OUR STORY

Build community, through education.

I was seven when I first went to boarding school and stayed in a hostel (dormitory). My family and community valued education but the closest school in rural Namibia was a four-hour walk. I remember wanting to cry that first night on the foam-pad-top-bunk, but I didn’t because I knew I had to be strong among my peers. I learned quickly how to find comfort in small things, like my warm blankets, toiletries, and filling my belly at dinner. My life during those young years were hard in many ways but so much has stayed with me, even in adulthood.

A big part of my heart remains in Namibia, specifically in the community I grew-up in. The OvaHerero tribe has a rich, strong, and tragic history when they experienced a genocide. Our sense of community and connectedness to our land, animals, and neighbors has been life or death in the past. This feeling runs through my veins. The community where I grew-up invested reparation funds to build a school in a rural area of the OvaHerero people. This school brought so much opportunity to the community and was greatly celebrated. But, there was a hard reality, the government did not fund the hostel portion of the school. This meant, no funding for dinners, toiletries, electricity, and much more. The school was concerned it could not open its doors for learners in the upcoming trimester. The news spread fast, as always, and I soon heard about my community’s hardship.

My access to education changed my life and I wanted the same opportunity for the children who were herding goats and playing in dry riverbeds, just like I had. This was the birth of Namibian Rural Education Fund (NREF). We had to support the community’s efforts and build a bridge from the USA to Namibia. We reached out to our generous circle of people and they heard the plea to support education globally. The funds raised supported a nutrition program, toiletries and cleaning supplies. The school opened its doors and the comforting items I was seeking as a small child, NREF and it’s generous supporters provided for the school. Our journey working with Oruuura Elementary has taken many paths and our goal is to build sustainable projects and engage the community as much as possible.

-Kavejandjere Hangero, Founder NREF