About Namibian Dreams

Namibian Dreams is a young organization started by two former WorldTeach volunteers, Daniel Tao and Kathryn Morrison, with a simple goal in mind: to broaden the horizons of promising young Namibian learners.

Background

As participants in the WorldTeach 2008 Namibia Year program, Kathryn and Dan taught learners from grades 6 through 11 in Omungwelume, a small rural village in the northern region of Namibia known as Owamboland. During their time there, they were both extremely impressed by the intelligence, imagination, and enthusiasm for learning demonstrated by so many of their learners ("learners" is the term used for students in Namibia). At the same time, they witnessed a saddening number of cases where children who had obvious potential found themselves demoralized by circumstances -- disease, poverty, or familial strife, to name just a few examples -- and resigned to a life without any hope for future educational or professional advancement.

The reasons for this demoralization -- aptly described as a "poverty of spirit" by one of the speakers who addressed the WorldTeach group during their orientation at the beginning of the year -- are to be found in the Namibian education system, as well as in the living conditions in which many inhabitants of Owamboland, and of Namibia in general, presently find themselves. The ubiquity of HIV/AIDS, the lack of high-paying jobs, and the relatively steep cost of a university education all contribute to a feeling of helplessness among much of the country's youth. (For more information about Namibia, see Namibia.)

In the face of these sometimes daunting conditions, however, there are quite a few outstanding individuals who refuse to be so resigned, who will rise up to any challenge. It is these individuals that Namibian Dreams seeks to discover among the children of Namibia, to whom we as an organization hope to provide new opportunities that will instill in them a greater awareness and appreciation for their own potential and for the extraordinary possibilities their lives hold.

The idea for Namibian Dreams arose in response to the feeling shared by Kathryn and Dan that, simply by virtue of growing up in a rural village with very little exposure to the world outside that village, far too many children in Namibia are prohibited from realizing all the possibilities available to similarly gifted children in more developed parts of the world. That does not mean they have any less potential than these more privileged children, only that some work is required to make the most of this potential.

Present Work

As a start, Namibian Dreams set out with a fairly modest goal: to raise funds to pay for a trip to the United States for two girls from the village where Dan and Kathryn worked as volunteers in 2008.

Astonishingly, this preliminary goal was reached in less than a month's time, with family, friends, and strangers alike contributing from near and far a total of $3500 to cover the airfare for both girls. From there, Kathryn and Dan set to work making preparations for the girls' time in the States -- organizing trips, contacting local businesses, getting in touch with families in the area, doing their best to put together a schedule of activities that would ensure the girls' visit were as educational and rewarding as possible. With just a short time left before the girls' arrival, this work is still going on; you can still sponsor an activity for the girls through this website!

While the girls are here in the States, we will be documenting their experiences with photographs, videos, and journal entries, which we will post on the website for all who are interested. For a full list of the activities scheduled for the girls, click here.

Future Goals

Though preparing for the girls' arrival is a lot of work and is currently more than enough to keep Dan and Kathryn busy, the members of Namibian Dreams have some very big plans for the future as well. The organization, which has grown from two to four members since its founding, is now in the process of acquiring non-profit 501(c)(3) status and drafting bylaws, and has already begun work on solidifying a newfound partnership with WorldTeach.

Our intention is to provide support for projects, conceived and organized collaboratively between volunteers currently working in Namibia and Namibian teachers and learners themselves, which will promote our vision of extending new opportunities and broadening horizons for Namibian children. This support will come primarily in the form of financial sponsorship partially through online fund-raising, and will be granted via an application process with which WorldTeach will assist us.

Stay posted for more detailed information about what how we will be working together with WorldTeach in the near future!