During a visit to Namibia in 2019, we observed significant challenges faced by local missionaries and the communities they served. The missionaries are a lifeline for the communities as they often provide not just spiritual support but transportation, education, and basic infrastructure needed to make life easier in a very austere environment. The immediate challenges we saw, and were able to help overcome are:
- Lack of Cold Water: Temperatures routinely exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Missionaries, traveling by car to remote villages, relied on plastic bottles (like two-liter soda bottles) for water. By the time they reached their destinations, the water was “hot,” not just warm. This made hydration difficult and sharing water with thirsty villagers unhygienic, as cups were not available, leading to sharing directly from bottles.
- Food Preservation: Missionaries often spent one to two weeks at a time on mission fields, traveling by jeep and camping in tents. All cooking was done over a fire, and keeping food properly preserved in the extreme heat was a constant struggle.
- Time-Consuming Food Distribution: A significant portion of the missionaries’ time (up to 50%) was spent on picking up and delivering food.
Purpose and Legacy implemented multi-faceted solutions to address these challenges:
- Water Coolers – Initially, we wanted to provide 14 or 15 round “construction-style” water coolers with spigots for missionary bicycles. We were “blessed” to be able to send double the initial goal, sending over 25 coolers. Later on, we sent more large coolers for the jeeps to preserve food on long extended trips out among the villages. The coolers helped water stay at least at ambient temperature, preventing it from becoming “very hot.” They also enabled hygienic water sharing using small, reusable plastic cups that were sent along with the coolers. Eventually we helped acquire a small ice machine to provide some of the ice for the coolers.
- Improved Food Storage: Starting in 2023, we began building small brick “storage” units in villages. These brick structures were designed to be cooler than typical wood houses, providing a better environment for food preservation. Both local missionaries and the visiting missionaries have keys to these storage units, facilitating easier access to supplies. This system saves significant time previously spent on food distribution, allowing missionaries to focus more on their primary mission of preaching the Gospel. It also ensures food supplies can be properly kept during their extended mission trips.
Results and Impact:
- Enhanced Hydration and Hygiene: Missionaries and villagers now have access to coolers, more palatable water, and more hygienic sharing.
- Improved Food Security for Missionaries: The coolers for vehicles and larger coolers for overnight stays, combined with the new brick storage units, significantly improved the ability to preserve food, making extended mission trips more feasible and healthier for the teams.
Not only did the “coolers project,” help missionaries but it has lifted the expectations and standard of living in a small Namibian area. We have shown how it is possible to travel further, preserve food and water longer, and enabled missionaries to serve the local communities. We look forward to continued support of our Namibian partners and helping make life easier in a very hot environment.
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