Big problems plague small town
"The problems at Groot Aub, especially gender-based violence, are massive and they are not becoming any less. When you walk past someone, you hear that a woman was beaten or that people were standing up next to each other all night long. People go to the police station, but nothing happens," said Elzabe Gordon of Hope Initiatives Southern Africa - Namibia (HISA).Elzabe is originally from Groot Aub but went to school in Windhoek. After school, she did, among other things, counselling courses and psychosocial support at the Philippi Trust Namibia (PTN) and worked with children. She also worked at King's Daughters, an organisation that helps rehabilitate sex workers, and at Orange Babies in Okahandja.
During her time at Orange Babies, she met Patricia Solar, founder of HISA.
"We were laid off at Orange Babies and Patricia asked me if I wanted to start and manage the HISA office in Groot Aub. Of course, I said yes because it allowed me to move back home after 12 years."
Initially, the office was opened to create community awareness about gender-based violence (GBV) and support women affected by it.
"We quickly realised that this is not enough and that we have to teach people to understand their rights. We worked with the community and their leaders to inform people. We involved the whole community and realised that many do not have the opportunity to stand up and say 'I want to get out here'. At the end of the day, due to circumstances, they have to go back to the place where the violence is perpetrated. They can't just complain, they need counselling and that's what we're doing right now. We give counselling to everyone who needs it."
However, it is not only victims of domestic and gender violence who need counselling. She says the school will call her about a child who has been raped, the clinic will call about children who are neglected, residents will call about elderly people whose children take their pension money and squander it, or sometimes they have to support an entire household with this pension money.
"The need is enormous and people here are struggling. Here at Groot Aub unemployment is high, which leads to a lot of frustration. The fact that there is not a penny coming in leads to numerous social problems. Who will take care of us, and feed the children? This in turn leads to depression and suicidal thoughts because there is just no solution in sight. It also leads to drug and alcohol abuse, and then to domestic violence."
According to Elzabe, many children do not go to school. Many should still be in primary school.
"They don't go to school because there is no food at home. An 11-year-old boy said to me the other day: 'Tannie Elzabe, I use drugs because then I don't feel hungry'. The number of children on the street is increasing. The schools are too small and if you are late to enrol your child, there is simply no room. The children are too little and the transport costs too high to send them to school in Windhoek, so they stay at home and on the streets."
In the meantime, the funding that HISA received for GBV awareness has dried up. "However, we are still going ahead with it, because we cannot close the doors and say the violence has stopped because the money has stopped. It goes on."
However, HISA has plans to establish a backyard garden project. "There is no reason why people here at Groot Aub cannot plant a small garden in their backyards. With a little work, each of them can put fresh vegetables on their food tables." - [email protected]