Japanese volunteers sow skills across Namibia

Three Japanese volunteers have come to Namibia to impart their skills in Namibian communities.

Junko Matsuno’s previous batik works, a fabric she discovered, all used wax, but in Namibia she learnt how to use mahangu paste for her art.

When she arrived in Namibia two weeks ago as a new Japanese overseas cooperation volunteer, Matsuno set out to learn about Namibian fabrics like batik from Indigenous Batik Designs in Katutura.

She is one of three new volunteers who will spend two years in Namibia providing training to local partners as part of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) overseas volunteering programme.

She hopes to combine her knowledge of batiks with traditional practices in her new work at the Lüderitz Youth Resource Centre.

“I want to introduce the youth at Lüderitz to how to do batik. Lüderitz is famous as a sight-seeing place.

Twice a month, the cruise ships come. If the youth create some souvenirs using batik, they can make money using their practical skills,” Matsuno says. She has extensive experience in youth development in Japan and now joins a cohort of 11 Japanese volunteers working in Namibia’s urban centres.

Two other volunteers from Japan are starting their stints as volunteers with Matsuno this week.

Momoko Satoh, who previously worked for the Japanese foreign ministry, is moving to Keetmanshoop to work with the municipality on skills development.

“We work closely with the local people. It might not involve big projects, but I imagine it like planting a seed, because the people we work with will be the future of Namibia,” she says.

The Karibib Town Council will also host a volunteer. Soichiro Namba is an environmental education officer who will work with the council on improving the town’s environment.

“I am interested in foreign countries’ cultures, customs and so on. Namibia is an exciting country for me,” he says.

The goal of the programme is to learn from each other, says programme officer Edmunda de Sousa.

The Japanese volunteers focus on capacity building, often in training for teachers and in advanced planning.

“They introduce new skills and practices, specifically how to implement certain projects with limited resources,” she says.

Partner organisations across Namibia submit requests for volunteers to the JICA.

Volunteers with matching qualifications who wish to work in Namibia are then assigned to those partner organisations for a two-year period.

The Japanese volunteers also learn from the experience, gaining new cultural knowledge.

“One of our responsibilities is to make a good relationship with each country,” Matsuno says.

Namibia has hosted Japanese volunteers since 2006.

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