Promoting Education

San communities in Namibia are not only the most marginalized and impoverished groups of society but equally the most educationally marginalized. Education offers the Ju/'hoansi one of the few chances to brake the cycles of poverty that prevents them from determining their own future.

The Ju/'hoansi Development Fund has made education its priority. Our key initiatives are:

• Capital campaign for the development of Tsumkwe Secondary School
• Provide text books and learning materials for San learners in the Nyae Nyae region
• Support a San student from the Nyae Nyae region in tertiary education
• Promote a sister school

Tsumkwe Secondary School

Tsumkwe Secondary School is a remote rural hostel school situated in the settlement of Tsumkwe, in the heart of the Nyae Nyae Conservancy. It is the only school for the vast majority of San learners, serving a potential catchment of 1,052 primary San learners.

With a rapid increase in the number of learners, deterioration of existing facilities, lack of development and appalling sanitary conditions unfit for human habitation, the school is one of the most poorly resourced and worst performing schools in Namibia. This means every year a staggering number of learners fail to pass junior secondary education, the vast majority of which will not return to formal education.

The opportunity for San learners to complete secondary education within their own environment is something San communities in the Nyae Nyae region want and need. We are actively seeking partners with whom we can reach our long term goal, the development of a secondary school for San learners in the Nyae Nyae region.

Benefits to the development of Tsumkwe Secondary School:

• – A school infrastructure that is conducive to learning.
• – The retention of qualified teachers.
• – The development of San education in secondary phase, setting goals for primary learners.
• – Provide focus for the development of secondary San teachers.
• – Serve a potential catchment of 1,052 primary San learners.
• – Resolve the social ills that exist amongst San communities towards the school.

Book Support

In October 2009 the fund will deliver its first batch of text books and learning materials to Tsumkwe School. If all text books and learning materials are provided for, additional money will be used to buy materials for the science laboratory and study aid books for the school library. All text books will be managed by the school making sure they are available for future learners. In November a report will be posted on our website and sent to all donors with justification of what was bought.

Donations for our book support program currently stands at N$ 35, 000. Thank you for you donations. 100% of all donations go to text books and learning materials, no administration or transport costs. All books will personally be ordered and delivered by fund director David Bruce. Our book support program is ongoing, please help.

Tertiary Education

The Ju/'hoansi Development Fund is committed to providing sponsorship to San students from the Nyae Nyae region in tertiary education, particularly those studying BETD. (Basic Education Teachers Diploma) Mother tongue teachers are critical to the future success of Tsumkwe Secondary School. The fund partners private sponsors with individual students, providing support and feed back to those sponsors.

In 2010 the fund will support its first San student enrolled in BETD at Windhoek College of Education. Calvin Kazibe, a Khwe, will be the only San student from Tsumkwe School entering into tertiary education in 2010. Both Calvin's parents are illiterate, against all the odds he completed his Grade 12.

• Read Calvin’s story under Gallery

Sister Schools Program

The Ju/'hoansi Development Fund is actively promoting the partnership between a school community in the Netherlands and sister school in Tsumkwe School. The aim of the program is for students in the Netherlands to raise funds in support of their sister school while learning about life of San learners in the Nyae Naye Conservancy. Children can not only make an import contribution towards improving the quality of education for San learners, but expand their own sense of global community and the world around them. The program is intentionally flexible in order to meet the needs of a participating school. If you are interested in supporting a sister school, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange an introductory meeting.

• Contact us