GOOD VIBES ONLY

Good news from Namibia and around the world

LOCAL

MVA Fund modifies 137 houses for accident victims

The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund of Namibia initiated a home modification initiative in 2015 to improve mobility for individuals severely injured in car accidents. At the annual case management conference, MVA Fund executive Rosalia Martins-Hausiku announced that since the start of the project, the fund has successfully modified 137 houses. The initiative is aimed at improving the performance and safety of daily activities, as well as giving as much independence as possible for those involved in serious road accidents.

Source: The Namibian

Celebrating tradition: Nama cultural festival exceeds expectations

The Nama cultural festival is an annual celebration of cuisine, attire, dance and music. Initiated in 2018, the festival aims to create a platform for the transgenerational transfer of knowledge and teaching youngsters the norms and value of Nama cultural practices. This year the cultural festival took place in Keetmanshoop and included a traditional wedding as well as panel discussions on the Nama-Herero genocide, the subsequent generational trauma, and the significance of traditional Nama leaders. Chairperson of the festival, Valery Isaacks, says the attendance was exceptional.

Source: The Namibian

MTC donates classroom block at Oshana school

A new block consisting of four classrooms and a storeroom has been completed at Onaushe Combined School. This is the first of two new learning environments being constructed this year under MTC’s rural schools project. The next school benefitting will be Aussenkehr Primary School. By using contractors from the region to construct the classrooms, MTC also supports the local construction industry. Since its inception, the project has supported schools across Namibia with an investment totalling N$6.4 million.

Source: The Namibian

INTERNATIONAL

Stand-up comedy classes prescribed for trauma survivors in the UK

British comedian Angie Belcher has founded a six-week programme called Comedy On Referral, aimed at trauma survivors. Her pilot programme in Bristol proved so successful that the National Health Service (NHS) is funding its expansion to London, specifically for treating male patients with depression. The course focuses on consciously using comedy to change the perspective of a survivor’s experience through writing, performance and analysis of their personal stories. NHS trusts and private practices are now prescribing Belcher’s course for the treatment of trauma and depression and the potential prevention of suicide.

Source: Good News Network

Frozen Zoo helping save vanishing species

In 1972, late biologist Kurt Benirschk began collecting the skin cells of animals, endangered or not, and freeze-storing them below -190 degrees Celsius at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research. Fifty years later these cells are being used to revive animal species that are on the brink of (or already beyond) extinction. Frozen Zoo is the world’s largest cryobank, with samples from over 10,500 individual animals and 1,220 species, among them the only genetic material of a male northern white rhino. From this material they have managed to create stem cells, which could be used to fertilise the egg of a southern white rhino female and gradually restore the population back from extinction.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine

Revolution in urban planning: rooftops in European cities transformed into sustainable cultural hubs

Rotterdam in the Netherlands has 13 million square metres of rooftop. Bare roof areas of this magnitude contribute to the heat island effect of industrialised European cities, which is why the European Creative Rooftop Network is aiming to transform these grey, useless spaces into thriving cultural and sustainability hubs. Rooftops throughout Europe are beginning to incorporate veggie gardens, solar panels and rainwater catchment areas, as well as furbishing the spaces to host concerts, exhibitions and nature parks.

Source: Fast Company