KAMANJAB – A community project that once gave hope to many women and youth in Kamanjab is now in urgent need of support to keep going. 

Alexia Garises, founder of Thoughts of Hope, said she started the pottery and social support project in 2004 after seeing how many women stayed in abusive relationships because they financially depended on men.

“I didn’t have money to start the project,” she said. 

“But my mom was a potter, so I asked her if she could teach women and youth in the village. That’s how we began,” she added.

Over the years, the project has grown to produce a wide range of ceramic pots and items, including clay pots, plant pots for gardens, flower pots, bowls, cups and plates, all made with unique and colourful designs.

 Some are handmade, while others were once produced using a potter’s wheel, a skill that was introduced by Garises’ late son, who studied pottery in Denmark.

Her mother trained about 40 women in handmade pottery before she passed away. 

Later, her late son continued the training and helped modernise the process.

“My son came back from Denmark and trained four young people – two girls and two boys – because we wanted to expand the project,” she said. 

“But sadly, he passed away during Covid-19. That was a big setback,” Garises remarked.

Today, the pottery side of the project is nearly at a standstill. 

The kiln used to fire the pots is broken.

Additionally, the main building meant to house production is unfinished due to a lack of funds.

“We can’t fire any pots now because the kiln is broken,” said Garises. 

“We don’t have the money to replace the parts or fix the building. We’re stuck,” she added.

Despite these struggles, she has not given up. 

The gender-based violence (GBV) awareness part of the project is still going strong, with workshops and community dialogues being held regularly.

“We have Swedish partners who support the GBV work, but their support is limited and doesn’t cover the pottery production,” she said.

The unfinished building was sponsored by a visitor from Italy, who discovered the project through Facebook. 

He started building a production centre – but sadly, he also passed away before it was completed.

“Now that structure is just standing there, half-finished. I was losing hope, thinking of selling it, but then something special happened,” Garises narrated.

During a visit to Kamanjab, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah received a handmade pot as a gift. 

She was impressed and pledged N$100 000 to support the project.

“The President said this is a very nice project, and it can create jobs,” Garises recalled. 

“She encouraged others to support it too,” she added.

Garises is now calling on businesses, non-governmental organisations and the community to match the President’s pledge to complete the building and fix the kiln.

“If we can just finish the building, then we can also fix the kiln and get back to making pots,” she said. 

“Right now, we don’t even have enough space to store the pots,” Garises said.

The project not only teaches pottery but also gives women and girls alternatives to poverty and risky lifestyles.

“I want to tell women: drinking alcohol or taking shortcuts is not the solution,” she said. 

“You can use your hands. Come to the project, learn something and make something. Even if it’s just selling vetkoek, it’s better than depending on men,” Garises advised.

Her dreams of expanding the project to include modern and traditional pot-making, linking rural women in the north with those in Kamanjab for skills exchange.

“We want to combine the European-style pots with traditional ones. That way, we keep our culture and also sell beautiful products to tourists,” she said.

Garises hopes that upcoming exhibitions and possible gala dinners will help raise awareness and funds.

“The whole building was started by someone from Italy, who saw us online. Now I ask, where are our own people, leaders and business people?” she asked. 

“If they can come in and help, this project can give jobs and purpose to many,” she added.

As the clay pots wait to be fired and the building stands half-built, the Thoughts of Hope project is still alive – but just barely. 

With more support, it could once again be the heartbeat of community hope in Kamanjab.