GAM – Empathy, courage, humility and kindness perfectly sum up the angelic life of 55-year-old Uandaa Kamutati.
For over two decades now, she has remained a rare voice for humanity for Gam settlement’s downtrodden community. Kamutati, a devoted wife and self-employed mother, has dedicated her life and soul to the wellbeing and upliftment of Gam’s most marginalised, displaced and dispossessed San people, whom she feeds, shelters and educates.
To the browbeaten San children, youth and young mothers of the sparse, vast and underdeveloped area, Kamutati is their haven and has for decades been their ‘Mother Teresa’, in the likeness of the renowned Albanian-Indian Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity.
Mother Teresa, whose work with the poor remains legendary to this day, dedicated her entire life to serving those in need, and her compassion knew no bounds.
From the streets of Calcutta to poverty-stricken communities around the world, Mother Teresa brought hope and love to countless individuals worldwide.
And just like Mother Teresa, Kamutati’s selflessness and unwavering devotion to the wellbeing and empowerment of the marginalised San community in the Otjozondjupa region’s Gam settlement are hallmarked by empathy, courage, humility and kindness.
“For years, people have been asking me why I do what I do for the San community here in the Gam area, and why I continue to avail my very last penny to send these kids to school. To be honest, I really do not know why to this very day. For me, it’s like a calling from God, and an undying spirit from my ancestors for me to help these people out. We are all human; we all deserve a safe place to sleep, water and food to eat, and protection for all these young mothers I care for.
I want all children from the San community here to go to school and get an education as well. These are the things that have kept me awake at night for years and years. These people [San] are my life, and only God knows why I do what I do. Maybe one day, things will come right for them,” the teary-eyed mother shared with New Era during a visit to her homestead in the Gam settlement.
Through her backyard garden and home kitchen, which she sustains with income from her garden and small takeaway business, Kamutati provides free meals and shelter to members of the San community, especially to young mothers and schoolchildren.
This year, she helped 15 San children gain access to the Gam Primary School, and assisted them with uniforms. Although some have been wanting to drop out, she continues to monitor and encourage them to pursue education.
On a regular day, she feeds over 30 young mothers and schoolchildren as well as ordinary members of the San community from her area, which she said is not easy as she is self-employed.
But through her relentless efforts and with assistance from the community, her dream of building a more humane world for the settlement’s San people was bolstered when in 2016 the Ohorongo Otavi Community Trust agreed to construct two classrooms and a formal soup kitchen at Kamutati’s homestead to create an enabling and safe environment for the children.
The two new classrooms and soup kitchen would be known as the Indjee Kondjerera Kindergarten, which loosely translates as a call for one to move from a state of destitution or darkness to one of prosperity and light.
Today, the facility remains a haven for many, and a source of pride for Kamutati. The project was also supported by Henning Crusher in Tsumeb, as well as International Facilities Services and former Okakarara constituency councillor Vetaruhe Kandorozu.
Success and challenges
To ensure that the facility is properly managed and kept afloat, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare in 2018 enrolled Kamutati for training in gardening and caretaking to help further sharpen her desire, drive and skills.
She also remains thankful to Namibia’s late former deputy prime minister Marco Hausiku, former Otjozondjupa governor Otto Ipinge and former deputy minister of marginalised communities Royal /Ui/o/oo for having played a vital role in helping procure cattle and small livestock for the San community of Gam.
“A few supportive community members and I requested the government to allocate a piece of land to the San people just a few kilometres from the Gam settlement, where they could start doing some farming activities with cattle and small livestock, and the government agreed to our request. They [government] procured cattle and other livestock for the San community, and settled them on the land. But over time, empowered members of this community and a few well-connected individuals who were tasked by the government to help the San community manage the livestock started stealing from them, and hijacking projects that were meant for the San people.
As we speak now, I think there are about six cattle, and the boreholes there are dilapidated. Politics and external influences from those who want to benefit from San projects are a big problem here, and it also hinders the education of the San children. My efforts to see these children prosper and get an education are being hindered by some people, but I remain committed to help where I can, and know that God will make a way for the San people,” she stated.