Namibian women's network.

Established in 1997, the Namibian Women's Network (NWN) is a grassroots women's network that works towards solidarity among women, and lobbies and advocates on issues such as women's human rights as well as gender and development.

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Marianne Erastus, National Coordinator of the NWN, told Sister Namibia that the Network came about following workshops held by the Legal Assistance Centre on women's human rights. "The women who attended these workshops felt that they wanted to take this further by establishing a network that would work towards empowering rural women to take up their rightful position in all spheres of Namibian society," she explained.

The goals of the Network are to improve the living conditions and legal environment for women--by increasing the capacity of the rural groups in decision-making and self-reliance as well as co-operating with other non-governmental organisations and government departments on issues of health and women's and children's rights.

The network has women's groups running a variety of projects in the Hardap, Kunene, Erongo, Otjozondjupa, and Oshikoto regions.

Their major focus is in the area of HIV and Aids. Realising the importance of healthy nutrition for people living with HIV and Aids, women started gardening projects in their backyards to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to those living with the disease.

Network members also work as home based care volunteers and provide counseling. One of the main challenges the volunteers face is people's unwillingness to get tested. "People fear being rejected by their families. Since they are already living in poverty they are afraid that their families will chase them away, saying that they will infect them," Erastus lamented.

Raising awareness on the Prevention of Parent To Child Transmission Programme and where it is available is another aspect of this work.

Erastus is concerned about the growing number of Aids orphans and calls on government to start centres to care for these children that can then be handed over to NGOs to run. "Every time I go to the north a neighbour has died and you only find the elderly and small children," she said.

A drop-in center in Otjiwarongo cares for three orphans fulltime and provides lunch and dinner daily to children from impoverished backgrounds. Local businesses donate food and other necessities, while the municipality provides the home.

The women running the centre are also beneficiaries of the Network's capacity building project, which provides training on small business management and household food security. A number of saving clubs were also started in some towns and villages.

The Network works closely with the Legal Assistance Centre to increase women's awareness on important gender related legislation and to get women to participate when public hearings are held. "The LAC always informs us when such Bills are introduced and our members attend the workshops held, and when it's time for public hearings we are duly informed and participate," Erastus said.

She emphasised that "women have the ability to make tremendous change" once they receive guidance and access to relevant information, providing an example of women farm workers who came for training, and who had been promoted to managers by the time they returned for follow-up workshops.

She is a firm believer in the 50-50 Campaign slogan 'The hand that stirs the pot can also rule the country.' "If we can manage households we can play a role in leadership. Men have been doing it alone the whole time, that is why we are having problems," she charged.

She does however call on the women of this country to refrain from petty behavior such as jealousy and instead support each other. "The elections are coming up--if you know of a woman who will make a good leader, support her, and if she is elected continue supporting her."

She stressed that partnership between men and women in the building of the country and the fight against HIV and Aids is essential. The Network works together with Namibian Men for Change and the White Ribbon Campaign, inviting both women and men to workshops that analsye the ways in which gender inequality impacts on the spread of the disease.

Challenges faced by the Namibian Women's Network include raising enough funds to cater for all their projects, but Erastus stressed that the satisfaction members get from the positive change they make in their communities makes up for the many challenges they face in their work.

The NWN is always willing to take in volunteers to ease the ever-increasing workload. They can be contacted at 061-246331.