Walvis Bay

Oh hello there...

So, last week was my first full work week in Namibia. As kind of an orientation to the organization that I will be working with, BEN Namibia sent me on a three-day field trip to the coast. Tough life, right? A new colleague/friend and I traveled to Walvis Bay to complete some research at the new Bicycle Empowerment Centre (BEC) that is in the middle of training there. Our job was mainly to complete surveys of individuals in the area that will have direct contact with the BEC, so as to gather some baseline data for BEN Namibia to use and compare throughout the life of this new Centre...

It was really a great experience for me to get to actually see the organization at work and to meet some of our partners. It was probably the coolest work orientation I've ever had. The reality of what life is like for many living in that area was hard hitting, however, with most of the people we surveyed telling us that they are living on less than N$400/US$50 a month for a whole household...challenges/opportunities, i guess...

We also had a chance to go to the Walvis Bay BEC and meet some of the people that are being trained...what BEN Namibia does is locate a community and community partner that has the capacity to handle large quantities of bikes, and a need for bikes as an affordable form of transportation. A container carrying tons of donated bicycles (the containers come from all over the world) is arranged and transported to the area.

From here, the local organization that BEN is partnering with identifies about 5 community members to be a part of the new BEC. These individuals then go through 4 weeks of bicycle mechanic training and two weeks of business training and then the container, in a sense, becomes their business and their workshop.

Outside of BEN being there for support and monthly communication, the BEC becomes an independent income generating business for the people involved. The donated bikes are repaired and sold into the community by the efforts of these persons who went through the training. It's really a neat model.

It was a fun trip to get to see what I will be participating in for the next couple of months, as well as getting to see a bit of Namibia for my little traveling heart. On the way out of town we were able to stop and scale some massive sand dunes, one of which I think is the fourth tallest sand dune in the world...the sweetness of life. :)

peace and love.

Mary :)

Safe and Sound in Namibia

Well, I'm in Namibia...I arrived Friday afternoon and have been having a grand ole time so far. Internet has been a little hard to come by, but I am hoping to find an internet cafe sometime in the near future so that I can spend an ample amount of time in the world of communication...

So far since I've been here I have met tons of local Namibians and have been offered an exorbitant amount of food and tea everywhere I go...this is always the dilemma, being rude or just going with it...I don't know what the right thing to do is, so I just smile and eat pig intestines. :)

The weekend was spent moving in and recovering from jet lag, and then on Monday I went with a woman who I will be working with for the next couple of months to complete some surveys in an area south of Windhoek called, Walvis Bay. We visited a Bicycle Empowerment Center that is starting up there and completed surveys to collect some baseline data that can be followed up with the life of the center...I have some great pics from the week that I will upload sometime soon...the trip was great. Namibia is beautiful and the geography is so diverse. The people I have met are very friendly and welcoming, but those that we surveyed are truly suffering and are surviving on very little...It's a little disheartening, but offers lots of opportunities...

Today is my first real day in the office at BEN Namibia. I will be helping them plan their first conference that will take place at the end of July. There is much to do, but I am super excited and so very glad to be here...

That is all for now. Much love.

the countdown...

And it has begun...the countdown of craziness before I leave on Monday. So, it looks like this: I have an extensive research paper to finish, a huge presentation on Friday that I have yet to prepare for, I need to move out of my apartment and into storage, and then I have to pack...the last part is exciting, the former, not so much. Somehow when life gets crazy like this, things always end up getting done, but when you're sitting in the middle of it it feels a bit overwhelming, doesn't it?

Anyways, this coming Monday is the day of destiny with a plane ride out of Atlanta. It doesn't feel real yet, but I am so excited. 

A little update on where I will be living: I will be in a township outside of Windhoek called Katutura with a Namibian woman who works at the Bicycle Empowerment Network, and her daughter. I am so appreciative that they are letting me stay with them in their home, as it will be great to be with a family while I am there...

I have been doing a bit of research on the area, and it appears that Katutura literally means "we do not have a permanent habitat", as it was created during the apartheid era with South Africa. During this time indigenous Namibians were forced several times out of their homes and into these designated areas, while the white Germans, South Africans, and anyone else left over from colonialism took up residence in the capital city, Windhoek. Since apartheid ended, Katutura has apparently been one of the fastest growing areas around Windhoek, and has become a hub for all kinds of different ethnic groups. I just really think it's great...well, obviously not the apartheid part, nobody likes that, but the fact that I will be able to be in the midst of so much history and diversity will be so wonderful. Again, I'm just real excited. :)

Here's a map of Katutura for a little visual of where I will be resting my head until August:

Windhoek Street Map N: Katutura

that's about it for now...thanks for reading :)