Every year in Namibia, hundreds of children drop out of primary school and over a quarter of these are ultimately deprived of any other education opportunity. With many out of school, primary school exclusion is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges of the Namibia Education system and schools in Kunene region and especially among Himba and Zemba`s (Marginalized community) are the highest in numbers. The latter gave birth to the Rural Women Assembly to design and map out strategies for a more inclusive and equal education system at those remote local schools. 

The main objective of the Assembly initiative is to look to the wellbeing of the marginalized communities and vulnerable learners by ensuring and improving basic facilities and creating an equal learning environment at the grass roots level. It must be noted that most contributing factors to high school dropout among these communities is economic situation and other living conditions. Some parents cannot afford school uniforms or pay school fees which have been made compulsory in all the state schools. Boarding facilities and school feeding programmes are also of low to zero quality and the latter also discourage learners from attending school as they are sometimes forced to walk long distances and survive on one meal per day.

NRWA has worked around the clock to mobilize resources which catered for the plan activities as highlighted below. The committee also worked hand in hand with the local and central government regarding the long sustainability of the project and we further believe in making a difference in putting education at the grassroots level towards a socio-economic change. Our ground team is committed to identifying specific areas of focus which are quick to implement yet yield good results towards long term sustainability of the programs served.

Strengthening learners\’ nutrition is a convincing solution to improve education. Hence the Assembly plan to discuss and map out sustainable a proper feeding programme to cope with problems of malnutrition and food insecurity that results in learners dropping out of school and reducing academic performance. Most households in the target areas are pensioners and less farming activities taking place due to loss of livestock from drought. Because of their low income, they live in difficult conditions and can no longer provide their children with sufficient basic education needs.

Our strategies

The assembly will at the same time also keep our government accountable to the situation through the following plan engagements. The local community will be engaged and trained on their different rights as enshrined in various legal bidding documents like the Namibia Constitutions and Various UN charters including UNDROP. The one to two community sensitizing gatherings of the community and a girl’s child will be held in one of the affected communities taking in account various community protocols,

The assembly to engage various stakeholders on the situation and first remind them about the state\’s obligations and map out the way forward to address the situation. We will further ensure that the activity will on be a weekly event but will develop strategies on ways to monitor the situations and continue to lobby and advocate for the rights of the peasants. 

Namibia rural women assembly donated basic needs like stationeries and toiletries (more focus on sanitary pads) to the targeted groups selected from Opuwo rural Otjapitjapi Primary School and Epupa constituency Otjimuhaka Primary school we will also advocate for the central government to take the long-term responsibility. 

Key findings.

• Menstrual/Period poverty in rural school is a serious issue
• Information sharing with girl children on how one takes of themselves and body.
• A school backyard garden that will educate the school kids on food production and provide fresh produce to the community hostel as it only relies on the parents. The hostel curriculum in place is discriminatory to an extent that makes the kids suffer and sleep on empty stomachs.
• More kids that should be in schools are at homes looking after the goats and families.
• Teenage pregnancies are at a high rate in the region.
• Condoms supply in deep remote areas (people are given 3 condoms for a month).