NaDEET reopens urban sustainability centre in Swakop
Centre as essential to Namibia’s environmental learning
The Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET) officially reopened its Urban Sustainability Centre in Swakopmund last Wednesday.
This marked a fresh new start after years of relocations, closures and funding challenges that began shortly after the centre’s first opening in 2019.
Executive director Viktoria Keding said the concept for the centre began more than a decade ago when participants in a NaDEET programme questioned how they could apply sustainability principles at home. She said the idea evolved into an interactive eco house that compares sustainable and unsustainable household practices.
“Why don't we establish a centre in town focused around an interactive house that compares an unsustainable family with a sustainable family?” she noted.
The organisation moved several times before settling at the old Green Centre in Swakopmund in 2019.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced closure shortly after operations began. Keding said NaDEET later became fully booked in 2022 and 2023 before receiving an eviction notice that again pushed the centre to relocate. She credited the ProNamib Trust for purchasing the new property and making it available to NaDEET on a permanent basis.
“We were lucky on two fronts. We found a donor and this beautiful property,” she said.
Valuable insights
Flamingo Secondary School teacher Hilma Nuule, who is part of Teach for Environmental Sustainable Development, said the programme revealed gaps in her own approach to sustainability.
“Teach for ESD exposed me to the fact that I'm not the girl that I think I am when it actually comes to environmental education,” she said.
She urged learners and teachers to focus on what works, noting challenges at her school where even expert advice could not support tree-planting efforts. She said the school later secured a municipal grant to create fuel-efficient stoves for Farm 37 residents.
Inspector of education Chris Eixab said 338 senior primary learners participated in NaDEET programmes this year from nearly all government schools in Swakopmund. He said teachers reported that the activities “align with the curriculum, especially in the natural science for senior primary learners,” and that the programme “helps teachers bring theory to life through hands-on learning.” He said the centre plays a key role at a time of expanding coastal economic activity and is aligned with national and global development priorities.
Beacon of learning
UNESCO head of office Eunice Smith delivered the keynote address and reaffirmed the organisation’s support. She referenced NaDEET’s two UNESCO awards and said the centre “is a beacon for sustainable living and learning in Namibia.”
She said work by organisations such as NaDEET helps maintain environmental standards and contributes to delivery of the ESD goals. Smith said UNESCO will continue providing strategic and operational support to national education for sustainable development initiatives.
Keding said the centre aims to serve school groups, youth and community members, and recognised staff efforts in establishing the new facility.
The centre offers practical environmental learning through its 'interactive' Eco House, which demonstrates the contrast between sustainable and unsustainable household practices, as well as its Exploring Namibia Room and Biodiversity Garden. The centre provides programmes for school groups, youth, families and day visitors, and supports teachers by helping align classroom content with hands-on sustainability activities.
The facility aims to strengthen community awareness, promote responsible resource use and prepare Namibians for the impacts of climate change while contributing to national education and development goals.
This marked a fresh new start after years of relocations, closures and funding challenges that began shortly after the centre’s first opening in 2019.
Executive director Viktoria Keding said the concept for the centre began more than a decade ago when participants in a NaDEET programme questioned how they could apply sustainability principles at home. She said the idea evolved into an interactive eco house that compares sustainable and unsustainable household practices.
“Why don't we establish a centre in town focused around an interactive house that compares an unsustainable family with a sustainable family?” she noted.
The organisation moved several times before settling at the old Green Centre in Swakopmund in 2019.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced closure shortly after operations began. Keding said NaDEET later became fully booked in 2022 and 2023 before receiving an eviction notice that again pushed the centre to relocate. She credited the ProNamib Trust for purchasing the new property and making it available to NaDEET on a permanent basis.
“We were lucky on two fronts. We found a donor and this beautiful property,” she said.
Valuable insights
Flamingo Secondary School teacher Hilma Nuule, who is part of Teach for Environmental Sustainable Development, said the programme revealed gaps in her own approach to sustainability.
“Teach for ESD exposed me to the fact that I'm not the girl that I think I am when it actually comes to environmental education,” she said.
She urged learners and teachers to focus on what works, noting challenges at her school where even expert advice could not support tree-planting efforts. She said the school later secured a municipal grant to create fuel-efficient stoves for Farm 37 residents.
Inspector of education Chris Eixab said 338 senior primary learners participated in NaDEET programmes this year from nearly all government schools in Swakopmund. He said teachers reported that the activities “align with the curriculum, especially in the natural science for senior primary learners,” and that the programme “helps teachers bring theory to life through hands-on learning.” He said the centre plays a key role at a time of expanding coastal economic activity and is aligned with national and global development priorities.
Beacon of learning
UNESCO head of office Eunice Smith delivered the keynote address and reaffirmed the organisation’s support. She referenced NaDEET’s two UNESCO awards and said the centre “is a beacon for sustainable living and learning in Namibia.”
She said work by organisations such as NaDEET helps maintain environmental standards and contributes to delivery of the ESD goals. Smith said UNESCO will continue providing strategic and operational support to national education for sustainable development initiatives.
Keding said the centre aims to serve school groups, youth and community members, and recognised staff efforts in establishing the new facility.
The centre offers practical environmental learning through its 'interactive' Eco House, which demonstrates the contrast between sustainable and unsustainable household practices, as well as its Exploring Namibia Room and Biodiversity Garden. The centre provides programmes for school groups, youth, families and day visitors, and supports teachers by helping align classroom content with hands-on sustainability activities.
The facility aims to strengthen community awareness, promote responsible resource use and prepare Namibians for the impacts of climate change while contributing to national education and development goals.
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