All across the continent of Africa, children are desperate and hungry
to acquire knowledge and explore new ideas, a luxury many first
world inhabitants take for granted. As a US Peace Corps Volunteer
teaching in Namibia, I am confronted with this lack of printed
resources and the consequences it presents daily in the classroom
and in the development of a child and a country. This lack of access
to raw knowledge and an outlet to develop critical thinking skills
handicaps the students and teachers intellectual and future
pursuits.
The goal of the Books for Namibia initiative is to help fight this
epidemic of illiteracy and motivate young minds to take control of
their lives. The future of my students, Namibia, and the rest of the
developing world depends on educating and empowering the youth!
Through education we find hope and can begin to envision a
different Africa - where the doors of opportunity are opened and
preventable disease such as HIV/AIDS can be diminished.
Namibia is just one of many countries suffering from a substandard
educational system due to the lack of funding, resources,
manpower, oppression, post colonial infrastructure collapse, and
disease. The situation is further complicated by the overwhelming
functional illiteracy plaguing this country. Independence in 1990
brought hope to an oppressed people; however, it also brought
many challenges and a new language that has not been
implemented effectively in the school system. Grades 1-4 are taught
in the native tribal language of the children's respective tribes in an
attempt to retain their cultural identity (English is only taught as a
subject at this point). Abruptly in grade 5, the medium of instruction
switches entirely to English and the students are severely
handicapped in all subjects and it is difficult for many students to
effectively make this transition which will follow them through
University and ultimately to the job market.
There is an expectation that these students must be able to
communicate, comprehend, and critically analyze with the verbal
and written English word. But how is this possible when the child
has no significant opportunity to explore the language and develop
the necessary reasoning abilities?
One method to address the functional illiteracy epidemic is to
provide these students with access to books and reading
comprehension programs to enhance utilization of those texts in a
meaningful way. Unfortunately, most government schools in
Namibia are in need of creating or further developing a library to
facilitate this endeavor.
to acquire knowledge and explore new ideas, a luxury many first
world inhabitants take for granted. As a US Peace Corps Volunteer
teaching in Namibia, I am confronted with this lack of printed
resources and the consequences it presents daily in the classroom
and in the development of a child and a country. This lack of access
to raw knowledge and an outlet to develop critical thinking skills
handicaps the students and teachers intellectual and future
pursuits.
The goal of the Books for Namibia initiative is to help fight this
epidemic of illiteracy and motivate young minds to take control of
their lives. The future of my students, Namibia, and the rest of the
developing world depends on educating and empowering the youth!
Through education we find hope and can begin to envision a
different Africa - where the doors of opportunity are opened and
preventable disease such as HIV/AIDS can be diminished.
Namibia is just one of many countries suffering from a substandard
educational system due to the lack of funding, resources,
manpower, oppression, post colonial infrastructure collapse, and
disease. The situation is further complicated by the overwhelming
functional illiteracy plaguing this country. Independence in 1990
brought hope to an oppressed people; however, it also brought
many challenges and a new language that has not been
implemented effectively in the school system. Grades 1-4 are taught
in the native tribal language of the children's respective tribes in an
attempt to retain their cultural identity (English is only taught as a
subject at this point). Abruptly in grade 5, the medium of instruction
switches entirely to English and the students are severely
handicapped in all subjects and it is difficult for many students to
effectively make this transition which will follow them through
University and ultimately to the job market.
There is an expectation that these students must be able to
communicate, comprehend, and critically analyze with the verbal
and written English word. But how is this possible when the child
has no significant opportunity to explore the language and develop
the necessary reasoning abilities?
One method to address the functional illiteracy epidemic is to
provide these students with access to books and reading
comprehension programs to enhance utilization of those texts in a
meaningful way. Unfortunately, most government schools in
Namibia are in need of creating or further developing a library to
facilitate this endeavor.
In my village of Otavi there are two schools in desperate need
of updating their libraries. My school, Khorab Junior
Secondary School, has approximately 1000 students from
grades 1-12. We have a small library with a combination of
Afrikaans, German, and English books. Currently, we have
approximately 200 texts in English, of which the material is
often not compatible with the student’s interests or abilities.
Shalom, the other primary school in Otavi, has approximately
750 students grades 1-5 and only 100 English books total.
There is also a critical absence of resources such as
dictionaries and thesauruses; not to mention the almost non-
existent access to encyclopedias, maps, educational games,
educational posters, and basic school supplies for teachers
or students.
I am looking for motivated individuals, students, teachers,
librarians, parents, schools and organizations that are willing
to donate used or new books (and potentially other
educational resources) to be shipped for use in Otavi,
Namibia. The kids are hungry for knowledge. I have 15 story
books I bring to school that the 250 upper primary students
fight over daily! Any efforts to make this project a reality will be
greatly appreciated by the students, teachers, community
members, and myself. We will follow up with stories and
photos to all of our donors to show just how much of a
difference they have made in the lives of these children. In
addition, this will be a beneficial cultural exchange for both
the students in the U.S. and Namibia. Your students will gain
the opportunity to see the impact of their generosity change
the lives of students just like themselves. Through this
experience I hope that they will learn more about the world
that they are living in and the vast differences and striking
similarities that unite us all.
Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting this
project. I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours in Education,
April Pinner
US Peace Corps Volunteer, Namibia
ampinner@hotmail.com
(205) 588 5605
of updating their libraries. My school, Khorab Junior
Secondary School, has approximately 1000 students from
grades 1-12. We have a small library with a combination of
Afrikaans, German, and English books. Currently, we have
approximately 200 texts in English, of which the material is
often not compatible with the student’s interests or abilities.
Shalom, the other primary school in Otavi, has approximately
750 students grades 1-5 and only 100 English books total.
There is also a critical absence of resources such as
dictionaries and thesauruses; not to mention the almost non-
existent access to encyclopedias, maps, educational games,
educational posters, and basic school supplies for teachers
or students.
I am looking for motivated individuals, students, teachers,
librarians, parents, schools and organizations that are willing
to donate used or new books (and potentially other
educational resources) to be shipped for use in Otavi,
Namibia. The kids are hungry for knowledge. I have 15 story
books I bring to school that the 250 upper primary students
fight over daily! Any efforts to make this project a reality will be
greatly appreciated by the students, teachers, community
members, and myself. We will follow up with stories and
photos to all of our donors to show just how much of a
difference they have made in the lives of these children. In
addition, this will be a beneficial cultural exchange for both
the students in the U.S. and Namibia. Your students will gain
the opportunity to see the impact of their generosity change
the lives of students just like themselves. Through this
experience I hope that they will learn more about the world
that they are living in and the vast differences and striking
similarities that unite us all.
Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting this
project. I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours in Education,
April Pinner
US Peace Corps Volunteer, Namibia
ampinner@hotmail.com
(205) 588 5605
Help nourish a child’s hunger for
knowledge, one book at a time.
knowledge, one book at a time.
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Books for Namibia is a project of Promote Africa, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
