The Komeho Namibia Development Agency

Komeho Namibia is a national non-profit making organisation that was formed in 2001/2002 to contribute to Namibia's national development objectives by promoting economic growth, local value adding, job creation, sustainable management of natural resources, capacity building, the reduction of income inequalities and alleviation of poverty in the rural and urban areas.

Its main objectives are defined as follows:

1. To improve the quality, cost effectiveness and impacts of development programmes and projects.
2. To revive and sustain rural and urban economies.
3. To capacity build institutional personnel, NGOs, CBOs and community groups.
4. To provide funding, when available when available to local NGOs, CBOs, etc to reduce marginalization, injustices, and causes of poverty.
5. To add value to livelihood products, improving the living standards of people and enable them to exercise their rights and manage their own lives.

Komeho Namibia was formed by ex-OXFAM Canada staff, who have extensive experience in administering large and small projects as well as in conducting participatory rural appraisals. Its staff members actively involve communities in discussing their development needs and in carrying out development planning processes.

Komeho Namibia is the Foundation's partner organisation in Nambia and we have been working with them since 2003. They are our link with the local communities and monitor our projects on the ground to ensure they proceed as planned.
 

Simple bread ovens manufactured by Komeho Namibia Development Agency at their facility near Rundu in the north of the country. These are donated to villagers who bake the bread to sell and generate income.

Suni e.V.

Suni e.V. is a small German charity working in the Omaheke region and the Foundation has formed a partnership with them for mutual support and the exchange of information.

The charity is a non-profit making organization that supports vulnerable children and young adults in the Omaheke region in Namibia.

They sustainably improve educational opportunities and living standards at their partner schools in Namibia through intercultural exchanges, transfer of knowledge and financial support. The exchange of teachers and children from Europe and Namibia is also very important to them. Therefore, they regularly organize intercultural projects and art events.

In Namibia they operate in cooperation with the local Ministry of Education and several local non-profit making organizations. Currently, they are in partnership with five schools and one boarding home in the Omaheke region.

Suni e.V. is a small and young organization. Therefore they are able to guarantee a personal relationship between their partner schools and their members. All their staff members in Europe and Namibia work on a voluntary basis with donations going directly and solely to their programs and projects.

Suni e.V. is a registered charity in Germany, and is member of the German-Namibian society, who are also members of Suni e.V.
For more information, see www.suni-ev.de/projects_english_volunteerprogram.html

Roger and Linda with the board of Suni e.V. in Hanover 25/26 June 2016

St Mary's Senior School for Girls, Colchester

The school nominated the Foundation as their charity for the school year ending September 2019, and they have been so enthused with their fundraising, that they decided to make the Foundation one of the school's permanent charities to support. We partnered them with Good Hope Primary School and Hostel and they raised funds to purchase two industrial electric cooking pots for the Hostel kitchen. These were handed over to the school by Roger and Linda in October 2019

The handing over of the pots at Good Hope Primary School.
Kneeling beside the pot is Mr Gerson Murangi (acting head).

School Uniforms

During a visit it was noted that a lot of the hostel children were not wearing school uniforms due to them having to be washed in the middle of the week, leaving them without a uniform for half the week. On hearing this St Mary's decided that they would like to raise funds to buy the children a second uniform. The money was raised and sent to the school in the middle of 2021.

One of the classes in their new school uniforms

Socks, shoes and winter jackets

After the Foundations return from Namibia in April 2023, funds were sent to purchase 133 Pairs of socks and shoes which the children received. Following a request for some winter jackets, St Marys raised the necessary funds and these have now also been purchased.

Irrigation system for the School gardern

The school decided to extend the school garden to provide vegetables for the hostel kitchen and to sell to the local community. St Mary's raised the necessary funds and this is now being installed.

Computer Project

This is the current project that St Mary's are raising funds to upgrade the computer facilities at the school.