The power of one pound

When I heard the story of how one pound made such an enormous difference to a person’s life that it created a ripple effect of positivity reaching many others, I was intrigued.

I had mentioned to my friend, Ndeitunga Shatona, in conversation that I was a story seeker – always on the lookout for a story that was worth sharing. She immediately told me she had a wonderful story of how one pound had made a huge impact on a woman’s life, and put me in contact with Pashukeni Shoombe (90).

As luck would have it, when I was in the North last week, I was able to meet up with Shoombe. And with pen in hand and camera on the ready, I was able to record this lovely, heart-warming tale.

It was a delightful visit from beginning to end. I first paid a visit to her lifelong friend, Kakwali Ndatewapo-Haimbodi, who began the storytelling, which continued when we reached Shoombe’s home.

The story began with Shoombe’s parents. Her mother was one of her father’s four wives. When the Finnish missionaries told him that as a baptised Christian he would have to separate from three of his wives, he refused.

In the end, Shoombe’s mother converted and was baptised with her baby. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t live to see her daughter grow up and died soon afterwards when Shoombe was just seven years old.

She was subsequently sent to live with her aunt and her family.

Her father would also die a few years later, leaving her an orphan by the age of 10.

BEST FRIENDS

Shoombe grew up in her aunt’s household. At school she met Ndatewapo-Haimbodi and they instantly became best friends.

Upon finishing school at Ondobe, Shoombe dreamed of studying further at the all-girls Finnish mission teachers’ training college at Okahao to become a teacher, but her aunt and older sister didn’t want to take responsibility for her life any longer.

They told her it was time to get married and leave the house, and they arranged a marriage for her.

But Shoombe’s heart was set and she couldn’t go ahead with their plans. Her fiancé agreed to wait for her to finish her teaching training. Her family was furious.

Shoombe left with nowhere to go and no belongings, except the clothes on her back, a scarf wrapped around her and a blanket.

She walked to Ndatewapo-Haimbodi’s house and told her what had happened, and she, in turn, told her father, Fillipus Ndatewapo.

He listened to the story and generously gave Shoombe a one-pound note, which was a lot of money in the early 1950s, to pay for her studies.

He said: “You are going to school and you are going to be a teacher.”

Little did they know then that the one-pound note would make such a huge difference, not only in her life, but in many others’ lives as well.

The friends set off to walk to the Finnish mission training college to enrol for the course. It was customary to pay for the tuition with mahangu, but they couldn’t carry the grain for the few days of the journey.

So, when they reached town, they bought mahangu and enrolled at the school. They spent the next three years studying, and then the required five years afterwards teaching there.

During this period Shoombe told her fiancé that she no longer wished to marry him. According to tradition, this meant she had to pay back everything that was given to her. When she qualified, she was posted to various places in the central northern and Kavango regions.

Her first post at Ondobe gave her the opportunity to visit Ndatewapo and thank him for the one pound he had given her.

For a time, Shoombe taught at the Nkurenkuru Finnish mission school. Her entire salary at Nkurenkuru was used to repay her fiancé.

Although she was selected to further her qualifications with an advanced teachers training course at Oshigambo, she was still repaying her fiancé, her aunt for the cost of raising her, and the Finnish mission for her tuition.

She was only able to attend the advanced course for one year. While her colleagues went on to further their studies, she continued teaching and was appointed principal of the girls’ school at Oshigambo.

TEACHERS IN LOVE

It was here that she met her future husband, Nghidimondjila [Shoombe], at a teachers’ conference. He, however, worked at Engela, more than an hour away. She remembers how he sent her a love letter with a messenger.

The messenger got a lift on the back of a bicycle for the important task of delivering the letter that was filled with words of love.

The couple got married in 1963 and moved to Ongenga. Later on, they were posted to Ongwediva, where Nghidimondjila was a school principal and became politically involved with developments in the country, supporting and hosting the first group of People’s Liberation Army of Namibia fighters that arrived from Tanzania.

He was arrested and sent to Pretoria. When he was released, he decided to leave the country.

A short time later, Shoombe received a letter, sent via Scandinavia, for her to join him in Angola.

By that time, they had five children, the youngest being just one year old. Shoombe started selling some of her furniture and belongings to raise the funds for the trip. She didn’t tell many people she was leaving, but she made sure she told the bishop.

His parting words would be prophetic. He said: “You will come back one day, victorious.”

Shoombe and her children, and six other women and their children, prepared for the journey in secrecy. They managed to get a ride to the border in a big truck with the son of the Ondonga king, and from there walked to Angola.

It was 1974 and it would be her home for the next 15 years.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.