Water, Land and a Voice reflects on the support provided by the Nyae Nyae Development Foundation of Namibia (NNDFN) to the Ju/’hoan San in north-eastern Namibia over the last 36 years. The aim is to highlight positive, constructive areas of development and lessons learned along the way. This is not an academic publication or detailed project review, rather an attempt to see the big picture and reflect on progress made and the challenges that still remain.
Water, Land and a Voice reflects the core concerns of the Ju/’hoansi: Water, because of the critical role played by a reliable water resource in enabling the Ju/’hoansi to move back to their ancestral land and survive there; Land, because of the importance of secure land tenure for the future of the Ju/’hoansi and their right to self-determination; and a Voice, because of the significant role played by the NNDFN (and many others) in providing a development and advocacy structure and enabling the Ju/’hoansi in Namibia to acquire an independent voice of their own.
NNDFN and its development partners have worked on a diverse range of projects from water supply, organisational/leadership development, community-based natural resource management, agriculture and livestock, livelihoods, primary healthcare, HIV & AIDS awareness, village schools and craft. Rather than detail those projects, this publication aims to shed light on why some activities worked at a particular time, but not beforehand, and on how insights emerging from this have resulted in enhanced and a more sustainable uptake of the support being provided.