Getting to Know All About You!

We managed three visits to Chetto and Peoples over the next ten days following our Phase 2 training’s conclusion. On our first visit, we had the chance to sit with Principal Matthew who heads up the school in Chetto which teaches through grade nine. He was extremely transparent about the difficult situation on the ground there. Some of his comments that day lay it out pretty bluntly: “We have about 250 students, both boys and girls. Last year we had fifteen pregnancies, the youngest to a girl who was ten years old.” “We have to schedule parents meetings in the morning before about 11 o’clock. Any time after that and the parents will arrive drunk. So, we typically bring parents in by 9am, just to be sure.” In addition, Principal Matthew faced a problem with some of the teachers when he arrived about two years ago, and staff changes had to be made. He’s pleased with his new staff, and while it’s clearly been a tough couple of years, he is cautiously confident that things are moving in the right direction, which is encouraging.

While we were there, Principal Matthew introduced us to Betty, the Life Skills teacher, and affirmed Pastor Nelson who is a Khwe pastor and community leader whom we already knew and who just happened to drop by. It was good to see him again, and we promised to visit with him during a subsequent visit. Following our visit to the school, we dropped by to say hello to Sonnar, one of the leaders of the Chetto church, and a Khwe who has spent significant time in Europe working with anthropologists who are studying the Khwe communities in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. Sonnar is fluent in English. On our way out of the school, we bumped into Regina and Maria, who had come to our previous week’s training - see previous blog, and had heard we were there and came by to see us. We chatted a bit and promised to be back for a longer visit. On the way home, we stopped off at Peoples and spent a few minutes visiting with Pastor Wilson, his father the Headman, and his family. It was good to see them again!

On our second visit, we spent some time with Sonnar. While we were there, Regina and Maria, plus three other Khwe women, including Regina’s sister, came by with their infant children, to say hi to all of us and, of course, visit with Abby. They had a wonderful time talking about “women things,” as Abby likes to call it, and it deepened her relationship with Regina and Maria. Meanwhile, Jack, Percy, and Doug spent some “men time” with Sonnar.

On our third and last visit, Abby had the privilege of spending quality time with Betty, the Life Skills teacher. She is a Christian, and was open to talk and reaffirmed Principal Matthew’s picture of the kids’ reality there, and the difficulty of helping the kids live differently than is being modeled, in most cases, by their families. She explained to Abby that of the thirteen teachers at the school, ten are in their first teaching position and are only one or two years out of university. The living conditions are tough, and the teachers all go every other weekend to Katima Mulilo, like herself, or to another significant town where they can be refreshed. She invited our team to come back in the future to train and encourage the teachers which we are eager to do. Abby’s heart for the teachers and the kids was touched deeply during her visit with Betty, and her experience as chaplain, especially at Barium Springs Home for Children, makes her uniquely qualified to lead our efforts to make a difference at the school.

While Abby was visiting Betty, Pastor Jack, Percy, and Doug visited Sonnar again, which allowed them to have a good discussion about how to add value to his work, especially with the local teenagers for which he has a burden. It was a deep conversation and seemed to go a long way to strengthening our relationship with Sonnar, for which we are grateful.

We are in no rush when it comes to the Khwe, and we know it will take a long time to build trust and establish really good working and training relationships. We’re grateful that Jack and Percy will be able to see them throughout the year, and we’re excited about the privilege of training Khwe leaders by bringing them to Katima, and for the possibility of encouraging the teachers and churches in Chetto and Peoples, as well.

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Your encouragement is essential to our work and God uses it to fuel us. And, remember, where we go you go!

Khwe school children at chetto

Her intensity is compelling.

So much promise!

The eyes have it!

L tO r: jack, abby, betty, pastor nelson, school board member, principal matthew, and percy

Pastor wilson (l) and his father, the headman of peoples

Pastor nelson

Pastor nelson’s hands

Pastor nelson’s wife (l), sister, and their younger children

Abby enjoyed spending time with the khwe women, including maria (l) and regina (r).

Doug and the boys: percy, pastor wilson, the headman, and jack

On the road to the khwe settlements we saw elephants, kudu, puka, impala, and this ostrich!