San children sleep under trees

Learners at the Auun Community Primary school near Grootfontein, mostly from the marginalised San community, sleep in shacks and tents while others find space under a tree. Not only does this aggravate the notion that the government is neglecting San communities, but it also points to why learners from these communities find it difficult to escape from the spiral of poverty. According to a teacher at the school, Desiree Katjindee, there are no beds and children are forced to share mattresses, most of which were donated. The school has more than 330 learners, 180 of whom are living in the makeshift hostel that can accommodate only 50. “They don’t even have a toilet. They all bathe in the open with water from a borehole,” says Katjindee. With no dining room, learners eat their daily meal, mainly pap, under the trees. Auun, a project school under the Prime Minister’s Office, is located about 78 kilometres from Grootfontein in the Tsumkwe district. “We survive on donations and maize meal from the food relief programmes. Their main food here is pap,” Katjindee says. She adds that there is also an acute shortage of study materials and books. “We do get some stationery from the government but when we do not get it we make use of the Universal Primary Education fund (UPE). The situation is bad here, I mean how you explain it when a basic toothbrush is a luxury for these learners?” According to Katjindee, who also serves as community coordinator, many of the learners leave school in Grade 7 because their parents do not have the means to support them at secondary schools in nearby towns. “The community are mostly dependent on pension payouts and special grants for children. Many are unemployed but some collect charcoal which they sell to local companies,” she says. When contacted, Otjozondjupa education director Siman Tsuseb said he only knew the school “on paper” and has never visited it since he took office in October last year. “Give me until Friday, February 19 before you write anything until I have been able to visit it then,” he asked. Good Samaritans On December 19, the Sunshine Marine Products and DIBA Charity Trusts donated basic necessities worth N$30 000 to the school and the local San community. The donation included mattresses, food and blankets. JEMIMA BEUKES