Day 31

Today the whole Omaruru group went on field trips. The TRC people were dropped off at Karabib to see the TRC there and do some workshops. Jay and I continued onto Windhoek for some meetings with Microsoft, SchoolNet, and a computer reseller.
We learned a great deal about the IT job market in Namibia and Africa. There are plenty of job opportunities for qualified IT workers, the problem is that so many people that make up the core of the working class are dying of AIDS. It's a problem that has economic consequences as well as the social and health ones. We got the name of someone else at Microsoft who deals more with schools. Hopefully we can contact him next week.
After stopping by a local computer store and noting how much more expensive electronics are here, we had a meeting with SchoolNet. We learned all about how the organization is funded and works. The lone donor for all of SchoolNet Namibia is a German company, pretty interesting. They also are short on funds, so have stopped shipping computers to new schools and are instead upgrading current ones. The most interesting thing we learned was the training program SchoolNet uses. They train 50 people on how to setup the labs and run classes using the computers. These trainers then go to new SchoolNet schools and setup their labs, run a few classes, and teach the teachers. Hopefully, they will be hired by the school full time. The SchoolNet training, travel to the school, and accommodations are all paid for by either SchoolNet or the host school. The idea is to provide education to Namibians who can then use it to get jobs. Great idea!
With our heads and bellies full, we headed back to Omaruru. Oh, and no time for the Internet Cafe- too bad.