plan on changing that the rest of this year!

See, I've become comfortable. Too comfortable. And a lot of that is due to the frustrations I experience here, while trying to start projects. Many fail. Or are post-poned. And then post-poned again. So, after awhile, honestly, I guess I've slowly stopped trying. But this is the challenge of being a health volunteer. You have to, basically, find and start your own projects. But they're supposed to be "sustainable". So I try not to do anything without including a local Namibian. But then sometimes things don't move at the pace I would like them to, or am used to. So, patience is what I'm learning! I've also realized I need to become more assertive and confident, if I want to get anything done. And I am slowly beginning to see this change in myself...finally! 

I am also having great success with my NAWA project!! It stands for Nutrition And Wellness Awareness. It's a 3-day workshop at a person's home, with 2-3 of their friends.  We teach and help them start their own garden (Permagarden) give them seeds to plant, and teach about nutrition, HIV/AIDS (as well as give them male and female condoms) and TB and basic medical care, such as hygiene, wound and fever care. We also give them a bar of soap and a knee high stocking. You put this bar of soap in the stocking and then tie to a tree or branch nearby the cooking area. Then, you wet your hands, then lather up with the soap, and finally rinse! I have gotten a lot of positive feedback on this little set-up. (Right now, I'm using my own money to purchase these items, as well as other seeds, until we can prove this project works, and possibly get funding). 

While away on vacation, my counterpart actually held one of the NAWA workshops on his own!! Hello sustainability!!! Right now, I do have a company who is donating a few seeds, which helps. But I also want to give these people seeds for foods they will actually eat right now, such as spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, peppers and squash. Then, later on, we can add in different foods- such as cucumbers, carrots, beets and more. See, it's not that they won't eat these foods. The challenge is, how can they prepare and incorporate these other vegetables into their traditional meals. So far, the houses we have visited, we're taken care of by the women, with little access to water (they walk a few kilometers one way, just to fill a jerry can full of water, then walk a few kilometers back home, and use this water for the day- to cook, bathe, and clean clothes), and only cook over an open fire outside- not with a gas stove in a house. They cook their meat in a pot, usually with tomatoes and onions, and of course, their oshifima (see a past blog post about this!). So, I can see this workshop creating another class, such as a cooking class. 

But one step at a time- first, to get them used to the idea of taking care of a garden and growing food YEAR-ROUND. Really, they don't do this because of their limited access to water, and during the dry season (9 months out of the year), it takes great effort to keep a garden going. (Of course, lots of things grow during the rainy season - and it's free water!) Especially when, according to these women, they will be the ones tending to it- not the kids or the men- while they take care of everything else. This is why you will find many organizations and projects created to help the women of developing countries and empower them. The reality is, in general in developing countries (of course there are always exceptions) men make money and use this money on themselves, instead of providing for their family. Women, in the other hand, if able to make or get money, will first feed and clothe their children, and if anything is left over, they may use on themselves. Women take care of the house and children. This includes cleaning, cooking, fetching water and collecting firewood (sometimes using an axe to cut down trees. These women are strong!!!!) Men help with bigger projects around the house, as well as herd the cattle and goats. And the thing is, this is their culture. I'm not here to change it. I'm only trying to make things easier and better for them, if at all possible!

Goal #2- train at least 20 people in the NAWA project. (Nawa, by the way, in Oshikwanyama means "good"). We have included a pre-questionnaire and will also perform follow-ups to make sure they are taking care of the garden and help them along the way. Many don't know how to grow a garden- on a small scale. They are only used to planting their big fields of mahangu and maize. Then, after training at least 20 people, with proof this program is helping the community, my supervisor has given me the OK to approach the Red Cross and see if there can be any compensation given to my counterpart, Daniel, for this program, as well as taking care of the clinic garden. See, Daniel is actually employed by the Red Cross, working as the TB Field Coordinator at the clinic. He has volunteered himself to do these workshops. And he's excited about them and doing them on his own! And if this can become a bigger program, he should be compensated for it. I may attempt to ask the Ministry of Health, but have been told I will probably have a better chance at asking for the Red Cross to help. So fingers crossed! Side note- Daniel is also going with me in June to a workshop to teach us how to run the Grassroots Soccer Program- a fun program using soccer skills to educate children on HIV/AIDS. Daniel is pretty excited about this as well! I know he has done some work in the past for the Red Cross with orphaned and vulnerable children. So maybe we can incorporate this program, not only at the school, but also with this population of children. 

*sigh* Ok- one last project, which is in the very beginning stages- we actually have a big meeting on Saturday about this! We are hoping to get a soccer field and basketball/netball/volleyball court built in my village. I have soooooo much I want to say about this project! But it's going to take an entire separate blog post. So, patience my friends, I will write about this after our meeting. But a few clues- we will, hopefully, be working with Courts For Kids (look it up on the Internet!) and YOU may be able to get the opportunity to help- by coming over here to my village and helping build the court!!!! Pretty exciting, huh? I will give all the details in the blog post- I just need to wait a bit longer, as I have already extended the invitation to a few college athletic departments. But we may still need YOUR help :) 

Well, that's a quick little update- apparently I had more to say than I thought! I apologize for my lack of posting. This experience has me up and down a lot...

(though I have never thought of going home- this is the absolute most amazing, wonderful, challenging experience I have ever had and I don't regret one moment of it! It has pushed me in my work ability, work ethic, a new career perhaps (?), my knowledge of health and HIV (and everything else) spiritually, physically and emotionally and I'm sure in many other ways!)

...and I have also given up on the Internet at times. It's just such a process to post things- especially pictures and videos, at times. Maybe I'll just write a book or a movie one day to explain it all....

Or you could just come visit :)

Well, gotta get some zzzz's. I have a lot of reading and research to do tomorrow on HIV and our program here in the PC with PEPFAR (more on that later)....

Peace and Potatoes,

Johanna

p.s. I have learned that skipping makes you happy- you just can't be sad and skip at the same time. It's physically impossible...So yes, now the cattle and goats watch me skipping thru the sand.  I'm sure this village thinks I'm crazy.... :)

As well as singing everything you do...

Try it! 

p.p.s. I saw my first Namibian elephant on my way back from vacation- up here in Owamboland!!! Our driver actually turned around for us to get a closer look. Unfortunately, the elephant was walking away...but still, it's an elephant!!!

I found my groove...

So the last few months, as I had said previously, have been up and down. But I guess that is normal, here in the Peace Corps. Well, apparently, it happens a LOT. But hopefully the up times begin to out-weigh the down times.

I'll start with the funk, down time I was having....

I had been waiting months for a meeting with my clinic committee. The meeting was supposed to be about the details of the garden they wanted me to start. I had to meet with them, discuss the details and such, in order to begin the process of writing the grant. This didn't seem to be happening any time soon - between my supervisor being extremely busy (being the only Registered Nurse in the clinic, and one other nurse to help), and the committee members either being busy with school, work, or other meetings, and well, things just were moving slow....

I hurt my foot. It wasn't a major injury. I really have no idea how it happened. Maybe from jumping around and exercising in my hut, on the hard cement floor? Well, however it happened, I just started limping one day. The pain was smack dab in the middle of my foot. Now, I have a background in sports medicine. But honestly, I really didn't know what it was. After about 2 weeks of this stiffness, pain and limping through the beachy sand (in the middle of the day in the African heat), I decided to contact my PC doc. I went to the nearby town, to use the a Namibian doctor who is contracted out with the PC. She didn't think it was anything big. I was wanting to rule out a stress fracture. I've heard that in the PC, strange medical problems happen. And this wasn't anything big - just odd. I had never hurt my foot before. Maybe it was from constantly walking thru the beach sand. Who knows. Anyway, the xray looked fine. So I went on anti-inflammatories and tried to rest it. But there were days when I'd come home from work early, just to put my foot up, and not have to walk in the sand. Slowly, the foot has healed. It must have been just a strange strain. But the frustration of this, did not help the funk...

The heat. I lose appetite in this heat. My only privacy, I felt, was in my hut, after work. But there is now air flow in the hut. So, I can just sit there or lie on my bed, and sweat. I would bathe, which felt amazing, but then would immediately start sweating again. Walking home in the afternoon from work was the worst. Here in Namibia, at least in my village, everyone seems to take a "siesta" from about 2-5. People just relax under a tree, take a nap, etc. I never totally appreciated the shade, as I do here in Namibia. But that walk home - wow. Sometimes, there's no wind at all. And hardly any shade. I have become used to this, but at the time, it wasn't helping my state of mind.....

School was getting close to ending their academic year. It'll begin back up in early January. But exams were going to start in a month, and it seemed when I would go to the school for my AIDS Awareness Club, either no one would show up, or the teacher would leave the school at the end of the day. I had a talk with my supervisor about this, and beginning in January, I'll plan on going - with or without the teacher. He's a wonderful teacher, and has helped me a lot. It's just that sometimes, other things became the priority....

So, due to the lack of work, I went through the thoughts of "What am I doing here?" "Why am I needed?" "Am I just putting off my life - as in marriage, family, etc, or the next step in my career - even more by joining the PC for 2 years?" I'm sure these are typical questions a volunteer asks him/herself. But this was all happening at the same time...

But never once did I even consider the thought of leaving.....

I was just looking forward to getting my motivation back during our second  ReConnect workshop - Permagarden! I know I've talked about this alot, and will have to write up a completely different blog post to explain the workshop, but it was wonderful! I got in there, asked questions, dug in the dirt, got dirty, and loved every minute of it! And I brought my counterpart, Daniel, along as well. I was hoping he would learn something as well, and then the 2 of us could go back to the village and begin using this great technique to help the community members start their own garden!

Thanks to Peter Jensen, who is our Permagarden guru, I got my groove back. I found my motivation to keep going. I found work I could do! See, as a health volunteer, many times we have to be self-starters and creative, and find our own work. We don't have a set schedule. This can be good. And this can be bad. 

Also, as soon as I got back from the workshop, my friend Adam, a business volunteer nearby, talked to me about wanting to do something to help the pregnant women outside the local hospital. We call this area outside this hospital, "Tent City." Most of the people staying here are pregnant women, waiting till it's time to give birth. Many walk long distances to get here, and so, I believe, they come here - just to be here when their babies' times come. Many can't afford to stay in the hospital. Many are coming from Angola. I'm still learning a lot about this. So, we came up with the idea of having a meeting with the Regional Director, to discuss what we might be able to do....

Tent City

Also, on top of these things, I've been doing a lot of work with the HIV Committee, here at Peace Corps Namibia. We are re-organizing things, and hopefully adding many other exciting events, projects, etc. But more on that later, when we get further along...

So, as you can see, I found my groove! I have lots of irons in the fire, and am hoping to get lots accomplished. I have been visiting other PCVs this week, in Kavango, after 2 wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations with my fellow PCVs. I've had meetings this week, as well, up in Kavango - to hopefully have the HIV Committee collaborate with some of their projects up here. I have 2 weeks back in the village, and then I'm away for 3 weeks - 2 to volunteer with the animals, and then committee meetings in Windhoek. So, I'll be busy, busy, busy! And I've realized that I love being busy. When I'm not, I don't do anything....lol. But I guess that's the same for many people!

Well, here are a few pics from my trip to Kavango....

Beautiful, green Kavango! 

some of the education PCVs in the area were painting the local school

Walking 7k from Amy's village, to get to the tar road, so I can get a ride to Divundu! It was really hot this day....plus, I was carrying my big hiking pack...definitely some good exercise....

my PCV friend, Emily, lives in this village

America, Amy's family's puppy

Amy's hut - made of sticks and clay - a little different from mine in Owamboland

panoramic view of Amy's hut and private area the family made for her

At the Nunda River Lodge - my office for the day!

the closest I could get to the hippos!

And below, if you click on the picture, you can see my facebook album with a few pictures from my clinic. You should be able to see these pictures, even if you don't have a facebook profile...

And in honor of the great Nelson Mandela....

May he rest in peace...

Drought in Namibia

From the UNICEF Drought Emergency Appeal dated 10 July 2013:

“Namibia is currently experiencing a severe drought following almost three decades of low seasonal rainfall and a second year of failed rains in some locations.   On 17 May 2013, the Government declared a drought emergency as the country faced the death of livestock, failure of crops, reduced economic activities, and declines in human health.  With all 13 regions of the country affected, an Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) identified 778,504 people (37 per cent of the population) directly affected, including 109,000 children under the age of 5 who require urgent support. 

“Against a backdrop of underlying fragility, including pre-existing high levels of food insecurity and maternal and child under-nutrition (29% national stunting) combined with low sanitation coverage (14% in rural areas), children and women are particularly at risk of worsening health and nutrition status given the current drought conditions.  Although June marks only the beginning of the dry season, there has already been a sharp increase in clinic admissions for treatment of severe acute malnutrition, and 8 reported deaths in one of the most affected regions - Kunene. 

“While the Government has responded with interim measures providing 500MT of (unfortified) maize meal for each region for a period of two months, the lack of community-based malnutrition screening and treatment, as well as targeted support for young children’s nutritional needs is a critical gap.  The impact of the drought will continue to unfold through the remainder of 2013 and the numbers of affected children and households is likely to increase through March 2014 when the next crop cycle should be harvested.  It is essential to include prevention as well as treatment and support for health and nutrition immediately, adapting planning figures and approaches over the next nine months.”

And for this reason, it is ever more important that I begin my garden project....and especially run the HEARTH program for mothers with under-weight (malnourished) children, and teach them the Permagarden technique (at least this is the one the PC is training us in - though I'm looking at all of my resources and options - I figure, the more tools I have in my back pocket, the better at a chance of success!). For some great reading, suggested to me by Peter Jensen, our PC Permagarden guru, read How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons. Also, if you're on facebook, check out Peter's fb page: Permagardens for Empowerment and Resilience.

Although I have only been here for a few months, and therefore I can't compare the climate/weather of these last few months to previous years, I will tell you that, especially outside the village, there isn't much greenery and the cattle that are on the sides of the roads are so thin that you can see their ribs. And though my supervisor has not said anything to me yet about malnutrition here in the village, I know it was already a problem - especially in the small children. 

I will be attending a workshop by Peter at the end of October - to learn all about Permagardens! So, until then - and I am still waiting to meet with the committee, to help decide on the specifics of this garden project - I will be starting my own compost pile, and my Meme has allowed me to start a small little garden at our home. I'm hoping that by showing that this technique can work - and will produce much more food (doubles after the first season, and then over 600% after the second), over a smaller area of land (potentially 1/8 the land!), with less water usage, and help add nutrients to the soil - AND be sustainable - that they will want to incorporate this in to our Clinic Garden. 

So here goes something....

p.s.

I am going to try to get photos of the cattle and the land very soon, so you can see what I see....and will soon be posting them....

Project Design & Management

I'm back from my week-long training in Windhoek! It's put on by the Peace Corps as part of our "ReConnect". We will have another one at the end of October. After 3 months of "observation" at our sites, the reason behind ReConnect is to check in on all of us - how we're adjusting, answer any questions/concerns, review our Needs Assessments that we had to fill out and turn in about a month ago, meet with the doctors for 1 more shot (Lord, I hope there are no more! I have been poked so many times during PST, that I should be immune to everything for the rest of my life!), discuss PC vacation/travel policies and other admin stuff, and this time, they have included the Project Design & Management workshop. Most of us brought our counterparts for this training. This is the time to sit down, without distractions from our jobs, discuss our main project, and begin figuring out how the heck to get it all done….

We stayed at a remote little lodge, just south of Windhoek. It was very pretty, but VERY far off the beaten path….

 So, in my last blog post, I talked about how I will be working with the AIDS Awareness Club at the school, and hopefully expanding this to the other 6 nearby schools, as my main project. Well, as it goes here in the PC, plans completely changed 2 days before I left for the workshop. 

me and my fellow PCVs enjoying our lunch break!
from l-r: Denise, me, David, Cherie

Here in Namibia, hierarchy is very important. You must go through the correct channels, in the correct order, to get anything done. One of the main groups of people I still had yet to meet was the Clinic Committee. These are community members of my village. The Headman was not part of this Committee - and by the way, this would be equivalent to a mayor of a town. There is a governor above him, and so on. Some villages have chiefs, others, headmen. This is a way for Namibians (and this may be the same in other African countries?) to take care of, and maintain, the traditional aspects and running of the village. The Committee meets to discuss the running of the clinic and address any of its needs. For instance, in my clinic, there are only 2 nurses - and only 1 of them is an RN. (I have been there since May, and have yet to see a doctor.) Although the RN (my supervisor) has requested more help from the Ministry of Health & Social Services, the Committee has decided to form an official letter of request, for more staff, and send this to the Ministry. 

Well, before little ol' me can do anything here, on behalf of the clinic, I had to meet with the Committee. I have had to maintain a high level of patience, because my supervisor has been so busy, and I almost accepted the fact that everything was going to take twice as long (or more) to get anything done…..But, ahh…finally, without any notice, they showed up at the clinic for a 3-hour meeting. Since I had not been formally introduced to them,  my supervisor wanted me to wait in the other room, until it was time to introduce me. Just from walking around the village, I had already met many of them. When I introduced myself (luckily, the Chairman speaks decent English, and so he translated everything for me), I explained that I am here in the village to lend an extra hand and I will be assisting in 1 main project, along with a few secondary projects - but that these must be something that will continue on after I leave - to quote the PC, "sustainable projects". Because, really what is the point of me coming in to their community, doing something for 2 years, and then leaving - and maybe that something I did was never really anything THEY wanted or needed. And how will that help them in the future? (I'm currently reading the book DeadAid - and highly recommend it! Also, for further reading check out the public Dropbox folder I have included on my blog - especially the PACA Manual.) 

I asked them what was their greatest health concern or need, and how can I help. And they answered:

"A garden"

Let me just say, that over the past 3 months, I have been feverishly researching HIV/AIDS Awareness Clubs for schools, and any- and everything related to this topic. 

And now they want me to plant a garden. 

And I have never grown a plant in my life. 

Should be interesting.

But again, this is THEIR project. And although I will need to know the process of gardening, I will not be the one doing all the digging and planting and harvesting. I will be ASSISTING. Plus, I'm sure there are some expert farmers here in the village - seeing as how most of them have land to grow their food (mahangu, mainly).

My counterpart, Penehafo, and I got to work! This workshop was definitely educational and we were able to accomplish a lot. I especially enjoyed how they guided us through every step and detail. I guess you can say I'm a detail kind of person (although maybe I didn't realize this beforehand). Pene, on the other hand, is not. And so this workshop, I think, was an eye-opener for her - and how we can't just jump into a project without fully discussing and planning all aspects. I think it overwhelmed her a bit.

But we came up with a plan! And, really, the plan is, to take the information we learned, and bring this back to the Committee. I am hoping to meet with them this coming week. See, THEY are the ones who will be making the decisions. And as I had to keep reminding Pene, I am just an ADVISOR. I will be there every step of the way, but this is the COMMUNITY'S garden. And as I was advised, I will be that extra hand, the outreach person, who can help gather all the necessary info, and I should take a back seat and let them plan this, with me advising them. And when it comes down to implementing and even writing a grant for the funds to support this garden, this is Pene's responsibility. I will, of course, help her through every step of the way…..

Also, in October, during our second part of ReConnect, we will have a gardening training workshop. More specially, Permagarden workshop, put on by PC's own Peter Jensen. If you don't know anything about Permagarden's, check out this link: Permagarden. This technique is used when the soil has very little-to-no nutrients, and has been successfully implemented in Tanzania by Peter and the PC. Also, I have uploaded the Permagarden Field Manual on my Dropbox folder.

Oh, and the initial purpose of the Clinic Garden? (I will be asking the Committee to be a little more detailed in their goals for this garden when we meet). The plan is to give some of the vegetables to HIV patients who are on ARVs (the medicine specifically for HIV/AIDS patients - without eating properly, the medicine won't work as well. PLUS it helps keep their immune system strong, to continue to fight this virus.) and some of the food will go to orphan and vulnerable children (OVC). Here in Namibia, and in our village, there are many OVCs. I originally thought this meant children on the street - homeless. Of course, we have no "street" here in the village! What OVC really means, is that there are many children whose parents have either passed away, or have moved to a town, leaving them with the grandmother (older women are more prevalent here in the village than older men - many men pass away at an earlier age). And the parents don't have the money to support these children. And the grandmother doesn't have the money to support them either. So, the children have a place to lay their head at night, but may not have the money for a school uniform, food, etc. Also, some of these children may have HIV and/or don't go to school, and have nothing to do during their days. The Red Cross is helping them, but still, more needs to be done. I'm hoping to partner up with our TB field coordinator, who is also a volunteer for the Red Cross. He wants to start clubs for them, as well as a garden. So, I'm hoping we can join our efforts and give these kids a chance!

And not only will we be helping to feed people in the community, but the clinic also wants to use some of the vegetables as an income-generating activity for the clinic. The funds will go to these OVCs for school uniforms, as well as HIV patients to get their medication. And to further explain this - here in the village, once a month, HIV patients go to the church, where doctors and the Ministry hand out the ARV medications. (By the way, rarely does this doctor stop by the clinic to help with the "other" patients.) This is great - these patients can continue their care, without having to travel far. BUT, in order to get the ARV medication, you must be a registered HIV patient. And in order to become registered, you must go to the hospital for complete bloodwork, to determine if you are a candidate for this medicine (HIV patients only go on ARVs when their CD4 cell count is about 250, here in Namibia - which marks the beginning stages of AIDS. Oh, I'm learning so much!) Well, many of these patients don't have money to get the transportation to the hospital to get registered. SO, the clinic wants to create an income to help in this transportation. (And, you might say that these patients could work or do something to get the money. Well, that's a whole other issue, and I'm hoping to start some kind of business/entrepreneurship club for the community, to give them a chance at earning an income. BUT the reality is, getting ARVs is a life-or-death situation. These patients MUST start immediately, in order for them to have the chance of a healthy, long life. Maybe, once their health returns somewhat, we can discuss IGAs (income-generating activity) for them.

I am also hoping to use part of this garden to help teach the community how they can incorporate the Permagarden method in their own homes, as well as nutrition classes. There is another program the PC has successfully used in other countries for mothers with malnourished and under-weight children, called the HEARTH program. For more info, go to this link: HEARTH, or the Dropbox Folder (under Nutrition/Gardening).

So - this garden will be my main project. My supervisor still wants me to continue to work with the AIDS Awareness Club at the school (including using the Grassroots Soccer Program) , as well as maybe form a Girls' Club. The teenage pregnancy rate is high, here in the village, and these kids need something to do with their time - AND become a little more educated in sex, STDs, etc. Of course, I will be facing many cultural issues - some girls feel it is a sign of womanhood to be pregnant - and you will even find the daughters and mothers in a bit of a rival to see who can have more children. Or, there is the peer pressure of becoming pregnant - since all of their friends are doing it. Or their is the feeling of many women/girls to not force condom-use issue with their partner. And I could go on….

As you can see, there are many layers here……

And I just want to make one point. I am not here to change their way of life or culture. I respect it. Namibians are amazing, wonderful, loving, friendly people! I just want them to get all the facts, and to fully think things through, before moving forward…..

Well, it's time for me to learn all about gardening!!!

Have a great day everyone!

~Johanna

p.s. Thanks to my friends who sent the Oreos to keep me company while writing this blog!! :)

p.p.s. My next post will be about my trip to the ocean....Swakopmund!

a pretty bird at our rest camp