2010 Kunene Expedition - Project at Swartbooisdrift

Project by Daniel Louw (Pangaea Gobi Desert Mongolia Expedition Selection Camp Young Explorer)

EXPLORE

The travel brochure for tourists made it sound easy: Fly to Windhoek and charter a small aircraft to 17°20’43.18” S 13°50’44.79” E. But we were in Cape Town and with no aircraft to fly us there, we would have to take the long route. 5000 kilometers there and back again by road. And all of that in only 10 days!

There were eight of us in the group ranging from high school students to teachers and even a lawyer. Our goal: a fact finding and outreach mission to the remote community of Swartbooisdrift on the Namibia-Angola border. We aimed to explore the area which the first settlers called “ The land that God made in anger”. We would live in the community, learn about their needs and then decide on a long term project that would benefit the community.

We packed our bags, tents and food in a borrowed Toyota Quantum minibus and set off.
Over the next few days we would be very grateful that we could hit the road in relative comfort. For me there was a great feeling when we reached the South African-Namibian border. This would be the second time this year that I would leave my country on an adventure. A sense of anticipation flickered inside me: where would this journey take me?

One border post and one thousand kilometers later we found a small camping spot near Keetmanshoop. We three schoolboys pitched tent in no time. The others left some crucial items like tent poles and tent pegs in Cape Town. We were teased endlessly for being “Boy Scouts”! The fact that I tried to start the fire with my flint did not help the matter either. We got our own back – the tentless ‘old people’ were eaten alive by mosquitoes that night.

The first morning I was greeted by the most amazing scenery. All around us were masses of Quiver trees. I saw the most amazing horizon hosting a spectacular sunrise. The sheer beauty of the moment could only be described with: This is Africa!

After a quick cup of coffee and rusks for breakfast we were off. Moments later we spotted a cheetah behind the fence. It was a scramble as everyone tried to take pictures of the fastest land animal on earth. With all the excitement we forgot that we were very low on fuel and continued on our journey without filling up. We were relieved to see a turnoff to a small town called Gibeon. We were even more relieved to see a sign advertising fuel. The filling station turned out to be a tank mounted on a trailer and the pump a hosepipe and funnel.

After another days long travelling, we reached Outjo where we met our guides and interpreters around a cozy campfire. The Reverend Schoeman gave us a good insight into the problems that traditional tribes face in the changing world – unemployment, alcohol abuse, immorality and disease. The environment would add its own challenges: extreme heat, very limited drinking water and rough camping. As guests in a tribal land our conduct would be under scrutiny all the time. Add a very stern warning: the Kunene River is inhabited by a large population of Nile crocodiles!

When the highways turned to gravel roads and gravel roads disappeared into tracks, we came to our destination on the river border between Namibia and Angola. This river, the Kunene, is a lush green line that runs through a desert of dry shrub land. The ancient tribe of the Himba lives in this area. To them the Kunene River is more than a water source. It is the sacred life force that connects them with their ancestors.

Our base during the outreach would be a small campsite called Horeb. Horeb was built as a labour of love during a previous outreach. We had a comfortable stay – a level piece of ground for a tent, good ablution facilities and a water tower filled with river water. We brought with us 115 liters of drinking water, but in the panic of the first day’s heat we drank 60 liters. I realised that supplying ourselves with clean drinking water at that rate was going to be a problem.

We did most of our travelling in the Kunene sitting on top of a rugged, but curiously desireable custom built pipe car nicknamed “Ulrich”. Basically it was built on a Nissan 4WD chassis to which some excessive suspension was added. Aircon was provided by opening a small flap to the outside in the footwell. Central locking was equally sophisticated – just clip a padlock through rings in the door!

LEARN

VISIT TO OTJIMUHAKA CLINIC:

Since the selection camp I have been working on a Water Project for the Young Explorers community. Our group decided to visit the local clinic so that I could get information needed for the project, but it turned out that everyone gained something from the visit.

The Otjimuhaka Clinic is a basic building. The Nurse on duty, Sarafina Erastus, told us that the clinic had clean running tap water till a few months ago, but now the water has disappeared. We never learnt why, but we did learn that even though the government has been contacted, nothing has been done to fix the problem. Presently the clinic pumps water from the river and treat it with a disinfectant. Most of the diseases that are treated at the clinic are caused by the lack of clean drinking water. The whole week before we had arrived the nurse treated people with dysentery and diarhoea. This clinic also reported the first cases of the deadly cholera epidemic that raged in 2008.

The Otjimuhaka clinic is overloaded. It provides basic medical care to 1200 people. The clinic also treats Angolan citizens who cross the river specifically to visit the clinic. There are too few nurses. They work round the clock for weeks on end until relief arrives. The nearest doctor would be in Opuwo, hours drive away. We decided that we will certainly include a doctor in our group when we visit again.

An hour’s drive upriver is the luxury Kunene River Lodge – a good excuse for an ice cold cooldrink. The manager, Wentzel, is a friendly young man. Corresponding with him after the trip, he wrote back to say that the water in the Kunene river is naturally very clean. They regularly send water samples to the capital, Windhoek, to be tested. His guides drink straight from the river, but for the guests the water is pumped through a sand filter before it is put through a reverse osmosis and ultraviolet process. The manager is adamant to stress that they never pump contaminated water into the river system. Waste water is pumped far way to deep composting pits in a grove of trees.

Wentzel continues to state that the Kunene River should be kept clean so that everyone could have enough clean drinking water. The problem, he says, is that the people at Swartbooisdrift do not have proper toilet facilities and they do not control the dumping of rubbish in the river system. Nurse Sarafina made the same comment – hardly any proper sanitation is available in the community. Humans are the cause of the waterborne diseases in the river water.

VISIT TO A HIMBA KRAAL

We had an invitation to meet with one of the Himba tribal leaders. His kraal was many miles away towards the distant Zebra Mountains. The headman had been attending a meeting of Himba elders at the river and we gave him a lift back to his home. The old man took his seat inside the 4WD and us, as we have been doing all week, climbed on the roof.

As we sped along the narrow tracks I was holding on and filming the great experience at the same time. I could see how the colour of the soil changed to a deep ochre red colour and how the vegetation became sparser and drier. Away from the river the Kunene is a harsh and inhospitable landscape where only the very tough will survive.

It was noon when we arrived at the Himba kraal. Chief Mutsjiwara and his family are fortunate that they can live in one place all the time. They have a permanent spring nearby, although to us it seemed undrinkable. We drank gratefully from our own water
and took refuge from the sun under a sparse tree. In this strange land there is no sense of time or urgency, so we relaxed and waited patiently. Eventually Chief Mutsjiwara’s family joined us. We entertained the chief and his family with songs and laughter. We told them about ourselves, our beliefs and our mission. There is a longing for knowledge that we felt from most people in the Kunene, even in this remote tribal village. Later the chief invited us into his kraal to meet the wives and daughters, but cautioned us to keep a respectful distance from the spiritual centre of the kraal, the sacred fire. The Himba women took great pride in showing us their homes and handicraft. We were honoured by the trust, yet I felt the concern that these beautiful people could easily become mere tourist attractions!

Some days later we visited the temporary shelter of another clan. Chief Mutcha and his people are constantly on the move in search of water and grazing, with their main home many kilometers away. It is a very tough existence. They own only what they can carry. The old leader referred to his home as “The place where he is thirsty.” At the moment they haul water from seven kilometers away. Through our interpreter the chief told us about their daily struggles and thanked us for visiting and listening. The old man looked worn and worried, but when he saw himself in the screen of my video camera he broke out in such a bout of infectious laughter.

VISIT TO THE ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

No expedition in Africa is complete without a safari! The Etosha National Park is one of the largest in the world (It’s about half the size of Switzerland). It is truly one of the most spectacular game reserves in Africa. In one day we saw elephants, lions, giraffes, kudus, springbok, gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest, impala and ostrich.

We drove round in search of a herd of 30 elephants in the vicinity. They managed to evade us, but it did not matter. We saw amazing wildlife at all the watering holes. As we took photos we saw a safari jeep with professional tourists pass by. They were equipped with monster Digital SLRs that had the hugest lenses ever. I knew at that moment that if I had such a camera, I would have taken the greatest pictures that day.

As our day started to draw to a close we noticed a group of cars turning off onto a small side road. Curiously we turned off as well and our efforts were rewarded by an extraordinary scene. There were about 10 lions prowling around in a clearing, so close that you could literally look into their eyes. Something had upset the lions. They were roaring and pacing while giraffes and wildebeest were backing off very nervously. A highlight came when a young lion gave a giraffe a quick chase.

The most welcome feature of the park: a crocodile free swimming pool with deep cool, clear water. As we splashed around, the near 40° heat of the previous week was soon forgotten!

ACT

VISIT TO SWARTBOOISDRIFT SCHOOL:

The school at Swartbooisdrift has about 50 children from grade 1 to grade 4. The headmaster, Mr. Tjiposa is a dedicated and hardworking man. He arrives every day dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and tie – remarkable since the days were easily 37 °C. It is obviously clear that the children are very intelligent and they have a natural thirst for knowledge, but the circumstances are unfortunate. The building is in dire need of repair, but at least it is cool inside. Every morning the children have to chase out the bats that live in the rafters and sweep the floor. For the last six months the second teacher has been on sick leave, so it was up to Mr. Tjiposa to teach all four grades at the same time.



The two teachers in our group had the chance to help the children with their daily lessons. They were astounded when Mr. Tjiposa asked them to prepare a lesson plan, a list of outcomes and an evaluation for the lessons they would be teaching. He even showed them what his lesson plans looked like. His dedication is inspirational and his commitment to planning is an example to the teachers in our group and in schools likes mine.

A main objective of our visit to Kunene was to distribute educational material to rural schools. It was our privilege to hand out boxes full of books and stationary that was kindly donated and collected in Cape Town. The alluring sight of the brightly coloured crayons sent shivers down my spine. It brings back such happy childhood memories. I know that our small contribution will be the start of a new generation of happy memories for these children!

Early in the morning, before the school started, we played ball games with the kids. The children of the Kunene are lean and muscular and even in the constant heat they never get tired! We thought that we would coach soccer to the boys, but in the end they gave us a really good go. They showed really good talent even though they were so far away from real settlements with sportsfields and coaches. The girls just loved skipping games and netball. After playing our way through the Kunene we were happy to give the soccer balls a new home at the Swartbooisdrift School.

It was an amazing experience to get to know the children with their wide smiles and bright eyes. We decided then and there to return in June 2011 to repair the current school building and who knows, Mr. Tjiposa may even get the second classroom that he has been dreaming of for many years!

PLAYING WITH THE CHILDREN

We spent a great deal of time playing games with the children of Swartbooisdrift. I must admit – we had a lot of practice on the road trip. Wherever we stopped for fuel or food someone would produce a ball and soon enough the locals boys would join in an impromptu match.

Our playground was a sandy beach on the Kunene River. Midmorning the temperature would hit the high 30’s. That, along with the altitude made us feels exhausted fairly quickly. As we collapsed, it seemed as if the children were just starting to warm up. Then the games really started! We had so much fun and we laughed until we hurt. The best part of playing with the kids was not winning the game, but just being there for them. They have difficult lives and we giving them some attention really helped to fill their hearts with hope.

All too soon our time in the Kunene had come to an end. We turned south, back home towards Cape Town. The return journey passed quickly – everyone was exhausted and lost in thought. We had seen so much and learned so much. For the first time I understood the true meaning of EXPLORE – LEARN – ACT. The hands-on experience has empowered me to make better judgment and plan my Pangaea Act Project in an appropriate manner. I saw the area and the problems with my own eyes; I felt the heat and the thirst. I met people who saw hope where others saw despair.

I was part of a truly wonderful team of people who gave what they had – their time and their enthusiasm. During the Kunene Outreach my experience in Switzerland and the lessons I have learnt during the Mongolia selection camp played a big role in making this a significant experience for each of our team members. The Pangaea message has found its way to one of the most remote corners of Africa! I have great hopes for future outreaches to the Kunene.

The greatest message I learnt in Kunene was: Our actions speak louder than our words!