On 29 March 2019, German Embassy Chargée d’Affaires Ellen Gölz and Dr Philippe Talavera, Director of the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO), signed a funding agreement on OYO’s project “San matter”. The German Government supports this human rights project with approx. 1,000,000.00 Namibian Dollars (approx. 65,000.00 Euros).

According to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, between 27,000 and 34,000 people belong to the San community in Namibia, about 1.5% of the national population. The San are among the most marginalized groups in Southern Africa. In many cases, San children do not attend schools as they feel discriminated and lack role models to look up to. The project is encouraging San children to fulfill their right to access to education and aims at increasing cultural tolerance at 10 schools in Otjozondjupa region.

Background information:

The OYO has been launched in March 2003 and aims at using the arts - both visual and performing – to create awareness on social problems such as domestic violence, rape, and the abuse of alcohol and other drugs amongst the youth of Namibia.

OYO’s vision is to develop a society in which there is broad access to information and the arts. By developing their creative skills, young people empower themselves to make informed choices, and thus become more prosperous, increase their life expectancy, and improve the quality of their lives.

The protection and promotion of human rights are key priorities for the Federal Republic of Germany. Article 1 of Germany’s Basic Law describes human rights as the basis of every community, of peace and of justice in the world. The German Government therefore is committed to promoting human dignity and to protecting fundamental freedoms not only in Germany but throughout the world.

To this end, the German Federal Foreign Office provides funds for various projects supporting the protection of human rights all over the world.