Owambo Girls

She is a 52-points girl!

2011-02-07T10:47:00.002+02:00

We are so happy to share with all of you Dosantar's results (Nampa is
Dosantar's nickname). She got 52 points as her final mark for grade
12, an amazing achievement. She was the best student in her school,
and one of the top students in the country! See below the
advertising that the school put in the newspaper last week, in which
she was mentioned. We are really proud of her and wish the best for
her medical studies at UNAM.

Thank you all so much for helping us in this endeavour!

A new year begins...

2011-01-18T11:19:00.000+02:00

Hi all,

Happy new year! I hope you have a wonderful 2011.

Since 2009 you, Michael and I have been supporting 2 Namibian girls, Nampa and Kornelia, to access quality education. They are from a village in northern Namibia where they live with their grandmothers (they are both orphans). In 2009, we brought them to Windhoek to attend Combretum School, where we manage to secure a scholarship for each one. Between 2008 and 2009 we raised US$8,000 with family and friends from Australia and Brazil, and an Austrian trust (Onghalo) to make that happen. We first imagined these funds would cover only 1 year, but since the school provided them with accommodation, we manage to cover 2 years of living expenses for both girls. That included books, school material, uniforms, pocket money, a French course, glasses, health care, computer, transport, etc. 2009 and 2010 were busy years for all of us.

We are now starting a new phase. In 2011, Kornelia will be in grade 11. Nampa finished her grade 12 studies with great marks and awards. She is now enrolling in the Medical School at University of Namibia--she will be doing a science degree with a view to transferring to medicine. She got a school loan from the Ministry of Education, and it will cover her tuition fees and accommodation costs. We are really proud of their efforts and dedication.

For us to be able to maintain our support, we would like to ask again for our friends help. For 2011, we need a total of US$ 4,500 to support the girls in Windhoek.

If you are interested, any help will be good!

We are now able to accept donations through BEN Namibia's online donation service (via credit card), which gives you a tax benefit in US:
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ITDP-InstituteForTransport/OnlineGiving.html

Alternatively you can make a deposit in our bank account – we use this account exclusively to manage the girls' fund.
Bank: Nedbank Namibia
Branch: 461609 - Main Branch
Account number: 12000668174
Name: Clarisse Cunha Linke
Address: Franz Indongo St, Windhoek - Namibia
Code for overseas transfer: NEDSNANX

Let us know if you donate via any of the means above, so we can keep track.

Thanks so much to everybody who helped us so far!

All the best,
Michael and Clarisse

PS Follow Nampa and Kornelia's progress through the Owambo Girls blog:
http://owambogirls.blogspot.com/ , the girls are currently at home with their grandmothers but we'll press them for a much needed update it when they return.

Começando o ano novamente

2011-01-09T17:46:00.002+02:00

Passando o pires no Brasil...

Amigos,

Antes de mais nada Feliz Ano Novo! Que 2011 seja um ano de muitas realizações para todos nós.

Como muitos de vocês sabem, desde 2009 Michael e eu nos empenhamos em ajudar duas meninas namibianas, Nampa e Kornelia, a terem acesso a educação de qualidade. Elas são de uma vila no norte do país, onde sempre moraram com as avós (ambas são órfãs de pai e mãe). Em 2009, nós as trouxemos para Windhoek e conseguimos uma bolsa de estudos para cada uma na escola Combretum. Entre 2008 e 2009 nós captamos recursos com nossos familiares e amigos no Brasil e na Austrália para nos ajudar nesta empreitada. Captamos um total de 15.000 reais. Pensávamos que a grana captada daria somente para um ano, mas como a escola cobriu os custos de moradia, conseguimos fazer com que o dinheiro durasse dois anos, cobrindo os mais diversos custos envolvidos na vida de duas adolescentes. Livros, uniformes, material escolar em geral, roupas, mesada, curso de francês, óculos, atendimento médico, computador, transporte, e por aí vai. Os anos de 2009 e 2010 foram de bastante trabalho para elas e para nós.

Agora entramos numa nova fase. Em 2011, Kornelia começa o equivalente ao segundo ano do segundo grau. Nampa acabou o colégio com ótimas notas e dois prêmios de reconhecimento dados pela Combretum. Ela foi aceita na Universidade da Namíbia e mês que vem dá início aos longos anos de dedicação ao estudo de Medicina. Ela também ganhou uma bolsa do Ministério da Educação que vai cobrir parte dos custos de estudo. Em resumo, estamos muito satisfeitos e orgulhosos com o esforço e a dedicação delas.

Para que continuemos nossa contribuição, está na hora de passar novamente o pires. Aceitamos doações de quem quiser e puder participar neste projeto. Qualquer ajuda basta. Precisamos de um total de 8.300 reais para o ano de 2011.

Aqui estão as formas possíveis de fazer a doação:

A primeira opção é depositar diretamente na conta bancária que abrimos para este fim, aqui na Namíbia.
Banco: Nedbank Namibia
Agência: 461609 - Main Branch
Conta: 12000668174
Conta em nome de Clarisse Cunha Linke
Endereço: Rua Franz Indongo, Windhoek - Namibia
Código para transferência internacional: NEDSNANX

A segunda opção é pagar por cartão de crédito (Visa, Mastercard ou American Express) pelo sistema que recebemos recursos para a BEN Namibia, por meio desta página Esta é a forma que recebemos diversas doações para a BEN, e podemos utilizar para receber recursos para as meninas. É bastante seguro e não pagamos taxa administrativa.

A terceira possibilidade é nos enviando um cheque. Caso você tenha interesse em fazer desta forma, me avise para que eu passe meu endereço de correspondência e demais detalhes.

Infelizmente a logística não nos permite aceitar nada em conta bancária no Brasil.

Por favor me avise caso você faça a doação por cartão ou transferindo fundos, para que eu possa verificar.

Muito obrigada a todos que participaram até hoje e aos que se interessarem em entrar no barco conosco.

Um grande abraço,
Clarisse e Michael

2010

2010-03-23T21:56:00.003+02:00

We have been quiet in this blog, but not quiet in Namibia! After a long and difficult year for us and the girls, 2009 is gone. Nampa did very well in grade 11, but Kornelia faced a lot of challenges. We were prepared for that as we (us, Kornelia and the teachers) were all aware of how different the level of education can be between a school in the village and a private school in Windhoek. The school director and teachers decided Kornelia deserved a second chance considering: she is a very dedicated student and did her best, she has some gaps that need to be addressed, and also the fact that she is quite young and has not yet turned 16. So we were happy when Combretum decided to extend her scholarship for her to repeat the year. We know this is very rare and a great opportunity for a great girl. Her tough topics were Maths and Physical Science, and this year she is working really hard on both subjects. Tomorrow we have a parent-teacher meeting at the school and I am really looking forward to hear the teachers' feedback.

Thus far 2010 has been a lot about what is next. We are helping Nampa with all her questions and decisions around tertiary studies. Her dream is to apply for medicine abroad. We have been searching for universities and scholarships in South Africa, US, Canada and Australia. If anyone is interested in helping us (with funding or searching or suggesting links and courses), please contact us!

Just a note, as the school also provides the lodging and food, we saved quite a lot last year so funds that were donated by you are also being used for this school year.

Again we would like to thank all of you who assisted in the girls' fund. We wish you were here to smile with us every time we see them so proud of their accomplishments and new opportunities.

We asked them to write a few paragraphs about what has changed in their lives since last year, how is school going, and what they see next. Here it is:

"I am now 17 and this year I am doing my matric (grade 12) at Combretum Trust school where i started with my grade 11 last year (2009).

Moving to Combretum really changed a lot of things in my life positively. For example we have got a good Maths teacher and, through his teachings, my mathematical skills improved a lot. My English has also improved and I appreciate the fact that I am learning a foreign language (French).

Apart from that, being in a city and starting to get used to city life also means a lot to me. It exposes me to a lot of things and I am learning a lot both at home, at school and outside home and school.

Because I am doing my last grade of high school, I am starting to apply for universities both inside and outside the country. Moving to Windhoek has increased my chance of applying to universities outside the country which rarely happens to learners in the north.

I am interested in studying medicine. However it is not an easy field to enter but along with my decision(s), I have got Mrs Clarisse and Mr Michael on my side advising me and helping me out. I appreciate this". Nampa (Dosantar)

"Being in Windhoek has really change my life,especially when it comes to education. The education I'm receiving now and the one I was receiving before I came to Windhoek are really different especially in Maths and English subjects. Last year I was studying grade 10 at Combretum Trust School and it was really a difficult year for me. My big challenge was that the standard of teaching at Combretum was much higher than I was used to at my village school. As a result my grades were not high enough to pass grade 10.

Even though I had problems last year, I have a strong feelings that I will make it to grade 11 next year. This year my subjects improved, especially Maths and English subjects which were giving me most problem last year. I'm continuing with French which I started last year. Now I'm the only person from my village who can speak French and I'm really happy about this. When I finish my secondary school I want to study nursing". Kornelia

Oshili Nawa!

End of term, teacher's feedbacks...

2009-09-01T15:34:00.005+01:00

NAMPA (DOSANTAR)

English - Dosantar finds pleasure in doing her work and she always strives to do her best. I am impressed by her excellent performance. Keep maintaining the high standard of work and you are bound to go far.
Mathematics - Dosantar has once again shown that she is capable of succeeding at this level. She is a very clever learner in the mechanics of Mathematics. However, I would like to see her becoming more aware of the trends and patterns that are involved in Mathematics. This will come from extended practice and more importantly from applying Mathematics into everyday life. This will transform Dosantar from a good student to an excellent student.
Physical Science - Dosantar is a highly intelligent student who shows commendable commitment to her studies. In class she is always attentive and active. I see her as an A grade student. Keep up the good work, Dosantar!
Geography - Dosantar is a brilliant student. She achieved very good marks and shows remarkable ability in all her academic work. It is very pleasing to see this kind of achievement. Congratulations, and keep up the good work, Dosantar!
History - Dosantar is a very gifted and hard-working student.
Biology - Dosantar works extremely hard, her limit is the sky. I am impressed by her courage and strength and wish her all the best in her studies.
French - Although Dosantar is a beginner in the French class, she has made a big effort to catch up with the level of her class. Her oral expression is quite good as well as her listening comprehension. She only shows some weaknesses in composition where she needs to improve her grammar.

KORNELIA

English - Kornelia continues to work hard in her quiet way. She performed fairly well in both continuous assessment and exam. I am pleased with the effort she put into her work. She however needs to do extra work on composition and essay writing as she prepares for her final examination.
Mathematics - Kornelia works well but misses some key concepts. I believe that there are significant gaps in her foundation. These gaps contribute to her struggling to make sense of new information. I would recommend that Kornelia continue to come in for extra help and that we make a plan of how to start covering some of these gaps. She will have practice exams to work on before her Grade 10 exam. I would recommend that she completes these exams as instructed (I will give her instructions) and that she comes to see me for help.
Physical Science - I am impressed with the obvious preparations Kornelia made for the mock examination. The grade is not where it has to be however she has shown a vast improvement and there are signs she understands the work. Kornelia will have to continue with these excellent preparations and she should be working through as many of the past papers as she can handle, in addition to attending the extra classes.
Geography - Kornelia’s performance improved this term. She worked hard and put i extra effort by attending afternoon classes. This really helped to boost her performance. I have big hopes that if she can continue working like this she will do well in her final JSC examinations.
History - Kornelia has worked consistently throughout the term. She should try to avoid panicking when writing the final external exams. She is a committed learner and I wish her all the best for the final external exams.
Business Management - Kornelia needs to study more and would benefit from making summaries of the material. She could achieve a much better mark if she devoted more time and effort to Business Management. She needs to study very hard for the upcoming exam. All Grade 10 Business Management students need to revise the work thoroughly during the holidays. They need to study the textbook as well as summaries I have given them. I will also schedule extra classes during their study leave.
Life Science - I am very pleased with Kornelia ‘s results. She has worked very well throughout the year. I hope she will continue working in this manner up to exam time.
French - Although Kornelia is a beginner in her class, I am pleased to see her improvement in the quality of her term paper. She has worked very hard and obtained higher grade than those who have done French for three years.

From the reports sent by Combretum School
01 September 2009

we make pizza!

2009-07-20T08:23:00.003+01:00

It took only one class and the girls are now our official pizza makers.
That was yummy!

And some more updates:

Kornelia is about to write her Grade 10 examinations (national exams), and is studying as crazy. During the last week we reviewed a lot of Chemistry (periodic table) and Maths (fractions). We bought a board game so she could "have fun and really understand fractions", and indeed we all had a lot of fun! She has had outstanding marks in Geography. Tomorrow there will be a Parent-Teachers meeting and we will have the opportunity to know more about her performance.

Nampa keeps her performance as the "best student in the school".
Teachers love her - her last school report was truly impressive! There are 2 "houses" at school, and the students win points for the house they belong for performance, participation, etc. - and Nampa is the reason why her house (the Thyphons) is winning.

our girls

2009-05-07T19:38:00.002+01:00

Nampa got 40 points on her last term's exams. This is A LOT! 40 out of 42. Still waiting for Kornelia's grades. Our girls. SO PROUD!

Waterberg

2009-04-13T09:17:00.008+01:00

On Independence Day holidays (20-22 March), we went for an excursion to the Waterberg Plateau National Park. We had great fun camping, hiking and swimming. After that, both Dosantar and Kornelia wrote a short essay about the Waterberg, the land of Herero people.

Our target!

From the top - we did it!

Some words from them

2009-04-13T08:55:00.003+01:00

My name is Kornelia and my surname is Penda. I am a 15-year old girl from the Northern part of Namibia. I arrived in Windhoek at the beginning of January and I came here to study. I am schooling at Combretum Trust in Grade 10.

Combretum is a private school but is well qualified. I really like the school because teachers and learners are both doing their work hard. Just from the day I started the school I see improvement in my education so I think the school is really nice.

I am performing poor in maths and accounting, but I am sure at the end of the day everything is going to be fine. During the week I stay in the hostel and every second weekend I come to stay with Mrs Clarisse, Mr Michael and Julia. Everything is going well.

I geel greater of being who I am today, therefore I wholeheartedly would like to thank you all for what you did for us.

----

I'm Dosantar Johannes (Nampa), 16 years old. I'm from Eloela village, Outapi constituency, in the Northern part of Namibia. I arrived in Windhoek on the 11th of January 2009 to continue my studies here in the city.

I'm currently schooling at Combretum Trust School. It is a small private school, but with quality education. I can't explain how more exhilarated I am to be in the city ahd how please I'm being at Combretum. It is now four months since I arrived and there has been a great improvement in my general way of living, my educational level and position in the society. There is really a great difference.

I chose social science as my field of study. Subjects in this field are: English, Maths, Biology, Physics, History, Geography and French. I do excell in almost every subject but am experiencing difficulties with Maths. However, I really like my teachers and the level of education.

Well, during the course of the week I stay at the hostel and for every second weekend, we are given an outweekend and I spend them with Mrs Clarisse, Mr Mike and Julia. I feel so great being who I am today. It is all done in your names. Therefore I would like to thank you for the donation you made for us. My thanks towards you is beyond human imagination. THANKS.

como tudo começou

2009-04-13T08:14:00.003+01:00

Acredito que este e-mail seja suficiente pra contar a história das nossas meninas Ovambo -- aos que lêem em português.

Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:24:41 +0100
From: transitorios@gmail.com
Subject: Um simpático passar de pires

Olás!

Antes de mais nada, saudades de todos, e um rápido aviso: estamos chegando!

Aproveitando o espírito natalino que já nos alcança, e aproveitando que nossa chegada será em breve-brevíssimo, vos escrevo para um passar de pires. Mas não é um passar de pires qualquer. É um simpático passar de pires necessário para a empreitada que eu, Michael e Julia estamos adentrando no ano que chega. Digamos assim, que este é um convite para quem quiser participar no pires.

Pois bem, primeiro deixe-me explicar o pano de fundo do pires. Em dezembro de 2006, eu e Michael passamos o Natal e Ano-Novo em Okathitu, uma vila no norte da Namíbia. Lá nós conhecemos duas adolescentes, Nampa e Kronelia. Naquele ano elas ganharam bicicletas de um dos projetos que coordenamos naquela região, pois foram as melhores alunas de suas escolas. As duas são órfãs e moram com suas avós. Ficamos muito impressionados com elas--ambas são super inteligentes, e desde então ficamos pensando o quanto uma oportunidade de estudar numa escola melhor (leia-se escola privada em Windhoek, capital da Namíbia) poderia mudar a vida delas. Após conversas com o pastor da vila onde elas moram, que nos ajudou nas consultas com as respectivas famílias, convidamos elas para passar as férias de agosto conosco em Windhoek. Enquanto estavam aqui, aproveitamos para entender melhor o caminho que elas querem seguir, os sonhos, os vislumbres, os medos, as possibilidades. Inspirada, batalhei 2 bolsas escolares para elas na Combretum Educational Trust, uma escola privada em Windhoek, pequena mas com uma abordagem muito interessante. Temos um amigo que é professor de matemática lá e que nos ajudou no processo. A bolsa cobre matrícula, anualidade, livros e acomodação. Obviamente as duas estão saltitantes e suas avós muito felizes e agradecidas (e sempre nos mandando mahangu, comida típica daqui). O ano de 2009 será a oportunidade delas de terem contato com um mundo até então distante. Eu e Michael estamos satisfeitíssimos, pois sabemos que elas têm muito potencial, e estamos dispostos a ajudá-las o quanto nos for possível. Elas vão morar bem perto de nós, e com isso estaremos sempre juntos, acompanhando os desafios, as dificuldades e o progresso delas. Nampa irá para o 1º ano do 2º grau, e Kronelia para 8ª série. Além de darmos apoio emocional/ afetivo, vamos também cobrir parte dos custos da vinda delas: comida, material escolar (excluindo livros), uniformes, roupas, etc. Ambas são de famílias muito pobres, e dificilmente conseguirão cobrir os custos de vida em Windhoek - que é muito mais alto que a vida na vila, obviamente. No nosso orçamento incluímos também um computador, transporte para elas visitarem a família nas férias, livros e materiais extra-curriculares. O custo total para as duas durante todo o ano de 2009 será de 11.000 reais. Ou 920 reais por mês para as duas. Ou 460 reais por mês por menina. Definitivamente não é muita grana considerando que estamos falando de um ano de educação de primeira qualidade!

E então, contada a história, venho e passo o pires. Assim, com a simplicidade, com a cara de pau e com o coração que se é necessário. Se você tiver interesse/grana/gás pra nos ajudar, será muito bem vindo. Qualquer ajuda, 50 reais, 100 reais, 500 reais será ouro no pires. Para isso você precisa também confiar em mim e no Michael que seremos os responsáveis por administrar os fundos angariados. Estou abrindo uma conta bancária exclusiva para isso, e estaremos abertos a prestar contas sempre que solicitado. Faremos um blog onde nós e elas manteremos todos atualizados sobre a quantas andam por aqui. Há 2 opções para caso você queira efetuar a doação: como estou indo ao Brasil, você pode simplesmente colocar um dinheiro num envelope, escrever seu nome, e eu te devolvo um recibinho para registrar tudo. Você também pode transferir o dinheiro para a conta bancária daqui, me avisa e mando as informações todas (mas com isso tem que pagar transferência internacional, que pode custar um pouco).

Anexo envio um pdf com fotos delas e nossas. São duas meninas lindas, super alto astral, inteligentíssimas e que estão prestes a realizarem seus sonhos. Estou satisfeita de poder ajudá-las, quem sabe você não pode também?

Um forte abraço e até breve!
Clarisse