Africa-Press – Namibia. NEAR the Omutulilwa village on the outskirts of the Onandjaba mopani veld, an extremely disciplined group of small children grab the attention in the mirroring heat waves in the distance.
Close to 40 children, the oldest not older than five or six years old, are wearing masks and observing social distancing as their contribution to the fight against Covid-19, as well as in obedience of their teachers, elders and leaders.
They even instructed the Head of Trustco Media, Chris Jacobie, who visited the region, and some prominent chiefs as well as the Oukwanyama Queen, to put on their face masks and keep their distance to fight Covid-19.
Two young women, Mariana Andre and Hilaria Kahani, teach the class that is spread over a huge unorganized area bigger than most city and town schools.
The children attentively listen and learn songs, while on their small chairs that they carry with them over quite some distances every Monday to Friday.
Nearby are two classrooms that are under construction and nearing completion, but cannot be used as thieves plundered the window frames and doors.
The community launched another fundraising to try again, because they also need the rooms to store food in.
The kindergarten teachers and the mopani tree “classroom” prioritize education in values, respect and discipline.
The Robert T. Nandjila Kindergarten, located in the Omutulilwa village on the outskirts of the Onandjaba settlement in the Okalongo Constituency, was established in 2018 to accommodate children from this impoverished rural village and the surrounding areas.
A small corrugated iron shack was initially used as the classroom, when there were only a few children, but it has become too small now that the kindergarten’s enrolment has grown to 45 this year.
According to Kahani, the shack is now used as a storeroom.
“We were constructing a proper classroom but could not complete it due to lack of funds,” she said.
She noted that the incomplete building was in the meantime targeted by suspected cross-border thieves who stole all the window frames and even some homemade leftover bricks.
The few bricks that were left are now stored in the shack.
The children’s parents are mostly unemployed and community members who cannot afford to take their children to better equipped kindergartens and if they do find some money, some of the schools are just too far in bigger centres.
“We are trying our level best to provide foundational education to the Namibian child, but as you can see, the environment leaves a lot to be desired.
“Kids need protection from sun, wind and rain, but the situation is currently such that we have to teach at a tree while the kids sit under the scorching sun,” said Kahani.
“Our children learn to endure hardship, be obedient to authorities, follow the rules and respect elders and the leaders and laws of the land.
She is appealing to good Samaritans to come on board for the sake of the Namibian child.
“The rainy season has just started and soon the open space where they are sitting now will be a lake as far as the eye can see.
“There is not much high ground in the area to where the school can relocate when the big rainy season arrives that everyone is expecting.
“Classes will be disrupted till the end of the season, but we do not want to go on like that every year,” she said.
Regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, Kahani said they take no chances.
Wearing masks, sanitizing the hands and social distancing are strictly implemented.
“For us it is extremely important because family and friends from all over the country will be visiting and we want to keep them safe from infection,” Kahani said.
“It is the right thing to do and you will see all over the district people adhere to the regulations.”
The two teachers organized the group to sing a song to the leaving visitors and then said a prayer for their continued safe journey.
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