Help Kids in Namibia Escape Poverty – But not Poor Fashion Choices – Through Education

In 2007 in northern Namibia, I coached Canisianum (Kuh-knee-see-ann-um) High School’s first-ever debate squad. The team was full of crazy personalities, such as Inamutila Kahipi, whose name meant “I am not afraid.” Inamutila lived up to his name but never took himself too seriously. For example, when I first met him at the Valentine’s Day dance, he arrived wearing a full-length leather coat over a white t-shirt and sported a single glove, like a hip-hop Namibian Michael Jackson.

His opposite was Miriam, the team co-captain. She prepared for debates with a ferocity and thoroughness that could only mean she was headed for a career in law. The team did well, winning both local and regional competitions. Miriam and Inamutila were selected to represent our region in the national competitions, which was a big feather in Canisianum’s cap.


Through the debates, I met students from all around northern Namibia. Our competitors made me realize what a special school Canisianum was. Whereas our students used English to inform, persuade and inspire, students from competing schools still struggled to piece together coherent sentences. While my students researched debate topics in the student-run library, students at other schools lacked basic reference materials like encyclopedias and textbooks.

That split is still evident today on the national exams. Canisianum’s pass rate in 2009 was over 95%; neighboring schools were well below 50%. These exams are required to advance to college. As a result, poor grades usually mean the end of a student’s academic career and the beginning of a life of subsistence farming. In contrast, attending Canisianum markedly improves a young child’s chances of success due to its rigorous teaching, high standards and unique management structure.

Unfortunately, many of the eager students in the region cannot afford to pay Canisianum’s fees of about US$100 per year. Just think about that: in America, you’re lucky if $100 pays for books and school supplies for a semester. In Namibia, it gets a student a top-notch education for a year, and a very good chance at qualifying for one of Namibia’s three universities. With your help, more Namibian children can have this chance.

Think about donating now to help give kids like those in the picture a quality education. A $100 donation pays for an entire year of school for a poor child, but even $25 makes a difference. All donations are tax-deductible!

The goal is to raise $5,000 to establish a permanent scholarship endowment at the school, and we’re already 1/3 of the way there! When I return to Namibia this September I’ll be setting up the scholarship in coordination with the school and the US-based nonprofit, WorldTeach. Donations can be made online via WorldTeach/PayPal or via mail by sending a check to:

WorldTeach
c/o Center for International Development
Harvard University
79 John F. Kennedy St., Box 122
Cambridge, MA 02138.

Your donation should be made out to "WorldTeach." Please make sure to write “Namibia-Canisianum Scholarship,” in the memo field, and thanks.

If you have any questions about this scholarship endowment or Canisianum RCHS, please write me at joshua.kaufmann.72@gmail.com. If you would like to learn more about Canisianum, many stories on this blog, Outapi Odyssey focus on school life.

Canisianum Scholarship

Give kids in Namibia a shot at a quality education -- help create the Canisianum Scholarship Endowment.

Canisianum RCHS in Northern Namibia is an excellent school, but unfortunately most families cannot afford the modest fees of US$100 a year. You can give more kids in Namibia access to a quality education by donating to the Canisianum Scholarship Endowment.

Why Canisianum?
Most schools in Namibia are struggling. Some lack resources, and many are staffed by unmotivated, substandard teachers. The passing rate for the grade 10 exams is less than 50%. Canisianum RCHS, where I have worked as a volunteer teacher, is different. The school, which is supported by both the government and the Catholic church, has adequate resources. It has an excellent teaching staff, comprised of motivated Namibians, volunteers, and nuns. As a result, Canisianum 's passing rate on the grade 10 exams was 98%, and the school was ranked 7th nationwide. For students living in the Ombalantu region, Canisianum is their best chance to get a quality education.

What Will Happen to Your Money?
The goal of this campaign is to raise enough money so that an endowment can be created to fund students at Canisianum in perpetuity. You will not be raising this money alone; Canisianum plans to raise funds in Namibia as well. Once the money has been raised, it will be invested through the charity wing of one of Namibia's largest and most reputable banks, Nedbank. A scholarship selection committee will be created at the school which will include the principal, teachers, and members of the community. This committee will select applicants based on financial need and academic merit. Students who are selected will be fully funded at the school from grade 8 through 12, provided their school work remains satisfactory. The fundraising goal set here should be enough to fund five students every year for the forseeable future.

Please think about donating now to help us give girls like those in the picture a quality education. Donate at whatever level is comfortable for you. Think about a $100 donation, which pays for an entire year of school for a poor child. All donations are tax-deductible! Please help us out today!

There are two ways you can donate. The quick & easy way to donate is on the internet. You can check out the fundraising page for this scholarship at http://www.firstgiving.com/canisianumscholarship. Click on the link or copy it to your browser. The only downside to this site is that they take 7.5% of your donation as their fee, which is kind of high.

If you want every cent to help out these kids, you can send a check to WorldTeach, the NGO through whom I am working in Namibia. They will process everything. Just write "Canisianum Scholarship" in the memo line, and mail your check to:
WorldTeach
c/o Center for International Development
Harvard University, Box 122
79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
Attn: Alix

If you have any questions about this scholarship endowment or Canisianum RCHS, please write me at joshua.kaufmann.72@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for taking the time to consider how you can help more kids in Namibia get a quality education.

Josh Kaufmann

Teacher Talk: Classes in Namibia

One important difference between school organization here and back home lies in the classes. In the U.S., most high school classes last approximately 40-50 minutes, with a short period between classes for students to move to their next room. Occasionally, some schools use a ‘block scheduling,’ which allows double periods for many classes, especially science classes that require a lab. Many teachers have their own rooms, but not all. Most students take English, Math, history, a science class, a foreign language, gym, lunch, and some type of elective.

In Namibia the classes are 40 minutes long, but there the similarity ends. Learners sit in the same class, in the same seats, all day long. Classes are designated with the grade, adding a letter for each different class in the same grade: 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, etc. All the students in one class take all the same subjects together; learners who struggle in math but excel in English cannot take remedial math and advanced English. My school has made some provision, however, for additional classes for learners who want to push themselves.

More confusing is the wide array of subjects students take. At my school, learners in grades 8-10 take nine ‘promotional’ subjects: Oshindonga, English, Maths, Life Science, Physical Science, Geography, History, Agriculture, and Business Management. Additionally, learners also take once-a-week non promotional classes in Religious and Moral Education, Computer Skills, Life Skills, and Physical Training. That’s right, the learners have ONE PERIOD PER WEEK OF GYM. Now to some of you that might sound great, but young 14-year olds need to burn off energy more than once a week!

Back home at my old school, student schedules usually remained unchanged from day to day, from week to week. Period 1 was Math with Mr. Factor, period 2 was English with Miss Sym A. Lee, and period 3 was chemistry with Dr. Mole. Here, each class’s schedule changes from day to day. The schedule is so confusing that only in the third time have I begun to get my schedule memorized. On Monday, period 1 could be English, but on Tuesday it’s math, on Wednesday it’s history, etc. Moreover, some classes meet seven times per week, some five, some three, and the non romotionals meet just once.

Although this system seems ludicrously complicated, it does have its advantages. Let’s say that I taught the same topic to both 9A and 9B, but with 9B we didn’t finish because goats invaded the classroom and we spent some time kicking them out. Back home, I would have to cover that material the next day before I could move on. Here, I can go back to 9B during the afternoon study period and finish the lesson, because that same group of learners are still together. Also, teachers will occasionally ‘trade’ or ‘sell’ periods to other teachers who need extra time to finish a topic or give a test. The flexibility is actually quite nice. If I notice that many of my learners are struggling before a test, I simply teach an extra lesson to the class during the afternoon study time.

The rigorous nature of the schedule does not mean, however, that it is rigorously followed. Principals will often call teachers out of their class for meetings. Our principal, Mr. Kalipi, has occasionally called a staff meeting in the middle of the school day, leaving all the classes without teachers. Just this week, he called a meeting during our last period to discuss how we would make up the periods that were to be lost due to a field trip on Friday. I kept thinking, “How will we make up the periods that we have lost by sitting in this meeting?”

A glaring difference is in the amount of time that learners are left unsupervised. Back in NYC, our administrators drilled into us that we could NEVER leave a classroom unsupervised. “What if,” they said, “one learner stabs another with a pencil during the 60 seconds you are out of the room? Then YOU will be responsible for the lawsuit.” As a result, if I desperately needed to go to the bathroom, I had to flag down a passing teacher to watch my class while I ran to the can.

Here, the learners are frequently left to fend for themselves. There are no such things as substitute teachers here. If a teacher is sick, at a workshop, or merely sleeping in the staffroom, the class will simply remain without a teacher. When the principal calls a staff meeting during the day, the learners sit in their classes. If I need to use the toilet or make a photocopy during class, than I just do it. And you know what? When I come back in the room, they’re all fine. Oh sure, they might be talking to each other instead of reading, but not one kid has gouged another’s head out with a pencil yet.

It’s futile to talk about which system is ‘better’ or which one is ‘right.’ However, it is helpful to see that there are advantages and disadvantages to both, and to recognize that there really is no one ‘right’ way of educating.

Walking around the Mission

If you don’t mind the conceit, I’m going to take you on a little walking tour of the mission today, courtesy of Google Earth and my camera. It turns out Google Earth has some pretty decent satellite pictures of Namibia. Before I had even come here, I checked out Outapi, and I knew where the main roads and the hospital were before I got here. The last time I had a good internet connection (Cape Town), I was able to download this satellite imagery of my home, the Anamulenge mission. Let’s take a little look. I’ve saved the file at a fairly large resolution, so if you hold down the CTRL button and click on it, it should open in another window and be a bit easier to see.


A – This is main entrance to the mission grounds. There’s a gate for cars to drive through on a gravel road. Just above and to the left of the ‘A’ is a watering hole used by local livestock, and children sometimes fish in it too. At this time of year it still has some water, but it is drying up rapidly.

B – The mission’s church. From the air, it looks like a cross. It’s actually a rather pretty building, though I’ve only been in it half a dozen times. The church is the only two-story structure on the mission and thus a good landmark. Although the kids go to church 10 times each week, I have never been pressured to go. Sometimes they will ask me, “Why aren’t you going to Church?” I politely respond, “Because I’m not Christian,” which shocks them. Although they have read about other religions in their religious studies class, many have never met someone who is not Christian.



C – This is the computer lab for the mission, which is sadly underutilized. If our internet service ever starts working again, I’ll probably be posting this entry from this little white building.

D – This is the main hall, where all the parent meetings and large assemblies take place. On regular days, however, it is used by the girl’s hostel as a recreation area. They have a TV/DVD/VCR inside, so the girls get to watch movies on the weekend if they have any. The boys aren’t so lucky; they have a TV but no DVD or VCR. Just the other day I was talking with some of the boys in my room about movies, and they noted how unfair it was that the girls have a DVD player. I responded, “You know, if each boy put in just N$5, you could buy a DVD player.”
Samson responded, “Yes, Mister Josh, but it would cause too many problems. There would be too many arguments about what video to play.”
“So, you’d rather stare at the walls than find a way to share the DVD player?” I countered.
“Yes.”
What more could I say?


E – This area is the girls’ hostel compound. It gets locked every night to keep the girls in and the boys out. The bluish building that looks like an “H” from above is where the Ovambo nuns live.

F – This compound is for the Indian sisters on the mission. The ‘L’ shaped building is their home. They have a small, lush garden in the shade of their house and a few tall trees. The other small building is used to prepare food for the Indian priest. In the picture, I’m standing with the sisters and Johanna, one of the cooks, in front of the sisters’ house.



G – This is the main dining hall.

H – Here’s main school area. The two buildings with red roofs house four classrooms, the staffroom, the secretary’s office and the principal’s office. It seems Google Earth doesn’t update its satellite imagery very frequently, because there are two new classroom blocks, dedicated in early 2006, which do not appear in the photo. These are the library and the classrooms for grades 11 & 12.




I – This small building holds grades 9A, 9B, and 8B. I think the kids like being far away from the principal.

J – The Priest, Father Joe, lives here. He has a pretty nice pad. He’s got loads of room and a large 30+inch television hooked up to a satellite dish. The first time I visited him, he invited me in, gave me some nice wine from a box, and we watched CNN. I think he’s kind of lonely sometimes, because he can’t really ‘hang out’ and watch sports with the nuns. He also let me stay overnight in his house at the beginning of the year so that I could stay up all night and watched the Bears get their butts kicked in the Superbowl—live.

K – This is the boys’ hostel compound, which is also where I live. There are about 80 boys who share two large hostel rooms and a small shower block. Fortunately, I do have my own shower!

L – This little house, technically within the boys’ hostel compound, is where Robin and Nicola live. It has almost all of the comforts of home: a couch, a kitchen, three bedrooms, a brai pit that Robin built, and a bathroom. Ok, so they haven’t had hot water for three months, but otherwise it’s a nice place and it’s where I was supposed to live. However, the clergy who run the mission kept saying that it would be ‘too crowded’ for three people to live in three separate bedrooms. What they meant, of course, is that they didn’t want a man living with two women. At the beginning of the year, I seriously considered a “Three’s Company” approach to the problem, pretending to be gay so that I could live there. Fortunately, Robin talked me out of it.

M – Behind the mission is a cemetery. When my Dad was here, we took a slow walk through the cemetery and I was surprised to see how many headstones were from very young people. Although there are some in the cemetery who died in their eighties, most people were under 50 when they died. This is unfortunately a recent phenomenon. AIDS has hit southern Africa so hard that despite advances in nutrition and basic health care, the life expectancy has dropped to below 50 years. More frustrating, no one acknowledges deaths from AIDS. Although going to funerals is a common occurrence here in Namibia, I have never heard anyone say, "She died because she had HIV." There is such a strong taboo against the illness here that people will simply say that someone ‘got sick’ and then leave it at that. It’s frustrating! If only some HIV-positive Namibians would come forward, the disease would start to lose its pseudo-invisible status. Then, people here might start taking safe sex or abstinence much more seriously.


Well, that’s the end of my tour of the mission grounds. Ending with the cemetery was a bit of a bummer, so perhaps we should continue walking north. Just 300 metres past the cemetery is a small collection of shebeens called Ohamutsi, and we can relax there with a cold Tafel or Windhoek Lager. Let’s go!

Miss Valentine's Pageant

Just a few weeks ago, many of my friends in States settled in to watch the Academy Awards, a spectacle of glitz and glam. A month earlier, the students of Canisianum also produced a spectacle of glitz and glam, the Miss Valentine’s Pageant. It’s taken me awhile to write about this event, because I was at a low point when it happened, and I viewed it in the worst light, as evidence of Ovambos rejecting their culture in favor of a western style. Now, while western styles are part of the pageant, I realize there are some uniquely Namibian elements to it as well.



Beauty pageants are a big deal here, probably since the Miss World (or Universe, I don’t know which) pageant was held here shortly after independence. The Miss Valentine’s Pageant at Canisianum lasted nearly four hours for a competition involving only seven contestants. Like the Oscars, it involved a variety of costume changes, strange musical performances, and waiting around for something to happen. Most of Canisianum’s 362 students, the teachers, nuns, Father Joe, and many community members came out to watch. There were a couple of students who were talented dancers, and a rap quintet that bravely carried on even when the sound system went dead.

But like the Oscars, the highlight was the fashion. Each of the contestants appeared in at least four outfits. The first outfit seemed to be an ‘urban hip’ look, which was frighteningly similar to U.S. fashion. Then there was Canisianum’s version of lingerie competition, with many of the girls wearing their bras on stage. Next was a ‘traditional’ look, featuring one or two girls in full traditional garb but most wearing a short skirt in a traditional print. Finally, there was an evening wear section. These girls must have spent considerable cash on their outfits, at least the gowns. The evening wear looked similar to what U.S. students would wear to prom. Because I know many of you probably care more about the fashion than I do, I’ll leave space here for large pictures of some of the more interesting outfits.





Beyond the outfits, there was a very minimal talent portion of the competition. Each of the girls came up to the stage and were asked one question, such as “What is the message that is most important for the people?” Yeah, the questions didn’t make sense half of the time. One of the brightest students in the school was the emcee. Her eyes rolled everytime an idiotic question was put to the students. Regardless of the actual question, if a contestant smiled and gave a confident-sounding answer in English, she earned points. Then again, I had been here only a month, and I was still having trouble understanding what my students said. So perhaps it was my comprehension, and not the contestants’ English, that was mangled.




One of the things which I found fascinating and disheartening was the prevalence of Western fashions. One of the boys was wearing his long leather trenchcoat. I think it makes him look like one of the students from the Columbine massacre, but he loves it. He even wears it with his school uniform! In the second picture, take a look at the five ninth graders. Although they are a little smaller than ninth grade African-Americans, in other respects they look just like my students back home.

When I attended the pageant, I was strongly disappointed that things were not more ‘different’ than back home. But looking at the pictures again, I can see how proud the kids are to compete, and how over two hundred people crowded into our hall to watch the spectacle. For the most part, the kids just had a lot of fun, cheering for their friends, ogling the fashions, and enjoying the performances (including an impromptu one by their teachers). And one of my students, a ninth grader named Anna Henok, won!





In many ways the pageant is indeed western in style, but that is only one aspect of Ovambo culture. There are indeed many examples of a headlong rush to modernize in this country. Hopefully, over time, the modern influences will meld with traditional Ovambo culture to create something new and wonderful.

The First Days of School

At times, I feel like I’m teaching at an African adaptation of Hogwart’s, the boarding school for magicians Harry Potter attends. Partly that is because our students’ sport Gryffindor colors, scarlet and yellow, and partly because I am unused to any type of boarding school setting. The students are generally well-behaved, as Canisianum is one of the best schools in the country and can be very picky when choosing its students. One night this week, I sat with students outside the dormitory discussing the differences between the U.S. and Namibia. They asked me if people believed in witchcraft in the U.S., and I said no. My students told me that they weren’t supposed to believe in it, but of course they knew it could happen. I suppose calling it Hogwart’s South would be stretching the point, but it does remind me of Harry’s boarding school at times.

School began for the teachers at Canisianum Roman Catholic High School on Monday, January 15. Our principal, Mr. Kalipi, made a long speech about how our school had the best passing scores for grade 10 learners in the Omusati region, and was the seventh best in the country. We started to look at the available supplies, and it became clear that Canisianum is also relatively well-provisioned compared to other Namibian schools. All of my grade 9 learners were issued both an English textbook (a small, 5x8 paperback that is perhaps 200 pages) and only 2 of my grade 11 learners will have to share a book. For grade nine, there is also a slim volume of short stories that I will be using, again with almost enough for one per student. In comparison, a fellow volunteer is teaching at a school where there are roughly 10 students for each book, and three to four students per book is common.

Adjusting to life at a religiously-affiliated school will be difficult, after having taught for six years in the strictly secular U.S. school system. Students are required to go to prayers quite frequently here, though I haven’t exactly figured out the whole schedule yet. Moreover, Mr. Kalipi sat down with the new teachers to go review the mission statement, which begins, “The Catholic Schools in Namibia commit themselves: to witness to the Christian faith with dedicated staff living according to the Gospel values and teaching of the Church.” There are five bullet points in the statement, and only one part of one bullet point deals with intellectual development. However, the teachers seemed fairly focused on student achievement, just like back home.

Something else that is strange about the school here is the lack of organization and supervision of learners. Students arrived on Wednesday, and for the most part the teachers sat around the staff room working on administrative matters. The students just sat in their classrooms most of the day, unattended. They did the same thing on Thursday and Friday as we organized class lists and then distributed books. Back home, if a teacher left his or her class for five minutes to go the loo, a vindinctive principal could easily give that teacher an unsatisfactory rating. We won’t start teaching for real until next Monday.