Remote Grasshoek village shows resilience amid ongoing challenges - nbc

Описание: Grasshoek, a remote village nearly 160 km outside of Tsumkwe and home to about 300 households, boasts a community full of determination but also with many challenges.

Community members who spoke to NBC News bemoaned the high unemployment rate and lack of infrastructure.

With no electricity and limited educational facilities in place, residents of this small settlement said the lack of development is pushing their children out of school – with no opportunities to speak of.

The absence of any health centre is another challenge, with the nearest clinic about 40 km away – at Omatako Village.

The primary school here only caters for learners up to Grade 7, with relocation to Tsumkwe the only option to advance beyond that.

A senior traditional councillor in the !Kung Traditional Authority, Willem Gubab, spoke on the matter.

"When we send our learners to Tsumkwe far from home, they drop out from school, so we are pleading with the government to help add the grades at least until Grade 9 because this is the centre, and learners from different farms outside Rooidak are also coming to school here."

He added that the constituency in Tsumkwe is quite far away, and youth often struggle to hand in applications on time due to lack of any transport there.

Electricity remains a luxury yet to reach Grasshoek, it is 6 km away from Grasshoek, just at the veterinary cordon fence at the Rooidak gate, but it is a luxury that is yet to reach them.

"We always cry for NBC !ah Radio, we want your signal to reach us here, not only in Tsumkwe; the biggest problem with electricity is that it just ends at Rooidak and does not reach us. We walk in darkness, and our learners cannot study in the night, and we charge our phones from solar panels," said Michael August, a resident of Grasshoek.

Another resident, #Amce Nuni, said, "Can the government not help us with different projects, such as sewing and chicken projects, so we can help ourselves because we only depend on the museum project here?"

Despite challenges, Grasshoek remains hopeful, with those who call it home here dreaming of new projects and development.