Things I love about Namibia!

Chinatown: it’s nothing like what you find in other countries, but the two grocery shops in the northern industrial area of Windhoek provide a variety of fresh vegetables not available elsewhere, in addition to bottled sauces, noodles, Thai and Japanese rice, and the all-important rice cooker to prepare it in! And the long line of trashy shops with low quality plastic goods and replica football jerseys give the market side a true African feel not present in the centre of town.

final farewells

On my last day in Namibia, I went to my partner organization to say bye to the family I had become a part of, and to wish everyone the best moving forward.

the exit interview

I spent a couple days on questionnaires in preparation for my final formal interview and wrap-up of my placement with the volunteer sending organization. Though some of the questions were mere formalities, there was a lot of opportunity for both sides to share perspectives on not only my job in Namibia, but the volunteering experience as a whole.

what’s next?

The finance manager hand-delivered the official minutes from my hearing this week, which state in the verdict that ‘the board members initiated communication with me in an attempt to find long lasting solutions to issues that were previously raised’, and that it is “therefore a travesty of justice to point a finger at the accused..” It was a huge relief to finally feel like the finger was not being pointed at me, and with this out of the way, I was ready to speak with management to peacefully agree on a way forward (and had asked the finance manager to pass the message along). But that never happened.

ensuring the solar cooker remains on the menu

When a German couple were kind enough to donate a solar cooker to my partner organization, I wanted to make sure that their contribution got used on a regular basis, rather than being put in a corner like the last solar cooker that I found damaged and covered in cobwebs.

Designing the menu

When tasked with the creation of a new menu for my partner organization, there were a few things that I wanted to do:

- ensure the physical design was professional and attractive, with a style that represents the spirit of the women working here

- ensure that the structural design made it easy for the restaurant staff to execute orders, and for guests to have a variety of choices in a compact space (two half pages had to share the entire regular menu)

- ensure that the menu content reflects the traditional meals the staff are accustomed to making (the daily/weekly specials would leave room for international dishes), while providing the quality and options that our largest customer base (German tour groups and local NGO conferences) are asking for

kitchen renovations: before and after

One set of my tasks in the work plan was to redesign the kitchen, and install essential equipment to make it more functional.

The area was extremely cluttered, with everyone working around one table most of the time, so I focused on more counter space, efficient use of floorspace, and a couple purchases to move the menu along. Here are the results:

Combining tuberculosis treatment with nutritional support and sustainable income generating activities

My partner organization’s third department (in addition to craft production and hospitality services) is primarily focused on health, more specifically tuberculosis (TB) treatment and prevention.

TB is most often found in the lungs, making it an air born illness, often transmitted from one person to another through coughing or sneezing, particularly in poorly ventilated, crowded areas, and from repeated exposure to TB (when a close family member or partner is infected, for example). It is a serious problem in Namibia, and is deadly if left untreated.

and the verdict is..

As I walked down the dirt road to my work placement this morning, an employee from another department picked me up, asking how I’ve been. When I entered the premises, another staff member from the TB department came over and asked for a big hug. As I walked over towards the restaurant, the employees outside greeted me, asking where I’ve been, sharing how much they’ve missed me, as nobody had been told where I disappeared to.

I let them know about my suspension and hearing, and they immediately started rhyming off a long list of the great things I’ve done here, all of the changes they’ve seen thanks to me, how good my communication and efforts have been, followed by the regular complaints about the organization. It felt really good to walk around and feel appreciated and missed.

Not knowing who would be involved in my hearing, I asked the Swedish finance manager to represent me as a colleague and counsel in case things weren’t as fair and transparent as anticipated.

making practical ‘African batiks’ and prints

If you travel around southern Africa, you’ll find that just about every country has similar (if not exact) ‘Batik’ paintings, often made for placemats and huge table cloths or wall hangings. I hear that the designs originated in Zimbabwe, but they’ve spread like crazy, and are very popular with tourists, regardless of origin.

finding inspiration for meats on the menu

Namibia is without question a meat-eating country, but when I asked staff to name and explain some meat dishes for me during our menu workshop (as well as individually), very little other than names of different types of meat was shared (and in reality, locals wouldn’t consider chicken or fish to be ‘meat’).

Empowering women through embroidery crafts

A common income generating activity in developing countries is crafts, and my partner organization is no exception. Over the years, they have grown from a few friends sitting and embroidering under a tree, to hundreds of women across Namibia creating a variety of products for the tourist market.

moving forward with a hearing

As I sit calmly in my new temporary home (the volunteer organization sending me here has quickly moved me into a much healthier environment), I’ve asked myself hundreds of times what I could have done differently at this stage: talk directly with the General Manager? Tried that. Talk directly with the active Hospitality Manager? Tried that many times too. Talk with the staff? Over and over. Talk with the board? That avenue’s been explored as well. Have someone from outside the department come in and facilitate? Helped staff to recognize our root challenges, but did not result in any vision or unity moving forward. Escalate it within the ranks of the volunteer sending organization I came with? Knowing how sensitive people are here to chains of command, I wouldn’t do such a thing unless invited to (each time I’ve formally written or contacted the board, it was either with permission of the General Manager, or by invitation of the board themselves (the last message I wrote, in my mind, was a clear continuation of my previous meeting with the General Manager and Board member).