This week, German Embassy Chargée d’Affaires a.i. Ellen Gölz and the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) Dr Shekutaamba Vaino Vaino Nambala signed a funding agreement on ELCIN’s project “Combating gender-based violence (GBV) in informal settlements of Namibia among young women and girls”. The German Government supports this human rights project with 1,077,450.00 Namibian Dollars (approx. 66,500.00 Euros).

Goal of the project implemented by ELCIN Department of Missions, Diakonia and Social Services is to improve knowledge and skills on the prevention of GBV in the informal settlements of Nkurenkuru (Kavango West Region), Oshikango (Ohangwena Region) and Democratic Resettlement Community (Erongo Region). Perpetuated by the high level of poverty, GBV against young women and girls is still common in these areas.

The project also aims at fostering effective collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders and at empowering social agents on local level in order to  strengthen support systems for young women and provide a “safety net”.

Background information:

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.