Montecito couple’s generous support benefits lives of students and community in Namibia
Footsteps for Africa has helped children at Oshamukweni Combined School in Namibia.
Because of a generous six-figure donation from Montecito residents Tiara and Alan Salzman, living conditions have improved greatly for hundreds of children who live in Namibia.
The funds went to Footsteps for Africa, a nonprofit that provides aid to disadvantaged children.
The organization was able to build new bunkhouses, a kitchen and dining hall for 300 students and more than 100 children living on school grounds at Oshamukweni Combined School.
“Upon learning the critical needs of these disadvantaged children in Namibia, and as a mother myself, nothing was more important to us than to support Footsteps for Africa in helping these children succeed,” Mrs. Salzman told the News-Press during a phone interview from Hawaii, where she and her husband were vacationing with their blended family of seven.
The Footsteps for Africa team held a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently to reveal the finished project to students, teachers, government officials and community members from 11 surrounding villages in the rural area. The new facilities now serve as a gathering place for the larger community and encourage greater participation and awareness of Oshamukweni School.
“Namibia is the third richest country in Africa, but it has the third highest levels of income inequality of any country in the world. For this reason, Footsteps for Africa has focused most of its efforts serving children in the most impoverished areas in northern Namibia by building school structures and supporting clean water and sustainable food programs,” said Mr. Salzman.
New facilities unveiled as part of the project include Salzman Kitchen, a 2,000 square-foot building equipped with food preparation equipment, showers, restrooms and cold storage; Salzman Hall, a 5,000 square-foot dining and congregation hall that will serve not only the school but the entire community of several thousand people; and two bunkhouses, each housing 25 students.
“Due to their generosity, Footsteps for Africa has bettered the lives of those in this village,” said Isak Hamatwi, director of education at Ohangwena Regional Council. “The schooling life and learning environment at Oshamukweni Combined School will no longer be a life of struggle but a life befitting a life in an independent country.”
Namola Abraham, a ninth-grade student, told the Salzmans: “Namibia has a lot of schools. Among all of those schools, Footsteps for Africa chose to help our school, and we thank you for that. I am very happy for the (Salzman Kitchen) because we now no longer have to cook on fires outside.”
The Salzmans’ connection to Footsteps for Africa came through Mrs. Cameron’s brother, Austin Cameron, who founded the organization in 2010 after seeing the plight of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) while he lived in Zimbabwe and Zambia for two years and while doing anthropological research in Namibia.
“Lack of educational opportunities or the resources to obtain an education was a major problem in virtually every area Austin visited, and it became his passion to assist as many OVC and surrounding communities as possible,” said Mrs. Salzman.
Footsteps for Africa has provided aid to more than 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children in more than 50 schools and orphanages in Namibia and Zimbabwe since 2010. The organization currently has teams in the U.S., Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Services provided include importation and distribution of goods, the building of facilities and implementation of medical and food programs.
“Through partnerships with other aid organizations, government relationships and the commitment to physically being on site for every initiative, Footsteps for Africa works efficiently and ensures that aid reaches the people who need it the most,” said Mr. Salzman.
Footsteps for Africa, which is based in Utah, is continuing to fund and embark on improvement projects across Namibia, according to the Salzmans.
Donations can be made at www.footstepsforafrica.com, and will go directly to resources such as:
— School uniforms: A $100 donation provides one child with a uniform and school supplies for the year.
— Sanitary products: Footsteps for Africa aims to provide washable sanitary pad kits to 1,000 adolescent girls, along with education to battle school absenteeism and “period shaming.” A $10 donation covers one sanitary kit per girl.
— Water supply: Footsteps for Africa will install 15 water wells, solar pumps and agriculture water tanks near Oshamukweni School, ultimately bringing reliable access to clean water to S20,000 people. The fundraising target is $250,000.
— Bunkhouses: Furnished bunkhouses for disadvantaged students at Oshamukweni Combined School as well as other schools in the region, including Ondobe Secondary School in Oshikango, Namibia. The fundraising target is $50,000 per bunkhouse or $2,000 per student.
“What Footsteps is doing is providing direct assistance to help children with education, food and housing, all of which are pathways to better lives,” said Mr. Salzman.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
FYI
For more information about Footsteps for Africa or to make a donation, visit www.footstepsforafrica.com.
