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OUT OF AFRICAA Case for Personal andProfessional PhilanthropyStory and photos by Stephen W. Snively

F AFRICA

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Iwas sitting in my seat on a Sunday when Joel Hunter, the senior pastor atNorthland, A Church Distributed, began a series of sermons about the GoodSamaritan. I remember the message: Do what you can, with what you have, from

where you are. As a transactional real estate attorney who had been practicinglaw for more than 30 years, I thought about how that message applied to my

life. How could I take my knowledge, acquired representing developers of shoppingcenters and high-rise office buildings and use it to “do good” somewhere?

About the same time, I read an article in the church newspaperthat focused on a missionary couple living in Namibia. I was notsure how to pronounce the name (“Nah-mib’-ee-uh”) or evenwhere it was located, so I began to do some research.The moreI learned about Namibia, the more intrigued I became.

Situated on the west coast of Africa, north of South Africa,Namibia is blessed with stunning landscapes, fascinating people,rich cultural traditions, exotic wildlife, a progressive democraticgovernment and an incredible wealth of natural resources. At thesame time, it is burdened with the legacy of a colonial history and70 years of apartheid, poverty and a staggering HIV/AIDS rate.

Until famous parents Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt decided to experience

the birth of their daughter in the African country of Namibia, few had

heard of this region. However, most people are aware of the deep poverty,

dreaded diseases and unending hopelessness throughout the continent.

With the interest and aid from high-profile philanthropists – Bill and

Melinda Gates,Warren Buffet and U2’s Bono, among the notables – some

conditions are beginning to change. During a recent trip to Namibia, a

local attorney was so touched and moved by his experience, he spearheaded

a new scholarship program to educate workers.

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Namibia was the last country in Africa to gain its independ-ence.That was in 1990. Since then, the government has takensteps to resettle formerly disadvantaged Namibians from areasof urban poverty onto land owned previously by the successorsto the original colonial settlers. Although this resettlement hasbeen painfully slow, it will strengthen families, reduce povertyand slow the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Unlike in Zimbabwe, where land has been retaken withoutcompensation (a source of political, social and economic strife),the process in Namibia mirrors the eminent domain process inthe United States – dispossessed landowners are paid just com-pensation.The success of this is not only important for Namibiabut it sets an example for other African nations.

Although I already knew that land surveyors measure landand create legal descriptions necessary to transfer ownership ofproperty, I discovered that the scarcity of surveyors, land plan-

ners and managers was an obstacle to the resettlement effort,which is designed to move families onto land they could farmand use as collateral for loans to buy seed, fertilizer, goats andcattle.

Learning more about Namibia made me think about how Imight help. Could I organize groups of surveyors in the UnitedStates and take them to Namibia to survey specific tracts of

Stephen with Dr. Karim Owolabi, Surveyor-Generalfor the Directorateof Surveys andMapping, Republicof Namibia

Stephen’s daughter Madeline with new friends

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Scholarships for Namibia, Inc., sponsors students in the

undergraduate program in land surveying at the

Polytechnic of Namibia (Windhoek). The selection

process is designed to identify candidates with academic

potential but special financial need. Some of those who com-

plete the undergraduate program may be selected to attend

the University of Florida and pursue a graduate degree.

The scholarship program pays the cost of tuition, academic

fees, lodging, food and other expenses. Those who graduate

from the program will be trained and ready to help the national

resettlement effort. Related educational activities are also

sponsored, such as a survey instructor exchange program

between the two universities.

Dr. Tjama Tjivikua, Rector for the Polytechnic of Namibiawith Stephen Snively

Prior to 1980, there were no institutions of higher educa-

tion in Namibia, and students who could attend universities

went to South Africa or other countries. The Polytechnic of

Namibia was established in 1994 and is one of two institutions

of higher education in the region.

Both the Polytechnic of Namibia and the University of

Florida offer a variety of applied science and technology

degrees in areas critical to the resettlement effort, such as land

surveying, land-use planning and land management and regis-

tration. For more information, visit scholarshipsfornamibia.org.

land? I prepared a rough budget and realized that it would costtoo much, take too long and accomplish too little.There had tobe something better.

I kicked around different ideas with people who had workedon philanthropic projects in Africa, met with existing friends inthe engineering and surveying community, made some newfriends at the University of Florida, and through e-mail corre-spondence, established relationships with representatives forThe Republic of Namibia, the Polytechnic of Namibia, the USEmbassy in Windhoek and USAID/Namibia.

Everyone had a different perspective but something worth-while to say.What I heard kept playing repeatedly in my head:“You will not believe the magnitude of the need in Africa.It is overwhelming.” “Direct aid is just a drop in the bucket.”“‘Capacity building,’ that is what it’s all about.” “Make invest-ments for the future.” “Plant trees instead of chopping wood.”

Then the idea hit me.Why not establish a scholarship programin Namibia to train surveyors, land planners and land managers?Each graduate could then spend a lifetime helping the resettle-ment effort, and the money used to fund the scholarships wouldstay in Namibia and become part of its economy. So that is whatI did.

With the formation of Scholarships for Namibia, Inc., I createda 501(c)(3) charitable organization that could raise money in thebusiness community and provide academic scholarships to for-merly disadvantaged Namibians so they could become surveyors,land planners and managers.The program sponsors students inthe undergraduate program at the Polytechnic of Namibia inWindhoek and pays the cost of tuition, academic fees, lodging,books, food and certain other expenses.Those who graduatefrom the program will be trained and ready to help Namibia’snational resettlement effort.

The SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

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To finalize arrangements for the scholarship program, my16-year-old daughter, Madeline, and I traveled to Namibia lastsummer.While I met in Windhoek with representatives for thegovernment and university to discuss the details relating to thescholarship fund, she worked near Okahandja in an impoverishedcamp and saw first-hand why the resettlement program is soimportant.

Afterward, the two of us took a two-week camping trip toexplore the rest of Namibia.We climbed to the top of the Water-berg Plateau and explored the bottom of Sesriem Canyon.We saton the world’s largest meteorite, visited a remote Himba villageand touched the ancient rock carvings at Twyfelfontein. Afterbeing stranded for a day in the desert near the Skeleton Coast,we escaped by using a shoelace to replace the broken fan belt ofour vehicle and camped near the Namib-Naukluft National Parkto watch the giant sand dunes change color from gold to coralas the sun rose in the morning.

Madeline and I drove the dry bed of the Ugab River, follow-ing old tire tracks to avoid the quicksand, and stumbled upon

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Stephen W. Snively is a commercial real estate lawyer whoseexperience includes retail, high-rise office buildings, apart-ment complexes and mixed-use projects His clients includeshopping center developers, institutional mortgage lendersand retail tenants. His professional memberships include theAmerican Bar Association, the International Council ofShopping Centers and ULI – The Urban Land Institute.He serves on the Editorial Board of Shopping Center LegalUpdate, a publication of the International Council ofShopping Centers. He lives in Winter Park with his wife,Heather, and their two children.

the elusive mountain elephants. Herds of giraffe and desert elephants gathered around the water holes in Etosha NationalPark.There were thousands of zebra, springbok, oryx, kudu,eland and wildebeest roaming freely.We watched a lioness tendher cubs on a hilltop and a cheetah devour a freshly killedspringbok. And what a sight to behold: thousands of seals atCape Cross and flocks of pink flamingos at Swakopmund.Therewere ostriches, baboons, jackals, hyenas and many more incred-ible animals and experiences.The only thing we missed werethe dreaded black mambas and spitting cobras, which we didnot regret.

Namibia sparked a flame in each of our hearts that continuesto grow stronger. More than all the exotic animals, dramaticlandscapes and exciting experiences, the wonderful peopleimpressed us the most. Scholarships for Namibia, Inc. is aboutthose people, and the scholarships it provides will benefit generations to come.

T he past and present live together in Africa. There is

no more visible example than the Himba people in

Namibia on the southwest coast of Africa. They have

preserved their ancient lifestyle, appearance and traditions,

even though the world has changed dramatically. Last June,

my teenage daughter and I visited a Himba village.

Several thousand Himbas live in small settlements hidden

in the Kaokoland region of northern Namibia, an arid wilderness

known for its rugged mountains, desert elephants, giraffes,

zebras and black rhinos. They are a pastoral people who live

like their ancestors hundreds of years ago.

Most Himba men wear Western-style shorts and T-shirts and

tend herds of goats or travel to find work to support their

families. Goats are valued highly not only for their milk, meat

and hides but also as a form of currency used to buy other items.

The round huts in Himba villages have cone-shaped thatched

roofs and are constructed of sticks covered with a mixture of

mud and dung. They have dirt floors and open windows and

doors. All cooking is done outside, and trees, strung with

cooking utensils, serve as kitchens. Goats’ milk is kept in large

gourd containers with corn-cob plugs. The gourds are hung

from low tree limbs with strips of leather and swung rhythmi-

cally to make yogurt.

Himba women cook, clean, sew, look after the children and

spend a considerable amount of time each day caring for their

appearance. Most wear only loincloths and short goatskin skirts,

but they color their upper bodies red, showcase ornate hair-

styles and adorn themselves with large pieces of traditional

jewelry.

Each morning, the women rub their skin with a mixture

of ochre, animal fat, herbs and the fragrant resin of the

Omuzumba shrub. Ochre is a pigment obtained by washing

red clay to separate the sand and then evaporating the water

in the sun. The mixture gives their skin a rich reddish glow

and is considered beautiful. It also keeps the skin clean and

provides protection from the sun and mosquitoes.

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A PORTRAIT of the HIMBA PEOPLE

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Wide bands of hammered iron and copper beads dangle

from the women’s wrists and ankles. They also wear heavy

necklaces with conch shells in the front between their bare

breasts. The large shells originally were brought by Bushmen

from the Skeleton Coast and are considered precious. Some

of the necklaces also have a backside, with fan-shaped plates

of metal beads that hang below their shoulder blades, show-

ing that the women are married.

The marital status of a Himba woman also may be deter-

mined by how she wears her hair. Young girls wear their hair

in two long braids pulled forward over their faces. When they

start to menstruate, they change their hairstyle to tight braids

wrapped in leather and caked with the same red ochre rubbed

on their bodies. This new hairstyle shows that the girls are

eligible for marriage. Married women also wear a ruffled

headpiece made of soft goatskin.

The young Himba women are proud, statuesque, graceful

and confident. Their faces reflect a harmony with the earth,

sun and seasons. They have beautiful smiles that reveal the

removal of their two lower front teeth, a traditional sign of

beauty in their culture. Busy conversation and laughter is

common when they get together.

Children are central to the Himba culture. They care for

the goats and are expected to care for their parents later in

life. A child born to a married woman belongs to the husband,

regardless of who the father may be. A child born to an

unmarried woman is considered a sibling to be cared for by

the woman’s parents. Himba women become sexually active

at a very young age and marriages are always pre-arranged.

Older men with wealth, as evidenced

by the number of cattle and goats

they own, often have several wives.

Likewise, it is accepted for married

Himba women to have young lovers.

The Himbas have maintained their

cultural identity over the centuries

because they live in an isolated region

of Namibia. The mountainous desert

area is harsh and intimidating. This

has discouraged settlers from entering

the area and protected the Himbas

from outside influences. Now, a new

intruder, unknown in the past, threatens these people.

Namibia has an HIV/AIDS rate in excess of 21 percent.

Although the isolation of the Himbas has limited their expo-

sure to the virus, it is beginning to appear, and some fear that

the disease will spread rapidly within the Himba population.

If it happens, this visible example of how the past and pres-

ent live together in Namibia may be lost forever.