WINDHOEK - The N≠a Jaqna Conservancy recently held their most successful Annual General Meeting to date. At the meeting held in Windhoek, the community showed the results of their commitment to resolving their own problems, rather than waiting for others to help.

The N≠a Jaqna Conservancy is located in Tsumkwe district, northeast of Otjozondjupa Region.
It is one of the only two San-governed conservancies in Namibia, the second being the Nyae Nyae Conservancy.

The community decided to invest over N$250 000 of their own funds rectifying long-term water problems that the authorities have failed to address for many years. Children, have for the last five years been forced to walk several kilometres to functioning water points to collect water on a daily basis, this was an untenable situation. This has put added pressure on the few village water points still functioning, distracted and kept children from school and made daily living an ongoing challenge in the area.

Conservancies were established to improve wildlife management and generate benefits for rural communities from sustainable wildlife use, but N≠a Jaqna Conservancy finds that they are the one of the few bodies responding to the needs of this highly marginalised and impoverished community. In early 2019 and in the year ahead, they will spend N$96,000 providing supplementary food for the schools and up to N$95,000 helping conservancy members with funeral costs. The conservancy is making a difference to the lives of this struggling San community. It is a lead that local ministry staff and the authorities should take note of, and provide support. Instead of ignoring the illegal activities of outsiders in the area and the state of the infrastructure available to this community.

Sarah Zungu, the re-elected chairperson of the conservancy said; “We want and need to provide as much support as possible to the community, who face constant daily struggles for even the very basic things in life. This is not fair and we call on the ministries and authorities to do their part in supporting the rights and their obligations as far as this community is concerned.”