By Frederick Philander OKAHANDJA A strong plea was made on Friday at NIED to sensitize Namibian teenage mothers to take full advantage of the Ministry of Education’s re-entry policy to complete their education. The plea was made by Neshani Andreas, educational programme officer with the Forum for African Women in Namibia. She was the keynote speaker at the swearing-in of 63 new American volunteer teachers and health workers to Namibia. The volunteers will be deployed countrywide to provide service to the Namibian people under the auspices of the Ministries of Education and Health and Social Services as well as existing HIV/Aids NGOs. “As a partner of the ministry of Education, we are mandated and supported by the ministry to address the unique challenges Namibian girls face in education. As the saying goes, when poverty strikes a family it is the girl-child that suffers the most. And with the HIV/AIDS pandemic taking its toll on us, the girl-child has become increasingly vulnerable,” said Andreas, a former language trainer for eight years in Peace Corps Namibia. Neshani is also an accomplished novelist with one book to her credit, The Purple Violet of Oshaantu, plublished by Heinemann in 2001. “I am pleased to announce that in an effort to address the challenges such as poverty the Namibian girl-child faces in education, we are fortunate to benefit from USAID’s Africa Education Initiative. To reach as many girls as possible in Namibia with the Ambassador’s scholarship and mentoring programme, especially in rural and remote areas, we have often knocked at the Peace Corp’s offices requesting for volunteers to assist us in implementing girls’ empowerment activities in Namibian schools,” Andreas said in expressing her gratitude. She further said that Peace Corp volunteers have assisted the ministry of Education in establishing and strengthening girls’ clubs, especially in the Oshana Region. “Furthermore, the need out there is so great, and the challenges we face with regard to HIV/AIDS in this country are overwhelming. Teachers can only handle so much and can only do so much for learners. In the fight against HIV/AIDS the strengths of our extended family, on which we often pride ourselves, has been stretched and tested to the limit. However, I am hopeful that we can combine resources and join forces with the Namibian government to address the many challenges we face,” said Andreas who specifically referred to AIDS, gender-based violence, lack of teaching materials, lack of quality education and other social ills that prevent the Namibian people from enjoying quality life. She also formally welcomed the volunteers who come from a broad and diverse American societal spectrum. “By the time you will have completed your two-year service in Namibia, you may not have built a library for your community, but you would have led by example, making positive differences in the lives of Namibians,” she said prophetically. The American ambassador to Namibia, Joyce Barr, officially conducted the swearing-in ceremony of the volunteers. “Since the days of Namibia’s independence, my government has been working very closely with the Namibian government. Our governments and people share the same commitment to liberty, democracy, good governance and respect for human rights,” Barr said after the ceremony. According to Barr, more than 800 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Namibia since 1990 working with their local counterparts in education, disaster relief, community and small business development. “Since their arrival in Namibia, Peace Corps volunteers have made a difference. Their contributions are often tangible and can be seen in such things as higher pass rates at schools where volunteers are teaching, or in the improved operational capacity of faith-based and community-based organizations in which volunteers are involved,” the ambassador said. She also announced that there are currently 130 Peace Corps volunteers serving in every region of the country. “I have no doubt that the new group of volunteers, Group 26, will in their own way add a new chapter in the continuing vibrant and dynamic Peace Corps with its strong commitment to Namibia and its gracious people. Whether you are working on HIV/AIDS or in education, you as volunteers will have a positive impact, and the Namibians you will be working with will never forget you,” Barr said. The country director of Peace Corps Namibia, Jeffrey Millington, announced that two-thirds of the new batch of volunteers will be working in education. “They will serve as teachers, teaching Mathematics, Science and English in Namibian schools from Grade 6 upwards. Their impact can be significant. Some will work in teacher resource centres, circuit offices and will help with computer sciences and information technology. Others will help to set up school libraries, computer centres and outreach AIDS clubs,” Millington said. He also said that 26 of the volunteers will work in the health sector in the fight against HIV/AIDS in regional hospitals and faith-based community organizations such as CAFO, ELCAP, Catholic AIDS Action and the Namibian Red Cross.