NAMIBIA
The issue is...
December 2013 Vol.25#4
ISSN1026-9126 N$ 10.00
8 Christmas Snippets
HIV Negative Babies
Think B4 U LOL
Volunteering leads to gold
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
1
Dear Sister Reader
She has stepped on. Her name is Vida de Voss. And I
am she. Peering into the horizon I see myself at Sister
for a long time as the work enthuses me so. Our media officer, Mimi Mwiya, has also called Sister farewell to further her studies. We congratulate
her on this decision and wish her all the best. In cool
and calm Mimi’s place Sister welcomes fast talking and
witty Paleni Amulungu. We are happy to have Swedish
Anna Pelleberg with us for a few months for the foreign perspective she brings. We salute Johanna Eber-
enz, our bookkeeper, who remained both constant and
the sharp memory of Sister when others had come
and gone. With 2013 nearing its end and Christmas around the
corner this edition brings you inspirational stories of
people who walk by a drumbeat different from the
one the crowd hears. We also look at what it means
to think about what we think and to hold the entertainment industry accountable for what they feed us
to think. We share information of organizations that
respond to GBV as well as Namibia’s national protection referral network. Finally we express our gratitude
to all our donors for 2013. We acknowledge the lessons learned in 2013 and say
goodbye to it with its woes and highs. And we welcome 2014 with open arms.
Who we are
Sister Namibia is a feminist and women’s rights organisation located in Windhoek, Namibia. Our vision is to be and remain a feminist voice that fosters
equality, human dignity and women’s agency.
We aim to achieve a society that challenges all forms of discrimination and
champions fair and inclusive dialogue, critique and response to current issues.
We aim to inspire and equip women to make free choices and act as agents
of change in our relationships, our communities and as agents of change. We
are dedicated to developing a new feminist politics and consciousness. We
work for transformation through education, information, collective action, and
celebration.
CONTACT US
163 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Eros,
Windhoek
PO Box 86753, Windhoek
Telephone: +264 (0) 61 230618 or
230757
Fax +264 (0) 61 236371
Email: media@sisternamibia.org
director@sisternamibia.org
www.sisternamibia.org
facebook.com/SisterNamibia
Twitter: @SisterNamibia
Blog: www.sisternamibia.blogspot.com
© Sister Namibia 2013
All rights reserved. No part of
Our current activities include publishing the Sister Namibia magazine quarterthis magazine may be used or
ly, running feminist forums and organising advocacy activities against violence
reproduced without the writagainst women.
ten permission of the publisher.
Views and opinions expressed
We house a resource centre with material on feminism and gender issues, and
in this magazine are not neceswe carry out workshops, forums and events on women’s rights and gender
sarily those of Sister Namibia.
equality issues.
Our publications are made possible with help from:
2
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
ACTOFEL ART
Since 2010, after a stable and productive decade with
Liz Frank at the helm, Sister Namibia has had five
directors to date. Continuity was however provided
and Sister Namibia kept going. We are especially thankful to Laura Sasman who served for two years during
this transitional period and to a willing Alet Rhode who
held the fort until the fifth director stepped on board. 7
16
6
What’s inside
Regulars
7 Feature: Choosing a Different Life
8 Feature: Mothering Others
10 Poetry
11 Advocacy: Children’s Rights
15 Media Accountability
16 Think B4 U LOL Youth Retreat
18 Referral Network
22 Short Story
23 Poetry
26 GBV Responses
30 EU Press Release
31 HIV & Stigmatization
33 Christmas Experiences
4 Community Action: Waiting Wastes
6 Cover Story: Volunteering Leads To
Gold
12 Brother Namibia: Gender-Based
Curfews Revisted
13 Feminist Forum
14 Community Voices
24 Women’s Health
25 Women’s Safety
28 International Women’s News
34 Literature Review
35 The Issue Is...
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
3
Community Action
Waiting is wasting
H
enry David Thoreau (1817
– 1862) left us with these
words, “If a man does not
keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a
different drummer. Let him step
to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away”.
Jonathan* is such a man. Trained
as a lawyer Jonathan has a keen
eye for what is called “cognitive
dissonance”. This notion refers
to the discomfort experienced
when battling conflicting beliefs,
values, attitudes or emotional
reactions. From the Biblical story
of the Good Samaritan, this inner
conflict must have been keenly
experienced by the priest and
Levite who ignored the man who
lay beaten-up on the road. Evidence of our social cognitive dissonance plays off daily when we,
calling ourselves good, don’t see
the needs or hear the appeals of
our neighbour in need. Jonathan
knows he will die a spiritual and
intellectual death if he acts blind
and hides behind justified materialism. For this reason his favourite
lines from Fight Club are:
I see all this potential, and I see
it squandered. God damn it, an
entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables - slaves with white
collars. Advertising has us chasing
cars and clothes, working jobs we
4
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
hate so we can buy shit we don’t
need.We’re the middle children of
history, man. No purpose or place.
We have no Great War. No Great
Depression. Our great war is a
spiritual war... Our great depression
is our lives.We’ve all been raised on
television to believe that one day
we’d all be millionaires, and movie
gods, and rock stars, but we won’t.
We’re slowly learning that fact. And
we’re very, very p#! off.
Jonathan recalls being bullied at
school. “Come stand here then
that bugger won’t hurt you,” said
George. Jonathan was grateful as
George was older and taller than
his pursuer. When he reached the
fort of George, George merely
burst out laughing and the bully
recognised the licence to continue. In this moment Jonathan’s faith
in humanity received a cut to the
heart. It was years later, reading
Edmund Burke’s words, “All that is
necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to do nothing”
that Jonathan realised all George
needed to do to stop the bully
was to raise his voice. Jonathan
would begin to see many more
of these scenarios play out. By
extending a little help one can
both maintain another’s faith in
humanity and contain many kinds
of evil. And yet, how many of us
are not Georges with our respon-
sibility-shifting and self-excusing
attitude which perpetuates the
indifference in our society? This
“innocent” indifference keeps
doors that can be opened closed
and allows doors that should be
closed to open wider.
For Jonathan, “we are all endowed
with an innate justice, preceded
by a state of innocence”. Looking
at life he sees that when people
are deprived of this innocence
they become dysfunctional adults.
Imagine at an event like the annual
Windhoek show a lost five year
old girl approaches a stranger,
“Uncle, please help me find my
mother”. In this moment she
displays an innate sense of justice, acting in a way that says, “I
believe you will do the right thing
and help me find my mother.”
Jonathan is acutely aware of silent
appeals for help. This is evident
everywhere if we only choose
to see it – as in the picture of a
lost child at the show or seeing
the bare feet of the learner in
a washed-out school uniform
receiving the Best Achiever award.
Outsiders may look at parents
who poorly manage their finances,
abuse drugs or end up incarcerated and argue that these people
should grow up and take responsibility for their own instead of
expecting upright citizens to take
care of their children. Excuses, excuses, excuses. Not helping someone or a group of people because
another, such as a parent or
government, is rightfully responsible for them, is a lame excuse.
Jonathan sees immediate needs
and therefore has no time for
long term planning as would be
required in first founding an organization, dealing with red tape,
setting up a fundraising committee
and inviting more volunteers. In
his view this thoroughness often
leads to indefinite inaction. There
is a place for this, but he is not
pursuing Vision 2030
Jonathan’s focus is on community
and the environment for these
are the challenges of our time.
Employed as a legal advisor he is
able to direct his own company
and other members of the legal
fraternity in their social corporate
responsibility endeavours. But
above and beyond this professional giving and serving Jonathan’s
private time and personal finances
are wholeheartedly committed
to helping those in need. He sees
how he could very easily have
been the one in need and on the
periphery of society. What would
then become of any smug materialistic and self-centred worldview? There are also those family
members, colleagues (in their
personal capacities), a few church
members, and a friend or two
who come beside him from time
to time to donate money, food,
clothing, skills and time. Jonathan
and those corporate and private
people he can mobilise pay school
fees of deserving, yet needy pupils,
and help schools with clothes,
food, and trees. Isolated schools
have been helped with miscellaneous needs ranging from fixing
windows to providing them with
a photocopy machine. Baumgart’s
Bruhn Primary School received
benches, stationery and a ceiling had been replaced. Jonathan
assists with painting as well as
providing murals for the maternity
ward of the Katutura State Hospital can testify. He gives 10 packets of meat to 10 families every
month. For the greatest part of
2013 he has woken up at 5am to
drive children from Katutura to
school in Cimbebasia who have
lost their house. These children
are bright and their potential is
evident. So the least he can do
is to keep their faith in humanity
alive and show them despite all
the bad there is reason to keep
on giving their best. Jonathan’s
bedless bedroom (he drove the
bed to a needy family in South
Africa), old car, last season clothes,
empty fridge and zero bank account speak of a non-materialistic
man for he would rather pay a
brother’s bills or fill a stranger’s
stomach. And yet he does try to
balance things. He enjoys the occasional trip to South Africa for a
rugby game; he is a Spoken Word
fan and theatre goer though his
Friday and Saturday evenings are
often spent packing food parcels
to hand out at Okahandja Park,
Kalkrand, Stampriet and other
remote areas.
While some of us do allow our
Edgars accounts and flat screens
to stand in the way of reaching
out a helping hand, we are all
unique and many people do reach
out in varying ways. Anthony
builds low cost houses and rents
them out cheaply, Tina pays the
school fees of 5 cousins, Judy has
been taking care of her bedridden
aunt for the last 6 years. Jonathan’s
life exemplifies a consuming consciousness of being his brother’s
keeper; it may frustrate, offend,
condemn or inspire people. The
choice is yours.
Any children’s books can be
donated to Sister Namibia for
Jonathan to distribute to primary
schools to promote a culture of
reading.
* Jonathan is a pseudonym
By: Vida de Voss
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
5
Cover Story
Volunteering
leads to gold
A survivor of child
abuse, Jakobine
wanted to help children
rise above their
cicumstances
A
Vida de Voss
little girl sits beneath a solitary
tree and whispers to herself.
“Not now but one day. Not
now but one day. One day.” She spoke
to herself under the tree because she
had no voice in the house where she
was often severely beaten for anything
and shouted at for nothing. She lived
with family members in Windhoek.
Jakobine’s mother had sent her to
Windhoek at age five thinking she was
giving her daughter a better chance in
life. She could not have imagined the
abuse her child suffered, having to do
chores all day and being physically and
emotionally tortured. Her voice was
further quietened by another refrain in
her head, “Your mother cannot afford
anything”. For this reason Jakobine
went to school with clothes too small
and no shoes. She received her diplomas and even best student awards
with bare feet and no proud family
member in the audience. Talking to
herself and believing in God’s love for
her got Jakobine through these years.
Jakobine Rhom: surviving through self-talk
Despite her good Grade 10 grades
Jakobine quit school to go home.
and take care of her younger siblings
because of their mother’s deteriorating
health and addiction to dizzying liquids.
The next 16 years passed in a wink
of an eye. 1988 saw her working as
domestic worker. She then worked at
Alfa Ko-op from 1989 until she was
6
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
retrenched with many others in 2004.
Instead of rushing to formal employment
Jakobine became a volunteer at the
Evangelical Lutheran Church’s AIDS Programme (ELCAP) as a home-based carer
for the elderly and HIV patients. ELCAP
provided the household with basic food
and cosmetics. Each of her siblings also
received N$30.00 and Jakobine received
N$20/ month for her work. When
USAID donated clothes to the sick the
volunteers also benefitted. Jakobine received training from the AIDS Care Trust,
NAWA Life Trust and Philippi Trust. After
becoming a group leader at Philippi, she
started seeing her future differently.
As a carer for the elderly and AIDS patients in Okahandja Park, Jakobine could
not help but notice the children who
lived in these households. In different
ways they reminded her so much of herself. Her time had come. Here was her
opportunity. She succeeded in getting
permission to run the usual ELCAP programme during the mornings and in the
afternoons, with two other volunteers,
assist these hungry-eyed children who
peeked at her from behind cardboard
walls. The Lutheran church availed space
for them. They provided afterschool
care and counselling. Life had taken on a
sweet rich quality for Jakobine. With wisdom beyond her years she helped the
children in countless ways and brought
out the best in them. She taught them
gratefulness through taking good care
of the stationery that were donated
Choir members in Okahandja Park
to them. She also instilled in them the
principle of giving thanks and taught
them to make birthday and appreciation
cards with basic materials. These cards
that used leaves for decorations showed
them how far one can get with little and
how possible it was to be self-reliant if
one stopped looking to have what others had. One could make do with what
one had. Jakobine also started a recreational club with the children. Here they
were given responsibilities to teach them
the value of ownership. And a miracle
was slowly birthed from all these lessons.
Children had to learn to take ownership
of the club by suggesting activities. Since
they had learned the principle of making
do with what they had, singing became
the primary suggestion. And thus a
children’s choir and a youth choir were
born. Jakobine named them after her
great-grandfather for whom the church
they practised in was named.
In 2008 ELCAP came to an end when
donor funding stopped. Jakobine’s
colleagues went off to find jobs, but
she could not simply move on with her
life and abandon the children. She had
come too far with them. Too many had
blossomed under her motherly care and
some even called her Mother.
She had seen school drop-outs return
to school. She first taught them that in
helping others you open a door into
your own future. She would therefore
have the
children who believed they were stupid
tutor younger children and thus regain
their confidence in their own academic
ability. Jakobine also taught them to talk
to themselves. They learned how to
think independently and become strong
minded despite the heartache and
difficulties in their lives. She taught them
to close the fingers on the one hand that
pointed out the negative things in their
lives and open the fingers on the other
hand that made the positive statements.
Hope and faith were nurtured in many
children through this hand-talking and
the consolation that one day things will
be better. So how could she leave them
after having built their self-esteem and
after having taught them to rise above
their circumstances? She stayed.
In 2010 her house burned down and
for a while she returned to housework.
The lady whom she worked for needed
someone to help out at her day job.
Jakobine volunteered to help and not
long after a post as receptionist became
available. Today the ELCAP volunteer is
receptionist at Be2Gold. When Oryx
Gold changed to Be2Gold and had their
groundbreaking ceremony at the opening of their Otjikoto mine, Jakobine’s two
choirs performed. At the end of their
performance people were smitten. After
an email by Sherri Lytle, the Corporate
Social Responsibility Manager, to Be2Gold board members and their wives, the
necessary funds were raised to enable
the recording of a CD by children who
once had nothing - not even belief in
themselves. Jakobine has given children
like herself a voice in more than one way.
CD to
013
cember 2
ed in De
be releas
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
7
Feature
Choosing a different life
E
leven is an age of innocence
for many. It is a carefree time
when you have not yet learned
the capital cities of the world, God
equals Sunday school and prayer is
no different than reciting kindergarten
rhymes. At this age we are still pretty
much only concerned with our games,
toys and our wants. And so it was to
an extent for Simone who liked to
shepherd the goats and search for
mopani worms. But her carefree days
ended with the passing away of her
grandparents when she was 11. She
and her younger brother now went to
live with their mother. Life at home was tumultuous. Her
mother, Dina,* and her boyfriend,
Kallie,* enjoyed the fruit of the vine
too often and too much. When Kallie
was sober he was a relatively nice guy
but he became toxic when intoxicated. Under the influence Dina liked to
scold and swear referencing Kallie’s
mother. Thankfully for the children they
spent school holidays at home. After
the holidays Simone would receive
half a soap, a matchbox filled with
vaseline and two school dresses when
she returned to the hostel. No freshly
baked favourite cookies and pocket
money. When her mom asked her
in later years how this used to make
her feel, she simply said she understood her mom did not have anything
to give her, so it was not a big deal.
Simone recounts, “I knew my mother
loved us but could not take care of us
because of the drinking and the abuse.
Besides, uncle Kallie easily got jealous
and would beat my mother in front
of us when she just gave us too much
attention. And he would get angry if
she did not want to go drink with him.
That’s just how things were”.
Coming home for the holidays Simone
and her brother would often not find
the adults at home. They would then
go look for them and find them in
the location already well under the
influence. She did not understand why
Kallie and Dina could not be sober
at least on the days they came home.
8
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
This would at least have given the
impression the grown-ups were happy
to have them back. When the adults
fought Simone would take her brother
into the veld where they would look
for glue to eat.
decision. She knew she needed to take
control of her life since the adults who
were meant to take care of her could
not. Dina seemed trapped in her life.
Simone decided to put her hope in a
place called Moria Grace.
On the 7th of December her aunt,
whose house was next to theirs,
passed away and her three young
daughters came under Dina’s supervision. On the 10th of December
Simone returned home with the children near sunset and heard a terrible
commotion in her mother’s bedroom.
Unlike a child who had just finished
Grade 7, Simone told the younger
children to have some sweets and
make food to divert their attention
from the war zone she was about to
enter. Before Simone saw the knife in
Kallie’s hands she saw her bloodied
mother. She wrestled the knife from
a very unstable Kallie who asked her
in a stupour, “Why did you take my
knife?” Looking into his glazed eyes she
saw the futility of explaining to him
he would have to kill her first before
he did her mother. The mother and
daughter then attacked Kallie. Simone
recalls her mother’s powerless punches and herself slapping Kallie to wake
him from his drunkenness. He seemed
to come to and she suggested they
leave her mother on the bed and the
two of them go rake the yard outside.
She closed the bedroom door, told
the children to stay in the kitchen and
closed the front door leading Kallie
into the rear darkness. They must have
been raking for longer than half an
hour when a surprised Kallie wanted
to know if it was Christmas the next
day for them to be raking the yard
that time of the night. Since his sanity
had returned they went to get the
wounded Dina medical help. Things
needed to change. Simone knew her
continued begging for her mother
leave Kallie would remain as fruitless
as it had over the past years. That evening’s fight was caused by Dina having
told Kallie she wanted to leave him.
Simone understood, though she was a
child, she needed to make a grown-up
Simone had met children before who
lived at this Moria Grace and from
what she heard it could become her
refuge. She had made up her mind.
From Dordabis she hiked to Windhoek without a cent to her name.
Initially she kept her whereabouts from
her mother. After she settled in she
requested that her brother join her.
Soon after her three cousins would
also join them. At Moria Grace they
had peace, ate and went to school in
clean clothes.
To date, Simone has lived at Moria
Grace for four years. When they go
home for Christmas, because the
house parents believe it is important
for family ties to stay strong, they go
live with their mother’s brother. This
uncle of theirs is known as a strict man
and a non-drinker in a community
where this is a rarity. Simone feels protected by this “shadow” of her uncle.
She has noticed that young people
don’t ask her about her school when
she goes home, but talk about alcohol
and sleeping around. Beyond these
two topics there seems to be little else
to talk to a city girl about. When young
men tell the blooming 16 year old,
“Hey Windhoek girl, come with me
then we go talk,” her response is, “Why
don’t you go talk to your sister if you
want to talk?”
In fact, young people act like finishing
Grade 7 equals finishing Grade 12. It
is sad for Simone to see girls her age
already the mother of two and struggling the way they are. Looking at her
community and her mother, Simone is
encouraged to make different choices
if she wants a different life.
By Vida de Voss
*Dina and Kallie are pseudonyms
Feature
Mothering others
Y
ou are a gift is the message Angela Katjimune wants to
instil in the lives of young women who seem confused,
out of control, neglected, aggressive. She wants to tell
them, “You are my child – even if not biologically - so let
go of acting like a leaf in the wind and start realising you
are a gift to life, rooted in the ‘enoughness’ of your unique
self. When you start living from that perspective you will
begin to bless others with the gift of you. You will begin to
bless yourself and make good decisions when you act like
you are precious”.
Katjimune has always been passionate about young
people. She is nearing retirement as Puma Energy’s Human Resources Manager and looks forward to devoting
more of her time to positively impact the lives of young
women. Many girls are not mothered – neither by aunts,
grandmothers or teachers. They get their sex education
from peers or TV and they have no role models whom
they can learn from relationally, financially or morally. And
yet there are women in their societies who can reach out
and nurture them. Katjimune loves people. This is her way
of reaching out. As a mother and grandmother of girls
she is daily aware of the challenges and threats young
women face. She cannot see herself washing her hands
and saying she did her job as a mother. Instead it seems
mothering will soon move to the next level in her life.
For the past two years Katjimune organised a young
women’s day in September under the theme, “you are a
gift”. With the help of hardworking helpers and numerous
sponsors Katjimune planned the day for months. Speakers such as PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Country Senior
Partner and 2011’s Business Woman of the Year, Nangula
Uaandja, addressed young women on money matters
at the 2012 event. In 2013 the young girls got to hear
and ask former Bank of Namibia Director of Finance and
Administration, Estelle Tjipuka about finances. In addition
to this girls received advice on relationships, nutrition,
self-image and self-acceptance, amongst others. Katjimune
invited young women between the ages of 15 - 25 from
all walks of life. Why the effort with sponsors, gifts and
influential women speakers?
Katjimune wants the day to be a vivid reminder of love
and good advice. On that day she wants to give the
young women the best and make them feel super special.
She realises impacting someone’s life for one day only
may not guarantee deep impact, but at least she hopes
their choices will be influenced by the love and information they receive from women who have the wisdom and
experience to caution and advise them.
By Vida de Voss
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
9
Poetry
Foolish pride
What is it that makes you swell and feel so proud?
Makes you feel you earned a right to stand out in the crowd,
Is it because you think you’re intelligent and so very bright?
Believe me there are many so bright if they were light,
They will make you feel like night,
What is it which makes you feel so right?
Is it because you were born in royalty,
And many a people owe you mighty loyalty?
What did you do to be where you are?
To ride in a big and fancy car,
To go to school,
And learn the craft of many tools,
What part do you play in keeping your heart beat?
You could have been born in a jungle and be lion’s meat,
What role did you play in not being born in the heart of war,
What role in being born in a family where you can always get some more?
Don’t tell me it’s hard work though you might work so very hard,
Many work a lot harder but their life’s still so very hard,
What is it you did to prevent you from being born in a cave,
What kept you away from the place lethally hit by the Tsunami wave?
You could have been a genius born without a chance to go to school,
A genius born into crime with cocaine in your veins and the mind of a fool,
You could have been still birthed,
My friend you had and have no control over many an event,
Understand that many people go through things they cannot prevent,
So whatever makes you think you are absolutely in charge?
Check that foolish pride, Which sure still does go before a fall,
So without apology shine the brightest you possibly can,
But be humble about it and do not seek to lock up others in a can,
The world can use the light from you and them,
Be thankful for the good graces which call up the better angels of your being. © afesehngwaHilary
10
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
Advocacy
How are we treating the future leaders of our country?
O
ur eyes met, and I saw the
emptiness in his. Simon*
looks older than his mere
14 years. A boy that hangs out at the
local shop, sleeps in a river bed and
zulas for life. He is but one of two
hundred and seventy five thousand
Namibian children living in poverty
according to the Child Poverty in
Namibia Report 2009/2010.
It recently came to light that up to
twenty five children between the
ages of one and five died due to
malnutrition in Grootfontein since
September 2013. These are only the
known cases. I beg to ask: “Is Namibia
failing its children”?
Hailed by our Southern African
neighbours as a regional framework
and viewed by many as a great piece
of legislation (it only took nineteen
years to perfect), the Child Care
and Protection Bill when passed will
replace the Children’s Status Act of
2006. The Children’s bill provides
for the establishment of a Children’s Ombudsman, family plans and
children’s courts. More residential
homes for vulnerable and orphaned
children are also detailed in the plans.
Could this be the seven children’s
homes that were recently built and
furnished, but is not utilised as no
operational budget was allocated to
this project? Another question that
bothers me is why is it taking so long
to pass this bill in Parliament?
The Namibian Child Rights Network
was officially formed in 2013. It now
has ten civil society members. This
network is linked to the Children’s
Rights Network Southern Africa and
has children’s rights at the heart of
its mission. The network will work
towards strengthening child participation, advocacy for children’s rights
and issues, and will also develop
tools to monitor the adoption of the
international, regional and national
instruments, which Namibia ratified.
The instruments to be adopted
include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the
African Charter on the Rights of the
Child and the soon-to-be-passed
Child Care and Protection Bill.
KAYEC Trust under the Youth Development Programme decided to
take advocacy one step further. They
launched their Children’s Federation
on the 1st of November 2013. The
Federation held their first National
Forum, where two hundred and
seventy children from nine regions
came together and addressed three
main concerns. These concerns were:
The Child Care and Protection Bill,
alcohol and drugs, as well as Namibian schools. Children participated
freely and aired their views on these
matters.
It seems that many, such as the members of the Namibian Child Rights
Network, the National Children’s
Federation and the Office of the
Ombudsman have decided to take
action on behalf of children and are
using various strategies to get the bill
before Parliament to get it passed.
Mauritius, South Africa and Tunisia
topped the list of fifty two African
countries investigated on the welfare
of the child in the recently launched
African Report on Child well-being
by the African Child Policy Forum.
Namibia ranked second five years
ago and dropped twenty four places
over the last five years. That tells me
that we are failing our children and
that more needs to be done to turn
this around for children like Simon.
*Simon not his real name.
By Concerned Child Rights Activist
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
11
Brother Namibia
Gender-based curfews revisited
I would like to thank Mimi Mwiya on her article regarding gender-based curfews, which appeared
in the September 2013 edition
of Sister Namibia. In response to
that article, I would like to start
by saying I agree with her opening
statement. Society is more lenient
with males than with females. And
even though we might not like
it, this leniency stems from our
cultural background and culture is
something we can’t seem to ignore
or change drastically.
So why is it that guys are allowed
to stay out late at night while the
ladies have to be home as soon as
the sun sets? I believe it depends
on the relationship between the girl
and her family.
In this article I would like to look at
one aspect that causes this curfew.
Let’s start with guys. In households
where guys bring over their friends
and hang out with them at home
it means the guy’s parents get
to know his friends. Eventually a
relationship between the three (the
dude, his parents and his friend/s)
develops. The dude may also take
12
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
this a step further by inviting his
girlfriend over as well. And so the
household knows his “peeps”.
When the guy thus goes out his
parents won’t be all that worried
because they know the people he
is out with.
Now let’s look at the ladies. In
many households ladies almost never bring over their friends. They do
this when they are younger, but as
soon as they start developing it just
stops. Of course this can’t be the
case for all girls but nearly all those
I know keep their girl friends away
from their home. So now their
parents don’t really know who their
friends are. And when it comes to
boyfriends, let’s just say 95 out of a
100 girls would never even let their
boyfriends see their parents’ living
room while the parents are around
of course. I for one can confess that
while growing up, I never knew any
of my sisters’ boyfriends. I just knew
they were dating. I have nieces and
cousins that are teenagers now and
I still haven’t met their boyfriends
or even their female friends. So
when this lady wants to go out, the
parents start asking a lot of ques-
tions. Who are you going out with,
who will take care of you?
And of course like Mimi said, ladies
are highly vulnerable. I for one
cannot seem to bear the thought
of my sister being out late at night
with people I only know by name.
If my sister is to spend a night out,
it should be with people I know
personally, people I have developed
a relationship of trust with.
All in all, what I’m trying to say is
that ladies should let the people
they live with be part of their lives.
I’m not saying they (ladies) should
share their deepest and darkest
secrets with the whole household.
I’m just saying they should open up
a bit.
In conclusion I would just like to reiterate what Mimi said. Our society
as a whole needs to educate the
boy and the girl child on issues of
violence and abuse. This is the only
way we’ll be able to move towards
a non-violent Namibia.
By: Nicky Mbaimbai
Feminist Forum
Worshipping the boy child
M
y mother only had two
children, my big brother
and I. I know she loved
me and I was spoiled senseless,
but my big brother was her
pride and joy. I remember being
about five years old and hearing her say, “Everything I own
and everything I work for is for
her only son”. It is a memory
that has stayed with me because even at that tender age
I couldn’t help wondering: “If
everything was for your only son,
what is left for me, your only
daughter?’
Recently, about twenty years
later, I approached my brother
to find out if he recognised his
privilege. Of course he did not.
As far as he’s concerned, male
privilege ended with colonialism.
He made the old-age argument
of ‘Boy children were previously
considered “assets” only because
it was believed that a boy was
more likely to grow up to take
care of his family, whereas a
woman would get married and
leave.” In his view it was inconceivable that a woman would
not want to get married at all, or
choose to actually take care of
her family, even if they thought,
ironically, all she was good for
was to look after a (marital)
household and bear children.
I will however not get into that.
What really irked me about the
conversation with my brother is
that I found myself listening to
this really smart, really well-read
man thinking male privilege is a
“thing of the past” because “girls
go to school now.” What’s sad
is, the bulk of both his and my
peers, are of the same mentality.
So I looked to see how male
privilege persists in society. And
this is what I found:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
for caring for his children,
instead of being expected to
be the full-time caretaker
• Men can balance a career
and a family without being
called selfish for not staying
at home (or being constantly
pressured to stay at home)
or worry about how having
Men can expect to be paid
children may affect their
equitably for the work they
careers
do, and not less because of
• If a man rises to prominence
their sex
in an organization/role, no
A decision to hire a man
one will assume it is because
won’t be swayed by whether
he slept his way to the top
or not the employer assumes • Men can have promiscuous
he will be having children in
sex and be viewed positively
the near future
for it while women will be
Men can work comfortshamed for it should they do
ably (or walk down a public
the same.
street) without the fear of
sexual harassment
Yes, the feminist movement has
Men can walk alone at night
come a long way in ensuring that
without the fear of being
women’s rights as well as issues
raped or otherwise harmed
pertaining to women are given
Men can go on dates with a
more prominence, but we have
stranger without the fear of
not come far enough yet.
being raped
Men can dress how they like By Mimi Mwiya
and not worry that it will be
used as a defence if they are
raped
No one ever tells men to
stay in an abusive relationship
“for the sake of the children”
Men can decide not to have
children and not have their
masculinity questioned, at
least not as often as a woman would have her “womanhood” questioned
If a man chooses to have
www.h
uffingto
npost.c
children, he will be praised
om
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
13
Community Voices
Ami Mbi Noruroto
(I Have A Dream)
commons.wikimedia.org
Ku za vari kondjera oruroto
rwoye kutja u tanaure omuinyo
woye… Nambano pe nouwa watjike moruroto ndoovazu mo tjiwa
nawa kutja ko nokuruyenenisa.
Oviungura vyoye vyosikore u
sokuungurira kerambe ronḓura.
U sokuhaama nomambo woye
pomatumbo notiivii ndji mai yaka
tjinga indji ondjuwo ai nomazumo yevari nu pe novangu voye
varwe vetano… U rara mondjuwo ndje ura mosurura ondarazu
mena rokutja iho ke novimariva
okuranda otjimata. Nungwari
ove nao mo ngara pu varwe,
posi yokutja imbi avihe mavi tjiti
kutja o ha yenene okukondjera
oruroto rwoye. Ami mbi vanga
okurira onganga nu imbi ovimariva vyokuyenda koyunivesiti mavi
sutwa i aṋi? Nungwari imbi avihe
ngunda kambi ri ongendo yandje nai tjinga ambi sokukomba
ondjuwo, okuṱakamisa ovangu
vandje vetatu nokuzika eriro
rongurova tji mba zu kosikore.
14
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
Imbwi oukare oro kariro ndi ṱa pi.
Potuingi i rira oruhere uriri nu tji
tu ri ovaṋingandu ndu nouitji. Mo
yenenisa vi oturoto twoye ngunda au noviṋa ovingi nao okutjita?
Mosikore tu hongwa kutja ove
u hepa ombango porwayo
okuyenenisa oruroto rwoye.
Nambano mape vatere tjike
ndoovazu ove wa kakatere…
Wa kakatere poruveze rumwe
ndwi… Okuṱakamisa ovangu
voye nokuzikira iho ovikurya.
Poruveze ndwi ove aruhe u kara
pokuraerwa kutja oruveze rwomukazendu omondjuwo nu mokombeisa mu mo undjire omurumendu ngu me ku kupu.
Eyuva arihe mbi kara pokuripura
kutja ‘mape vatere tjike okukara
noruroto ndu u hi nokuyenenisa?’ Mba kakatera kongamburiro
tjinga mu yo amu nomahungi
omawa nungwari ngunda mbi
ripura kutja ingwi okurota ku
vatera tjike. Otji pe ri kutja mba
zuva ohunga na Abraham Lincoln ngwa tuurungira mousyona
nungwari eye kaa ri nomauzeu
tjimuna inga owandje ngu mbi
na wo nai. Omena rokutja eye
kaa ri omukazendu. Ouzeu
wovakazendu i warwe. Otji pe
ri wina kutja mba zuva ohunga
na Oprah Winfrey wina… ii, eye
omukazendu. Nungwari eye wa
ri nouzeu peke. Okuisira ku imbi
avihe ami nambano mba utu
okuyenda ame yakura omutenge
otjiwaṋa mbu tja twa kombanda yandje. Ami mbi noruroto
rwokukarira onganga ongwaye
tji mbi hi nokuruyenenisa? Orwo
ndwi oruroto rwandje ru na tjike
nozongaro nḓe ri po? Ami mbi
nongamburiro mwami omuini.
Oruveze rwandje kaponganda
mokombeisa!! Ami me yenene
okuyenenisa oturoto twandje…
Ongwaye ove tji u hi nokuyenenisa ihwi otwoye wina?
Ra tjangwa i: Jolanda van der Byl
Media Accountability
The
”
a
z
e
l
e
b
e
h
S
l
a
e
“r
T
he “real Shebeleza” is a university graduate with a good
job and a very comfortable life
who uses his skill as a talented graphics editor to make “comedy” clips.
Shebeleza uses humour as an escape
from the realities of the violent environment he grew up in. Should his
girlfriend upset him, instead of picking
a fight with her, Shebeleza would
rather get on his computer and talk
about what he would do were he
to pick a fight. Shebeleza would like
to encourage the youth to focus on
their studies and perhaps some day
be an editor like him.
The only problem is, none of this
comes across in any of his clips or
facebook posts. In those, the message that comes out is that a “real
man” hits women- girlfriend and
mother alike- you give them blue
eyes and show them who the man
is. Asked on whether he doesn’t see
how these kinds of “jokes” may be
detrimental, Shebeleza says that he
feels his audience should be able to
“differentiate between fiction and
non-fiction” as the Shebeleza portrayed in his clips is “just a character”.
This for me is a bit of a paradox
because when asked why he uses a
puppet in his clips, he says “I had to
create a character, because if Shebeleza becomes a human in society,
no one will even want to sit at the
same table with someone who talks
like that.” So he obviously realises
that there’s something wrong with
the content of his material. A further deduction one can make is that
laughing at GBV issues and encouraging others to laugh at it is akin to
promoting it.
At Sister, we are not picking on
Shebeleza or trying to raise unnecessary ruckus, but we feel that artists,
no in fact, influential people of all
spheres, should be mindful of the
messages they portray because, well,
they have people looking up to them.
The youth are especially very easily
impressionable and we can take a
good joke, but the problem we have
with jokes that seem to condone
culture of rape, violence and crime
in general is that a 14 year old will
not listen to someone like Shebeleza
(for example)’s clips and think “What
he does is so cool, I want to finish
school and be able to edit just like
him” but rather “Shebeleza (seeing
Mr Puppet Shebeleza) is so cool and
funny, if he says real men hit women
or petty theft creates jobs, then that’s
what I must do to be cool.”
The problem is however bigger than
Shebeleza, the problem lies with a
public audience that supports him
and does not see anything wrong in
his “comedy”; the problem lies in a
society that actually does think it’s
funny when a woman is beaten up.
Even worse though, the problem
lies in those who do have a problem
with his jokes but choose to say
nothing. The only thing worse than
an injustice is keeping quiet about it
because then the only voices heard
are of those condoning it.
We could decide to turn a blind
eye for “peace’s sake”, but we owe
it to the public to sensitize them
about the detriment of such humour
and not holding our public figures
accountable.
facebook.com
By Mimi Mwiya
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
15
The issue is...
16
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
On 15 November 2013,
MISA Namibia in collaboration with Sister Namibia and Lifeline/Childline invited several youth
to be a part of a weekend retreat to discuss
issues of gender-based
violence as well as the
portrayal of gender roles
in the Namibian media
and around the world.
The participants of the
retreat ranged from
ages as young as 12 and
as old as 28 years.
Activities of the weekend included looking into
the kind of popular music
we listen to, the kind of
messages sent out in this
music, as well as analysing the power that the
media has and what role
the public has in demanding accountability. The
retreat was held at the
Hodygos Training Centre
near Okahandja, and the
facilitators were of the
collaborating organisations.
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
17
18
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
19
Where to find help in Namibia
Are you, or is anyone you know, being abused, whether physically, sexually, emotionally or financially?
Do you suffer in silence just because you do not know where
to find help?
You can seek help from the people or places named in this
brochure. They are service providers, agencies, community
structures and community members who can help any child,
woman or man in Namibia to deal with abuse.
Entry Points
“Entry points” are service providers, agencies and community
structures to which a person goes first to report a case of
abuse. Here are a few:
The Child HelpLine (phone number 116) is for abused children
to call free of charge for help. The HelpLine refers each child to
the service provider, agency or structure that provides the particular kind of help needed. The HelpLine also provides ongoing
psychosocial support to each child if needed.
Traditional leaders are also entry points. They work closely with
the Police and the Woman and Child Protection Units (WACPUs) on abuse cases. Religious leaders and community support
groups are also entry points. They act as a link between community members and service providers.
Crisis Advice
Social workers in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child
Welfare (MGECW) are the most accessible source of support in a crisis situation, as they are present in all of Namibia’s
regions. In some regions, the social workers are assisted by
community childcare workers and civil society organisations.
You have a right to crisis counselling and psychosocial support
to prepare emotionally for the difficult process ahead, and to
help you cope with the challenging feelings that come with
abuse. You also have a right to medical treatment.
In the first place, a crisis counsellor will calm you down, acknowledge and understand your feelings, and reassure you that
you have taken an important step by reporting the abuse. The
counsellor will also give you guidance on how to keep yourself
safe from your abuser.
If you are the survivor of a sexual offence, the counsellor will
refer you directly to the WACPU/ Police for a medical examination and police intervention. Where possible, the counsellor will
arrange for emergency transportation to get you safely to the
next point of support.
Support Services
The government agencies responsible for providing support to
survivors of abuse – and for preventing all forms of abuse are as
follows:
- Women and Child Protection Units (WACPUs) of the Namibian Police (Nampol)
The WACPUs are specialised police units, resorting under Nampol and the Ministry of Safety and Security. These units handle
the police investigations of cases of abuse, and also help to
prevent further abuse of the survivor (whether a child, woman
or man).
20
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
- Doctors
Medical doctors in the Ministry of Health and Social Services
examine survivors of physical/sexual abuse and provide any
treatment needed. In the case of a sexual offence, the doctor
provides medication to prevent pregnancy and HIV infection.
All this should preferably be done within 72 hours. A survivor
who needs further medical treatment may be admitted to the
health facility.
- Social Workers
There are social workers in various government ministries, but
assisting survivors of abuse is a responsibility of MGECW social
workers particularly. This may involve counselling and crisis intervention, placing children in alternative care, assisting children
who have conflicted with the law, and referring survivors to
a place of safety such as a government shelter. They also help
to prepare survivors for court hearings, and they submit case
reports to the court.
Counselling Services
A counsellor (normally a social worker or psychologist) will
listen to you and understand your situation. Counsellors give
guidance and support, and can work with you and your family
to help you to cope with your feelings and to find solutions to
your problems. Social workers who serve as counsellors are
required to provide assistance/support for as long as you need
it. Survivors of abuse in Namibia are usually referred to one of
the following counselling service providers:
- Lifeline/ Childline, Philippi Trust Namibia
- The Peace Centre (trauma counseling)
- Private practitioners (psychologist, psychiatrist, etc.), Church
leaders
Support with court cases
If it has been decided that your case will go to court, your
counsellor might recommend assigning a Vulnerable Witness
Support Officer (or a social worker) to support you and your
family throughout the court proceedings. This is because the
court proceedings can be very difficult for a survivor of abuse.
The Child Witness Support Officer:
- assist you through each stage of the court process
- prepare you and the witnesses for the court hearings
- keep you and your family updated on the case
- accompany you to court hearings
- explain the court decisions to you and your family
- assist/ support you further after the court case
Confidentiality
Your information will be kept private.
Legal Services
All legal services resort under the Ministry of Justice. When a
decision is made that a case of abuse will go to court, the two
most important justice officials who deal with the case are the
prosecutor and the judge/magistrate.
Prosecutors
Prosecutors represent the State. Before the trial starts, the
prosecutor will discuss the case with you (the ‘complainant’)
and your witnesses. Although not a complainant’s personal
lawyer, a prosecutor has a duty to represent the complainant at
some stages of a trial. The prosecutor’s main task is to present
evidence to show that a crime was committed.
Judge/ magistrate
The judge/magistrate is responsible for listening to all the evidence, and then deciding whether a crime was committed, and
whether and how the accused person will be punished.
Bail
Bail means the temporary release of the accused person, on
condition that a sum of money is deposited with the court to
guarantee that the person will appear in court at a later date.
The accused can ask for bail, and the complainant has the
right to ask the court not to grant bail (due to fear of being
harmed), but the final decision lies with the judge/magistrate.
Protection order
A protection order is a court order instructing the abuser to
stop the abusive behaviour. It may also order the abuser to stay
away from the abused person, and may also provide for maintenance, child custody (care) and access to children (visiting
rights). You can apply for a protection order at any magistrate’s
office at no cost.
If an interim protection order involves children, the Clerk of the
Court has a duty to notify the MGECW. The MGECW will assign a social worker to investigate and/or monitor the case. This
is because children who are living in a violent situation might
require monitoring by a social worker to see if other protective
action is needed – e.g. removing the children from the home
and putting them in a place of safety or a shelter, or arranging
for social worker supervision of the family situation.
Aftercare social services
E P
Who to Contactfor
Supportin an Emergency
Police Em ergency
10111 (no code)
MGECW
061-2833111
Lifeline/Childline
061-232221
Lifeline/Childline
116 (no code;Toll free)
Woman and Child Protection Units (W ACPUs)
065-264200
Gobabis
062-566100
Katima Mulilo
066-253060 /081-2698775
Keetmanshoop
063-221826 /081-2554504
Lüderitz
063-221826 /081-2458660
Mariental
063-240574
Opuwo
065-273483
Oshakati
065-2236056
Otjiwarongo
067-300500
Outapi
065-251199
Rehoboth
062-5232233
Rundu
066-255209
Tsumeb
067-2235053
WalvisBay
064-219068
Windhoek
061-2095226/0814293997
Ongoing services (MGECW
and shelters)
Some services for survivors of abuse are
ongoing, such as:
- placement in shelters or places of safety – which may be necessary to ensure
your safety/survival
- counseling and psychosocial support
- case tracking and case management
- legal support and advice
- vulnerable witness support and court
preparation
n from
o
i
t
use
Ab
Eenhana
Aftercare services include:
- referral to community support groups
- reconstruction services (working with
your family to solve your problems)
(MGECW);
- services after the court case (‘after-trial’
services)
- placement of children in alternative
care
Protec
H
Where to find help in Namibia
* This is an abridged version of
the Ministry of Gender Equality
and Child Welfare’s pamphlet
on Namibia’s National Protection Referral Network.
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
21
Short Story..
Christmas today, Christmas tomorrow
“Hey sugar!” Men shouted at
Samantha as she left the shack to
fetch water from one of the taps
nearby. She held the hand of her
ten-year old brother, Shaun, who
always tried his best to be the man
of the family, returned their shout,
“Leave my sister alone!” He was so
ready to fight them even though
he was only half their size. “Keep
quiet you!” she said beneath her
breath as she jerked him closer
to her. She ignored the insults and
harassing comments thrown their
way. “There’s no point. Just ignore
them”. In a matter of minutes they
made it around the highway’s bend
where they were free from the
men’s comments.
“Mantha, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” “Are Mommy and Daddy
coming home today? It’s Christmas.” She knew it was wrong to
lie to him, but what could she say
that wouldn’t be a lie if she wanted
to make him happy? There were
so many things she can’t explain
to him: why he was no longer at
school, why they were living in a
shack with hardly anything, why he
was deprived of everything he once
knew and loved… What answers
could a sixteen-year old give that
would help him understand? “I
don’t know, Shaun. I really don’t.”
He sighed beside her and she gave
but a brief glance in his direction
to avoid his pain-filled eyes. “Listen.
We are still alive and we’ve been
okay for the last three years. We’ve
got each other. And our dignity.
Ok?” He was a child, he didn’t want
dignity. He wanted new toys and
new clothes. He wanted to make
friends at school, talk about cars
and feel the love of his parents. The
love of a sister could hardly replace
that. I decided to rather sing him a
song about a land on the other side
22
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
of a mountain where poverty didn’t
exist. He managed a tiny smile as
he wiped away his tears. “Is there
really a place like that?” “Of course
there is. We once lived there,
remember? Now let’s hurry so that
we finish bathing, okay? I managed
to get you a small present”. “Really?
That’s so cool! And are you going
to tell me stories from the Bible,
just like Mommy and Daddy used
to do before they travelled?” “I will. I
promise. Now finish up.”
Samantha looked at Shaun as he
washed himself in a play-play manner. There was no soap, in fact they
had a whole lot of nothing in their
lives. Years ago they went on holiday. Camping. The strangest thing
for Africans to do. On the third day
their parents drove off and never
came back. At first Samantha told
Shaun they drove to the nearby
town to get supplies. At the end of
the week she said something else,
four months later she needed yet
another story. And now it’s been
five or six years. They had somehow survived. But their survival
was on a thin string. The previous
winter Samantha fell in love with a
handsome young man who knew
big words. Winter was approaching
again, but the guy left on a taxi and
is still to return. There is no old
shirt or cap for her to remind her
of him. The only thing she has is
what the nurse told her. “I’m done,
let’s go get me my present”, Shaun
said in a good mood. She looked at
him and wondered if she would still
be with him next Christmas.
By Mickey Nekomba
Poetry
Be yourself
In a world where perception is everything,
The image you portray who you are thought to be,
People choking and caving,
Under the burden of being what society’s defining us to be,
Ushering in the mighty great tragedy,
That many go through this world,
Living a life foreign and alien to who they really are,
And may never be known for who they are,
Even by themselves,
Against all odds and by all means,
Be yourself,
Let somebody teach you,
And pour the best of them in you,
In the process,
Giving yourself permission to do the same,
But be yourself,
For the best you can give the world,
Is the very best of you,
Remember that whoever you are,
Even that person you are trying to be,
Even that image you’re so desperately trying to project,
No matter who you are,
Every once in a while,
And maybe ever so often,
On these sometimes perilously agonizing corridors of life,
You’ll still meet betrayal from those considered friend and foe,
Open rejection or silence pregnant with spiteful disgust,
No matter who you are or pretend to be,
Every once in a while,
You’ll entertain an unwelcomed encounter with pain and heartache,
A broken heart,
Even in the midst of the possibilities of countless pleasures of life,
Small and big,
Remember above all,
That the delusive fog of invincibility and inevitability,
Is spawned by the poisonous seed of pride,
And no matter who you are,
No matter what you do,
No matter how cavalier and noble,
Wretched and despicably wicked,
Though obligated to do right by man,
Even when that breath of life is gone,
As Robert Frost so impeccably captured,
In three words which ring with timeless truth,
Truth of unfathomable depths and breadth and height,
When he said to sum up everything he’s learned about life,
“It goes on”,
Inevitably,
Unavoidably with or without you,
But while you are here,
Humanity can be better because you lived,
Do the world a favor,
Be yourself,
Boldly, courageously, unapologetically.
© 2013 afesehngwaHilary
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
23
Women’s Health
MTCT and
HIV negative
babies
bu.digication.com
D
id you know that 90% of
children currently living with
HIV acquired it through their
mothers? It is also a fact that without effective treatment, more than
half of all babies born with HIV will
die before two years of age. These
numbers are painting a dark picture,
but there are interventions currently
in place in Namibia that are able to
curb these figures.
The mother-to-child transmission
of HIV (MTCT) can occur during
pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding. The intervention used to
prevent transmission of HIV to
babies is called the “prevention
of mother-to-child transmission”
(PMTCT). The PMTCT programme
was launched in Namibia in 2002 and
is now spread to many clinics around
the country. The testing of expecting
mothers for HIV is a first important
step to curb the transmission and
it is also the cornerstone of the
PMTCT-programme. If the mother
has tested positive for HIV it is of
highest importance during pregnancy
to receive antiretroviral treatment
(ARV) to prevent transmission of the
virus to the child. The importance of
proper and healthy nutrition during
pregnancy is also an important part
of the PMTCT-programme.
It is important to realise a great deal
of research has been done on HIV
and one needs therefore not live
in fear, painting scary and unrealistic
24
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
pictures. An HIV positive mother can
not automatically infect her baby. HIV
can be transmitted at various stages. One should therefore know this
and learn how to avoid transmission.
Simply knowing this should give many
expecting mothers the hope that
their child can be born negative. But
Namibian nurses complain that many
women never come for pre-natal
check-ups. By the time they end up in
hospital they are already in labour. At
this stage the hospital has no knowledge of them or their baby’s medical
condition. They therefore do not
know to take extra precautions to
avoid the baby from becoming infected. With available medication many
people have been living with HIV for
many years – up to twenty years and
longer. While the fear of stigmatization and rejection is a strong aspect
that could hinder testing, it should
now become clear that HIV can be
treated effectively so even if it means
the mother learns that she is positive,
this knowledge can at least help her
take care that her unborn child does
not become infected.
HIV-positive mothers furthermore
do not breastfeed their babies but
raise them on formula. The sad reality
is that these children often do not
die of HIV and AIDS but of under-nourishment, diarrhoea, pneumonia and other causes not related to
HIV. Professor Anna Coutsoudis, of
the Department of Paediatrics and
Child Health at the University of the
KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, says “Mothers are not told the truth that breast
milk is infinitely better [for the infant]
and that formula milk can be dangerous; that it is not always a sterile
product and is easily contaminated”.
Breastfeeding, by mothers who are
on ARVs, not only provides babies
with the nutrients they need for
optimal development but also gives
babies the antibodies they need to
protect them against some of these
common but deadly illnesses. It is
vital that mothers are on ARVs as it
supresses the viral levels in the blood.
The highest risk of transmission is
during the labour and delivery stages,
which is estimated to be between
10-40%. Because of this, one crucial
aspect that is part of preventing
mother-to-child transmission is to
have access to good and effective
delivery-environments such as hospitals and birth-clinics. The PMTCT
programme furthermore offers
important counselling on breastfeeding options in the different contexts
of HIV. The PMTCT-programme is a
crucial step towards a generation of
children free from HIV/AIDS.
By Anna Pelleberg
Sources: www.unicef.org
www.ilo.org/?
www.who.int
www.avert.org
www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/1/10-030110/en/
Women’s Safety
Source: www.womanatics.com
Protecting women and children from sexual assault
W
hile individuals of both
genders are perpetrators of sexual assault,
the majority of those who commit sexual assaults are men. Even
so, it is important to remember
that the vast majority of men are
not rapists. There are many things
men (and women) can do to
help prevent sexual violence from
happening to others.
If you see someone in danger of
being assaulted:
- Step in and offer assistance. Ask
if the person needs help. NOTE:
Before stepping in, make sure to
evaluate the risk and rather call
the police before-hand if the situation seems dangerous.
- Don’t leave. If you remain at
the scene and are a witness, the
perpetrator is less likely to do
anything.
- If you know the perpetrator,
tell him or her that you do not
approve of what s/he is doing. Ask
him or her to leave the potential
victim alone.
Tell women, when they go to
a party to go with a group of
friends. Arrive together, check in
with each other frequently and
leave together.
Have a buddy system. Don’t be
afraid to let a friend know if you
are worried about her/his safety.
If you see someone who is intoxicated, help them to get home
safely.
It is absolutely necessary that we
take positive measures to Ensure
our children’s safety and protect
them from becoming victims of
crime.
Define what a STRANGER is. Let
your kids know that just because
they see someone everyday (e.g.
paperboy, neighbour, etc.) it does
not mean these people are not
strangers.
Teach your children their full
name, your name, full address, and
phone number. Teach them how
to use a phone.
Teach your children the “What
if...?” game, making up different
dangerous situations that they
might encounter and helping
them play out what they would
do in that situation.
Take the time to talk to your
children and be alert to any noticeable changes in their behaviour
or attitude toward an adult or
teenager; it may be a sign of sexual abuse.
Set up procedures with your
child’s school or day care centre
as to whom the child will be released to other than yourself, and
what notification procedure they
are to follow if the child does not
show up on time.
Teach your children that their
body is private and no one has
the right to touch them in a way
that makes them feel uncomfortable. If anyone touches them in a
wrong way they should: SAY NO,
GET AWAY, and TELL SOMEONE
they trust.
Source:/www.rainn.org/get-information/sexual-assault-prevention/
men-can-help” http://www.rainn.
org/get-information/sexual-assault-prevention/men-can-help
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
25
GBV Contacts
AIDS Care Trust
Tel: 061-259590, Fax: 061-218673
Main Services:
Home-based care services, psychological counselling service for survivors of
GBV and support group for GBV survivors, material support, income-generation, job creation, health, medical support, first aid, information and advice
centre, awareness-raising, training, referral.
Friendly Haven
Cell: 081-1243010
Mail: esda@iway.na
Main Services:
Refuge / Shelter, psychological counselling service for survivors of GBV,
lobbying, awareness-raising campaign,
training, information services.
Legal Assistance Centre
Tel: 061-223356, Fax: 061-234953
Email: info@lac.org.na
Main Services:
Legal information for GBV survivors, advocacy, lobbying, awareness campaign,
training, research, information services.
Victims 2 Survivors
Mail: ladyhem@gmail.com
Main Services:
Awareness campaigns, lobbying, advocacy, training, information services.
Life Line/ Child Line
Tel: 061-226 889, Fax: 061-226 894
Email: info@lifeline.org
namibie.chisites.org.
Main Services: Psychological counselling service for survivors of GBV, counselling for child survivors, consultancy and advocacy, conferences and workshops,
lobbying, training.
NamRights
(Formerly known as National Society
for Human Rights NSHR).
Tel: 061-236183 or 061-253447, Fax:
061-234286
nshr@iafrica.com.na
Main Services:
Human rights monitoring and evaluation (including cultural, women,
children rights), awareness-raising,
advocacy through shadow reports
Media Institute of Southern Africa (NAMIBIA)
Tel: 061232975, Email: director@misa.org
Main Services:
Media sensitizing, prevention, awareness raising, addressing harmful norms
Namibia Red Cross Society
Tel: 061-413772, Email: kuniberth.Shamathe@redcross.org.na
Main Services:
The main activities of the NRCS can be described as “gender-related services
in the refugee camps”. In case of emergency the NRCS provide interventions
such as: Psychological counselling, support group, medical support, and training: the GBV component is integrated to the health or emergency trainings
delivered to the volunteers and regional coordinators who deal with the
emergency situation. No specific focus on GBV.
26
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
Sister Namibia
Tel. 061-230618/230757, Fax: 061236371
director@sisternamibia.org
Main Services:
Advocacy and lobbying, awareness-raising, conferences/workshops,
information services.
Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA)
Tel: 061-230250 or 061-230251
info@nappa.com.na
Main Services: Psychological counselling service for survivors of GBV, information services, support group for GBV survivors, health /medical support/first
aid.
Namibian Women’s Association (NAWA)
Tel: 061-262461, Fax: 061-213379,
nagirlch@iway.na
Main Services: Empowerment of
children, advocacy and lobbying.
Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO)
Tel: 061-254915,
info@ombetja.org,
Namibia Women’s Health
Network (NWHN)
Tel: 061-220117, Fax: 061-232293
nwhn@criaasadc.org
nwhn.wordpress.com
Main Services:
Established in 2008, this women’s
right organization provides information, education and skills training
to improve the health of Namibian
women living with HIV and to empower them to become leaders. All
staff members, interns and volunteers
who will be with the organization
on a long term basis receive GBV
sensitization training.
Main Services:
Information services, referral, advocacy and lobbying.
Women Action for Development
Tel: 061-227630, Fax: 061-400156
www.wad.org.na
Main Services:
Advocacy and lobbying, conferences/workshops, training, rresearch such as:
interviews with perpetrators, cultural studies, women and violence, referral.
Council of Churches in Namibia
Tel: 061-374050
info@ccnnamibia.org,
www.ccnnamibia.org
Main Services: Psychological counselling service for survivors of GBV, counselling for child survivors, consultancy and advocacy, conferences and workshops,
lobbying, awareness-raising campaign, training, information services.
Blue Cross Namibia
Tel: 061-400473
Main Services:
Information services, advocacy and
lobbying, awareness-raising.
Catholic AIDS Action (CAA)
Tel: 061-276350, Fax: 061-276364
info@caa.org.na
www.caa.org.na.
Main Services: Care and support for people living with HIV and OVC, homebased care, information services, advocacy and lobbying, awareness-raising.
Move Namibia
Tel: 0853286746
movenamibia@gmail.com
movenamibia.webs.com.
Main Services:
Information services, awareness-raising, advocacy and lobbying, referral,
conferences/workshops.
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
27
Subscription
N A M I B I A
SUBSCRIPTION FORM
SUBSCRIPTION RATES FOR 1 YEAR (4 ISSUES)
Namibia ������������������������������������������������������������� N$120�00
Students and Unemployed (Namibia only) �������� N$60�00
Elsewhere in Africa �������������������������������������������� US$20�00
Rest of the World ����������������������������������������������� US$40�00
DETAILS OF SUBSCRIBER
Surname Name: �����������������������������������������
�������������������������������������������������������
Postal Address: ������������������������������������������
Town/City: ����������������������������������������������
�������������������������������������������������������
Dear Donors and Subscribers
It would be wonderful to think we are super
women who pull off all the wonderful work we
do without any help. It would also be dishonest
and unfair because the truth is we wouldn’t be
able to do what we do without the wonderful
people who continue to make various forms of
contributions.
We therefore like to give a special shout out to
everyone who has ever supported our efforts.
Thank you to all our readers and subscribers, both
local and abroad. We love it when you guys mail
to say you have not received your Sister Namibia
magazine yet. To the volunteers we’ve had in 2013
and in previous years, you guys were awesome.
An applauding thank you goes to those donors
who ever donated anything to Sister, be it money,
books or skills.
A thunderous and heartfelt thank you goes to all
the donors who over the years have ensured that
we had funds and material for activities, salaries
for our staff, and gave us platforms to form and
strengthen networks. For 2013 we especially
want to thank Olof Palme Centre, The Worker’s
Educational Association in Sweden (ABF), Oxfam
Canada, Heinrich Böll Stiftung and African Women’s Development Fund.
Country: ������������������������������������������������
�������������������������������������������������������
Telephone: ����������������������������������������������
�������������������������������������������������������
Email:��������������������������������������������������
METHODS OF PAYMENT
Make a direct bank deposit of the subscription fees to the account details below:
Sister Namibia Trust
Bank Windhoek
Account Number: 8002538992
Branch Number: 482172
Swift code: BWLINANX
28
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
All of you have kept and continue to keep Sister
Namibia alive!
Sending you and your loved ones the merriest
and warmest of wishes this festive season,
The Sister team
International Women’s News
Malala and Lady Gaga
Finding beauty in activism and courage
Telegraph.co.uk /Photo caption: Malala Yousafzai
I
n October 2012 a 16-year old
Pakistani girl was shot in the
head on the bus on her way
from school by a Taliban gunman
sent for her. Where it can, the Taliban imposed rules forbidding girls
from going to school, listening to
music or taking most jobs. Malala
Yousafzai as a child activist spoke
out against this limiting of girls’
access to education. For criticizing
their stance towards women and
education the Taliban attempted
to silence Malala. Instead it only
ended up encouraging millions of
other girls to speak up for their
rights.
Malala has since been nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize for
her courage in the face of death
threats in her home country of
Pakistan over her advocacy of
education for girls. In 2013 she
won the European Parliament’s
Sakharov Prize for Freedom of
Thought.
After her injury she was flown
to England for surgery and now
Malala lives in England with her
family. She said that she was
stunned when she was told as a
14-year-old girl that the Taliban
had issued a death threat against
her for her activism and for her
blog on the BBC, in which she
wrote about how hard it was to
live under strict Muslim rule as
a girl. “I just could not believe it,
I said no, it’s not true,” she said,
saying she thought the Taliban
would instead come after her
father, who operates a school
and opened up his classes to girls.
Though the Taliban has threatened
her life again, she says striking back
at them would not help. “If you
hit a Talib, then there would be
no difference between you and
the Talib,” she said. “You must not
treat others with cruelty. … You
must fight others through peace
and through dialogue and through
education.”
This year Malala also won Glamour’s Woman of the Year award.
She attended the event with the
likes of Hilary Clinton, Barbara
Streisand and Lady Gaga. Interestingly enough Lady Gaga told Entertainment Tonight at the awards
ceremony that while she was
honoured to appear on Glamour’s December cover ,” I think it’s
really an important time to look
at the sphere of all the women
that are being honoured tonight.
And to turn glamour into something that’s not on the outside, but
something that’s on the inside.”
Source: cbsnews.com
International Women’s News
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
29
Press Release
Issued on 21 October 2013 for immediate release.
The EU Supports the Launch of a New Initiative for Young People Living
With HIV
The EU is partnering with Positive Vibes and LifeLine/ChildLine to launch a new project to support the social and economic inclusion of young people living with HIV. The project, ‘Moving on – Moving-Up’, is a € 345,895 (N$4.5 million)
two year initiative funded by the EU reaching young people in seven regions (Khomas, Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto,
Omusati, Hardap and Kavango West). The aim of the project is to support the social inclusion of Adolescents Living
with HIV (ALHIV) through building their self-esteem and self-reliance in partnership with caregivers and Health Services. The project will be implemented within the context of both the National Strategic Framework for HIV and the
MoHSS National Guidelines on Adolescents Living with HIV.
The launch will also recognise the central role played by both the EU and Government by asking The EU Ambassador
to Namibia, Raúl Fuentes Milani, The First Lady, Madam Penehupifo Pohamba and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Mr Andrew Ndishishi, to address participants. The launch will be attended by representatives of Government Ministries, development partners and civil society partners. The event takes place under
the auspices of Mutual Action in Development (MAD), a consortium of civil society organisations, working together to
maximise their response to HIV.
An estimated 13,000 young people are currently living with HIV, and expected to rise to 20,000 before 2015. The vast
majority of these young people were born with HIV and need both medical and psychosocial support to help them
to live positively in a world that is often hostile and unsupportive. The project will offer young people opportunities
to build their knowledge, skills and confidence to live their live positively and productively. At the same time parents
and carers will be engaged in workshops to help them understand more about young people and how to strengthen
communication between youth and elders. At the end of the project it is hoped that young people will feel included in
the economic and social lives of their families and communities and that parents, carers and leaders will be better able
to support the needs of their young people living with HIV.
“We must not forget about the special needs of the children and adolescents who are living with HIV. This Project will
work alongside many health professionals and our aspiration is that it will support and empower young people and
include them in all aspects of community life.” said Ambassador Raúl Fuentes Milani, Head of the EU Delegation.
CONTACT:
Press and Information Officer, Susan-Marie Lewis: susan-Marie.lewis@eeas.europa.eu, Cell: 081-363-167
Delegation of the European Union to Namibia
+ 264-61-202 6247 / Fax: +264-61-202 6224,
Web: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/namibia/index_en.htm
For More information:
Paul Hague at Positive Vibes: Tel. 061 262 376 or Cell 081 143 6350 or email paul@positivevibes.org.
This project is funded by the European Union
30
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
Health Feature
Image of earliest fearful attitudes AIDS
HIV and stigmatisation
F
ear and stigmatization in the
context of HIV/AIDS is prevalent
wherever you go in the world today. However, it takes different forms
and expressions in different countries
and cultures, often depending on how
much knowledge we have about the
disease.
In my home-country Sweden, the
first cases of HIV were discovered in
the mid-1980’s. It was initially surrounded by a great deal of prejudice,
myths and stories about how it was
spread and fear of it being contagious through close contact with an
infected person. Many people have
given witness to the poor treatment,
lack of understanding and discrimination that HIV-patients were subject
to when HIV was discovered. It was
referred to as the new plague and
there was widespread thought among
people that certain risk-groups were
targeted more than others, and
consequently had more to do with
immoral and reckless behaviour than
other forms of diseases. The lack of
information created a state of panic
and this resulted in isolation among
many of the HIV-patients. There were
also predictions that HIV would be
difficult to control. The fear, panic and
stigmatization in the society led many
HIV-positive people to not disclose
their HIV status but claimed to have
other forms of diseases such as cancer and many of them took their HIV
status to the grave.
In Namibia, the stigmatization of
HIV-positive people is still very strong,
and as in Sweden it is often connected to perceptions of an immoral or
lascivious lifestyle. The stigma could
lead to fear and shame of getting
tested, which will lead to positive
persons not going for antiretroviral
treatment. The consequences of
the disease reach way beyond the
physical ill health. The stigma worsens
the situation for HIV-positive persons
when it leads to a loss of income, loss
of family, loss of personal reputation
and loss of hope. Apart from being
stigmatized by people around you,
a form of external stigma, there is
also an internal stigma by which the
HIV-positive persons often stigmatise
themselves.
Thankfully our knowledge of HIV
increases daily. We now understand
much better how it is spread as well
as how it is not spread. We now know
how to treat it and what an HIV-pos-
itive person can do to live as fulfilling
and long a life as possible. Still, the
stigmatization of HIV-positive persons
has in many aspects remained. Why is
that? One of the main reasons for this
is the lack of knowledge in the society
about HIV and also an unwillingness
to address the issue openly. There
seems to be a gap between the
increasing knowledge we attain about
HIV and the reduction of stigmatisation in the society. Therefore, more
needs to be done to address stigmatisation on several levels. The internal
stigma can be countered with proper
treatment from health service representatives as well as counselling. In
order to combat the negative consequences of external stigma there is a
strong need to actively deal with this
in different spheres within the society,
by the government, community, workplace and in the family.
By Anna Pelleberg
Sources:
www.positivevibes.org/www.positivevibes.org, www.rfsu.se/www.rfsu.
se, /www.hst.org.za/www.hst.org.za, /
www.avert.org/www.avert.org
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
31
Christmas experiences
May all your Christmases
be Chocolaty
The best part of Christmas for me
as a child was always the anticipation
and the build up to Christmas Eve.
The weeks before Christmas always
consisted of advent cookies, decorations and carolling. But the one thing
that excited me and simultaneously
aggravated me the most were the
chocolate filled advent calendars. The
idea behind these calendars, besides
torturing innocent young children,
was to instil a sense of responsibility and discipline. Every evening my
father and I would open up a window of the calendar to reveal a piece
of chocolate, much to my delight.
Unfortunately I was also born with
a rash sense of urgency and impatience and quickly began to sneakily
steal my chocolate days before the
window was set to be opened. Suffice it to say I was eventually busted
and my father in his disappointment
discontinued the advent calendars in
our home. Christmas from that point
on was a dreary time that is until my
father discovered Ferrero Rocher
which he now gives to his adult
children every year. In my book that
is a definite upgrade and serves as a
constant reminder during the festive
season to appreciate my family and
friends but most importantly the
power of chocolate.
The night that stole
Christmas
We lost one of our cousins on
Christmas Eve last year. He and his
family were driving back from a
wedding when the car overturned
and he was flung from the back of
the truck. He died instantly and he
was only six. We found out about
this tragedy just as we were settling
into the third course of our Christmas dinner. The phone rang and my
mother answered the phone. Within
a space of twenty seconds her face
changed from ecstatic to hear from
one of her brothers, who lived so far
32
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
away, to heartbroken distress. For my
siblings and I to see our mother cry
was a very rare thing and it scared
us even more for not knowing what
was being said on the other end of
the line. Through her tears she told
us that we had lost the youngest
member of our family. We were
heartbroken, but we were all grateful
to be together and take comfort
in each other. Though the rest of
the evening was sombre, it was a
Christmas of true meaning as we all
realised how fragile life is – therefore
to be treasured so.
Christmas stories
In my family, most Christmases look
the same. We have Christmas lunch
with the closest family and then in
the afternoon we go to my grandmother with the rest of the family to
celebrate together. This year however,
I will not be in my snowy homeland
as I am in hot Namibia. For once it
feels good to leave the traditions
behind and just do whatever I feel
like, without any pressure. I know
that my family thinks it will be empty
without me, but I think that they will
be even happier to celebrate Christmas with me next year. But don’t get
me wrong. I quite like Christmas with
all its traditions. There seems to be
more visiting family and friends and
just enjoying each other’s company
over Christmas than at any other
time. Where I come from this is the
time for a lot of eating ginger-bread
and drinking the traditional “glögg”,
and listen to Christmas music. This
year I will however not be able to do
so since I am in Namibia. It will be a
nice contrast to my other cold and
wintery Christmases and I am looking forward to see what it brings!
Christmas in the park
When I was eleven I still adored
my father. My family isn’t exactly
Christian, which means I only saw
the inside of a church at a wedding,
funeral or when my believing extend-
ed family had something special going
on like a child’s baptism. For some
strange reason, however, my mother
thought it good to enrol my brother and me at a Christian school. So
back then there was a lot of prayer
and Bible teaching in my life. Due to
this influence I used to pray fervently
for my father. Christmas that year
seemed very promising. We would
go to my grandparents’ house that
eve to spend it with the rest of the
family on Mom’s side. I was so looking forward to playing with my cousins. An argument broke out while my
parents were getting dressed. Dad
did what he so often did. Instead of
the fun and games with my cousins
the three of us ended up spending
that holy Christmas night in the park.
My brother and I were sullen, too
heartbroken to look at our mother
with her swollen face, too ashamed
for the hospital and her family. I no
longer adored my father.
Christmas amongst the
Basters
We have a farm that has been in
the Beukes family for generations.
Despite the feuds and other family
ills we would gather yearly during
the “Big Days”. Nobody would
miss these gatherings for anything,
especially when my grandmother
still lived. As a child it was the best
time ever. Looking back with great
nostalgia, because somehow the
magic is now gone. But even then
it was not the food or the gifts that
thrilled me so about Christmas. It
was the stories and jokes that were
in full supply, the games we children
played from the moment we woke
up till hunger drove us home in the
evenings. It was the tangible sense
of belonging to these people who
did these things year after year after
year that made me love Christmas
as I did as a child. On Christmas
Eve each of the younger children
would recite portions of scripture
from the birth of Christ. The oldest
uncle would solemnly read from the
Bible. The churchiest would deliver a
message. There was so much ritual
and tradition in these things it filled
my heart with such a strong sense of
belonging. I now look at my children
and hope they love it all as I did.
Mindless Christmas
After Easter holidays, Christmas is
the dumbest holiday ever. I don’t
have a problem with the religion and
strengthening of family ties during
this period. But wow! The commercial exploitation of the poor Jesus.
Taking His birth and turning it into a
circus with a well-insulated white guy
on a sleigh, which is another fictive
element, on animals we have never
seen in Africa. And to top it, posing
this guy with fake snow - which is
yet another non-existant in Namibia – under a once again unAfrican
tree. And then we have music,
crazy senseless music about this guy
bringing us presents through the sky
or chimneys, which 99% of us don’t
have. I mean... are the adults who buy
into this for real? The whole business
is just a mindless load of stupidity.
If it’s supposed to be about Jesus
Christ, let it be about Jesus. Otherwise disassociate the Christ from this
criminalising zombieing.
I’ve opted out of Christmas
When I was a little girl, Christmas
was the one time I could play grownup and help my mother out in the
kitchen. All year long I would look
forward to Christmas morning when
I could climb up a chair and help mix
salads and cake ingredients. Then
my mother died. My first Christmas
without her was just unbearable.
I thought I would never again find
Christmas joy, but my father remarried and my step-mother and I got
along swimmingly. Gradually, I started
to form new traditions with her and
Christmas was joyful again… Then
she died too.
I have since decided to not have any
more Christmas traditions, because
the Christmas memories I have
remain the most beautiful yet most
painful of my life. I don’t think I would
be able to survive losing another
Christmas tradition.
Christmas as a girl, Christmas as a woman
Growing up, Christmas (for me) used
to mean new clothes (most likely a
new dress), lots and lots of sweets,
going to visit my grandmother in
Zambia, going to church, dancing
under the tree with my countless
cousins and having rice with tomato
sauce (that was a treat back then!)
Over the years, Christmas has
changed a great deal and new traditions were formed.
As I grew older, I became a part
of the team that ensured that the
Christmas celebrations went accordingly… This meant waking up at the
crack of dawn to make sure there
is a variety of food ready when the
family wakes up. This meant baking
a traditional chocolate and fruit
Christmas cake, roasting potatoes
and meats of all kinds. It also meant
making sure the house was clean to
receive guests, because beyond being
a time for family, it is also a time
where anyone can just drop by and
be a part of the festivities.
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
33
Literature Review
Since their mother’s sudden death, sixteenyear-old Carly and her eleven-year-old sister, Jen, have been walking and hitchhiking
across the Southwest trying to find Teddy,
the closest thing they have to a family. Carly desperately hopes Teddy will take them
in and save them from going into foster
care—and forgive them for the lies told by
their mother.
But when the starving girls get caught
stealing food on a Native American reservation, their journey gets put on hold.
While the girls work off their debt, Carly
becomes determined to travel onward—
until Jen confesses a terrible secret that
leaves both sisters wondering if they can
ever trust again.
Set against the backdrop of the American
Southwest, Walk Me Home and its resilient
heroines will inspire you and renew your
faith in renewal and redemption.
34
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
Having clear boundaries is essential to a
healthy, balanced lifestyle. A boundary is a
personal property line that marks those
things for which we are responsible. In other
words, boundaries define who we are and
who we are not. Boundaries impact all areas
of our lives: Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us and under what
circumstances -- Mental boundaries give us
the freedom to have our own thoughts and
opinions -- Emotional boundaries help us to
deal with our own emotions and disengage
from the harmful, manipulative emotions
of others -- Spiritual boundaries help us to
distinguish God’s will from our own and give
us renewed awe for our Creator -- Often,
Christians focus so much on being loving
and unselfish that they forget their own
limits and limitations.. Dr. Henry Cloud and
Dr. John Townsend offer biblically-based answers to these and other tough questions,
showing us how to set healthy boundaries
with our parents, spouses, children, friends,
co-workers, and even ourselves.
The issue is...
F
rom the preeminent Ghanaian Dr James Aggrey we
have heard, “If you educate a man, you educate an
individual. If you educate a woman, you educate a
nation.” While many an educated man’s influence has
undeniably positively influenced nations and generations,
this statement refers to the female ability for stretching
her resources to benefit many others beyond herself.
Women in informal employment especially bear witness
to this reality. It is ironic how they can achieve so much
– feeding, clothing and paying school fees - with their
small income in contrast to men who have fathered
many children and are often financially capable, but who
miserably fail to even pay the minimal maintenance the
Namibian government prescribes.
Despite the fact that women make up more than 50%
of the Namibian population the number of women
in leadership positions and in formal employment is
disproportionately low. Furthermore, women in charge
of households and women breadwinners are equally
disproportionate in number.
The African Union Protocol on the rights of Women in
Africa and the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development make the achievement of gender equality
mandatory by 2015. The stakes are looking good for
Namibian women with SWAPO also recently having
passed a resolution for 50/50 gender representation in
all local, regional and national government structures. Yet
one wonders whether those governments who ratified the protocol, including the Namibian government,
will indeed practise what they preach and whether the
Namibian political parties will indeed emulate this lofty
resolution.
How slowly we moved from Independence up to date.
At Independence in 1990 the proportion of women
in the National Assembly was 8%. Currently, 20% of
members of the National Assembly and 27% of the
National Council are women. In the National Council,
SWAPO has a 20.8% women’s representation and RDP
12.5 % whereas DTA, UDF, NUDO, APP, RP, COD and
SWANU have no women’s representation. The Deputy
Speaker of the National Assembly is a woman. Cabinet
representation of women stands at 22.7 %. On local authority level, gender representativeness is better where
45% of local authority councillors are women. While the
Local Authority Act of 1992 requires that a minimum of
30% of candidates on every party list for local elections
must be women it does not prescribe what percentage
of women should eventually be elected. In 1998 only
6% of regional councillors were women; 2004, 12.2%
and 2009, 18%.
With these lofty ideals and idyllic hopes we trust, for the
sake of quality, that women will fill these positions based
on their merit and not solely their gender. It is however
important to bear in mind that this move toward equal
distribution will be preceded by a move towards equity
by which women will be elected who are not yet fully
equipped for these positions.
This means training, interventions, education, and orientation is key. This move toward 50/50 representation
is not meant to encourage mediocrity, but meritocracy.
We therefore trust that the elected women show potential and the willingness to learn in order to grow into
praiseworthy leaders as not to embarrass our gender.
By Vida de Voss
SISTER NAMIBIA | DECEMBER 2013
35