Good news! Ótimas notícias!

Dear friends,

We are so happy to share some very good news with you. Nampa, one of the Namibian girls supported by you, received an all-expenses paid scholarship into an English-language scholarship programme to study medicine in Nantong, China. It is a six-year programme, with the last year of practical to be taken in an English speaking country (probably Namibia). It is funded by a foundation established by Chinese businesses in Namibia. This is the third year the foundation sponsors a group of Namibian students to go to Nantong. Nampa went together with 5 other students. She departed today from Namibia. Over the last weeks we were in touch with Nampa daily sorting out her travel arrangements.

We would like to thank you for your support with Nampa's education expenses in the past years, and I hope you share our excitement about a very positive
result for this support. You have helped a young Namibian woman to realise her dream of making a difference for her country and her people.

Best wishes,
Michael and Clarisse.

------

Queridos amigos,

É com muita felicidade que gostaríamos de compartilhar uma ótima notícia com vocês. Nampa, uma das namibianas apoiadas por vocês nos últimos anos, ganhou uma bolsa de estudos com tudo pago para estudar medicina em uma universidade de língua inglesa em Nantong, na China. É um programa de seis anos, com o último ano de prática para ser feito em um país de língua inglesa (provavelmente Namíbia). O programa de bolsas, em seu terceiro ano consecutivo, é financiado por uma fundação chinesa que atua na Namíbia. Nampa foi junto com outros cinco estudantes. Ela partiu hoje cedo da Namíbia. Durante as últimas semanas estivemos em contato diário com ela ajudando nos preparativos para sua viagem.

Nós gostaríamos de lhes agradecer pelo apoio dado até hoje financiando os custos para educação da Nampa. Acima de tudo, esperamos que compartilhem do nosso entusiasmo com este resultado tão positivo. Você ajudou uma jovem namibiana a realizar seu sonho de fazer a diferença para seu país e seu povo.

Abraços,

Michael e Clarisse.

Michael, Nampa and Kornelia during his last visit to Namibia in August.

Michael, Nampa e Kornelia durante sua última viagem à Namíbia em agosto.

THANK YOU ALL!

Thanks to everyone who have been funding the girls since 2009--

Combretum Educational Trust

Onghalo - Future for Africa

André Salgado

Angie Larenas

Bárbara Nunes

Beatriz Fernandes Caldas

Carolina Cunha Ribeiro

Cora Peterson

Cristiano Prado Martins Barbosa

Elenor Rayner

Eric Alexander Klug

Fiona Negrin

Flávia Lino

Fraser Brindley

Floriza Gennari

Gisele Netto

Heloisa Fernandes Caldas Ribeiro

Jeff Cooper

Jim Schnookal

Joy Linke

Julie Parent

Kulja Coulston

Maria Sant'Anna Marquez

Mariana Barcinski

Olivia Appleby

Pat and Brenda Montani

Peter and Sara Omura

Robyn Banner

Ross Hopkins

Simon and Kirsten Wakefield

Sue and Stuart Blizzard

Susan Betts

Tatiana Oliveira Leiner

++++++++

Update: Nampa and Kornelia 8 April 2012

In the summer of 2006, we met two girls in a northern Namibian village, Nampa and Kornelia. They had been selected by one of our partners to receive bicycles on the basis of both their academic performance at nearby village schools, and because of their status as orphans.

The girls’ commitment to their studies, in the face of adversities we could only imagine, really left a mark on us. We stayed in touch after meeting them, and a couple of years later decided that if we could help them with their studies, we would. A little research into the options and it soon became obvious that we wo

This is the fourth year of financial support, and we’re convinced that all the hard work is paying off. The girls are young women now, and making their own big decisions about their futures. Nampa is in the second year of a microbiology degree at the University of Namibia. While her dream is still to study medicine, she is working to get the marks she needs to make the progression.uld need help to give them this support, and together with you—our friends and family—we were able to bring them to a highly regarded school in the capital, Windhoek.

Kornelia is now in grade 12, the final year of high school in Namibia. Kornelia’s academic performance last year was brilliant, topping her class in a number of subjects, and we’re confident she’ll do well and progress to university. Kornelia wanted to study nursing when we first met her, but now this is only one of the options she’s considering—performing well in maths has opened the door to many other possibilities.

Thank-you for your ongoing support, it really means a lot to us, and to the girls. With your help we’ve raised $4,300 for the year, or 78% of our fundraising target, and while there are still some expenses to cover, the year is off to a great start.

It seems appropriate that six years since they first received bicycles, we were recently able to deliver bikes to the girls, again to help them with transport to and from their places of study, albeit in a very different environment to when we first met them—Nampa in 2006 (with Clarisse) and now.

The girls saying goodbye to Julia and Nicholas. Although we’re now far away, Michael still visits Namibia three times per year, and caught up with them in March

Ao investir numa menina... você investe numa comunidade inteira

Pessoal,

Ano entra, ano sai, e cá estamos nós novamente passando o pires pelas

nossas meninas. Sim, as mesmas Nampa e Kornelia, nossas queridas

namibianas. Estamos entrando em nosso quarto ano de suporte

educacional para ambas.

Durante estes 3 anos com elas, passamos por altos e baixos. Em alguns

momentos precisamos ser duros, noutros amigos. Acima de tudo,

continuamos acreditando. A mesma crença que um dia nossos pais,

familiares, amigos, professores, supervisores tiveram em nós.

Nampa hoje está com 19 anos, começando o segundo ano na Universidade

da Namíbia, uma menina brilhante e dedicada. Kornelia, com 17, começa

agora seu último ano no colégio, e em outubro passará pelos temidos

exames para entrar na UNAM. Este ano que passou, Kornelia - antes uma

menina tímida, insegura e com pouca perspectiva - ganhou diversos

prêmios de desempenho em seu ano em matemática, biologia, francês e

inglês.

Nos orgulhamos muito das conquistas delas, e por isso gostaríamos que

nos ajudassem nesta empreitada.

Precisamos de um total de R$ 12.500 para o ano de 2012, para cobrir

todos os custos além da bolsa de estudos de cada uma (acomodação,

alimentação, transporte, livros, material, uniformes, etc).

Cada contiribuição é valiosa, não importa o valor. Se você quiser

contribuir, a forma mais fácil é pagar por cartão de crédito (Visa,

Mastercard ou American Express) pelo sistema que recebemos recursos

para a BEN Namibia, por meio desta página

https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ITDP-InstituteForTransport/OnlineGiving.html

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. Por favor me avise caso você faça a

doação desta forma, para que possamos acompanhar.

A segunda possibilidade é fazer uma transferência para minha conta

Itaú no Brasil. Caso você tenha interesse em fazer desta forma, me

avise para que eu passe meus dados bancários.

Muito obrigada a todos que participaram até hoje e aos que se

interessarem em entrar neste barco conosco.

E tenha certeza de uma coisa: investir em meninas tem um efeito

espiral tão incrível, que é como investir em comunidades inteiras.

Um grande abraço,

Clarisse e Michael

Help us support Namibian girls' education

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

She is a 52-points girl!

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...

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

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

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!