Taking stock...

Where does the time go? It has already been a week since I arrived in Ongwediva. And I am leaving this weekend to go back to Windhoek. This week has gone by really quickly!

So what am I taking to Windhoek: two arrangements for partnerships with local NGO's which would bring a lot of additional value to our women groups and their communities, 6 confirmed meetings, few interested unconfirmed contacts, a long list of organisations where I am planning to just turn up uninvited, a recruitment interview and a bunch of proposals already sent out and (would you believe it!!) acknowledged! In fact, quite a few of the speculative emails that I have sent out to various organisations requesting to meet, have not been ignored!!

I am quite used to sending out emails into nowhere, and then hoping that there is a person at the other end who at least clicks on the "Delete" button. In this instance though, people actually bother to respond to me and explain why they cannot consider us at the moment, but would like to see what we have to offer for future consideration! On the phone I have never been passed on to a non-existent number (ok, a couple of answering machines), but there was never a blank "Thanks, but no, thanks". I think this is amazing! I am feeling positive...but then again, let me not get ahead of myself.

I quite enjoyed this first week. It has been quite inspiring, and in looking through the organisation which we might potentially like to work with and just seeing how much is actually being done in the field of development and community work, one can't help but get inspired. It all seems to be a different world from where I normally live, one where people get motivated not by how much they would get from a new deal or how far that deal would take them in their career, but by how many more people they might reach out and support in some way, or by what new skills they can bring into their community and the village where they grew up.

Emilia and Anna - the Loan officers

The girl on the left does not actually work in MLF, but why not join the dreamteam!

In big cities people often try to almost forget where they came from, if that place was a small town or even a rural community. They are proud what they have made of themselves by getting out and reaching out to the bright stars of the fast and noisy urban life. Here, most of those who I have spoken to would love to have stayed where they were born, but acutely realise that the only way for them to have a good chance in life is to move to some place with better education and more jobs. Unsurprusingly, this means bigger towns. Yet, most return to their villages on the weekends, holidays and pretty much any time they can. It makes it that much sadder that the rural life is slowly disappearing, because the village life is not sustainable under current circumstances. But it could be! There are ways to help farmers use more sustainable practices, create jobs, retain youth... However, as with everything, someone very passionate about it has to do it, and someone very rich has to fund it! The combination is scarce in this world..

How did I get to this thought? It was all on the positive side...The sky is still very blue and the sun is scorching... So how is your weather, London? ;)