I once had a neighbour who has a daughter who always falls sick; they didn't know she had an ulcer. Whenever the ulcer reaction starts, her dad usually gives her herbs to drink. It became a daily routine of taking herbs. When it got worse, my mum advised him to take her to the hospital for a check-up, but he declined, saying that it was normal to react that way. It continued daily, weekly, it didn't stop. It got worse but he still wouldn't listen to my mum's advice to take her to the hospital. It got to a point where she fainted three times in a day. But still, he wouldn't agree to take her to the hospital. Her mum grew worried about the situation and talked to him so that he would change his mind, but he didn't listen. The matter led to a serious quarrel between them. One day when her husband wasn't around when their daughter's ulcer reaction started, the wife refused to give her the native drugs. Instead, she called my mum to assist her in taking their daughter to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, she was immediately admitted. When they checked her, the result was clear: she was a serious ulcer patient and the herbs she had taken, had worsened the situation. She had to stay in hospital for a month before she could be discharged. They prescribed many drugs costing the huge amount of money of ₦30,000.00 on top of the hospital charges. A total of ₦90,000.00. When the husband came home, he couldn't find his wife and his daughter. He asked the neighbors about their whereabouts, and he was told that they were at the hospital. He was furious. He rushed to the hospital and began shouting at his wife for bringing their daughter to the hospital. They tried to calm him down, but he wouldn't calm down. One of the doctors took him to his office and explained everything to him. The effects and the importance of drugs were explained to Mr. Akande. He finally accepted that he was at fault in everything that had happened to his daughter. He paid the bills and after a month, she was discharged from the hospital, hale and hearty. Mr. Akande finally understood the importance of good health, and the importance of drugs prescribed by trained doctors. I also had another friend. His name is Maxwell. He was a good friend of mine. He loved eating so much that he became a chronic glutton. He ate anything and everything even if it had not been washed. One day, he had a running stomach, and it became a regular problem. It made him really emaciated. The fat Maxwell I knew was now so slim, you could hardly recognize him. When his situation got worse, he was taken to the hospital. He was diagnosed with cholera and diarrhoea. He was advised by the doctor never to eat fruits that were not ripe or not washed and not to eat uncovered, leftover food. The disease people suffer from are often a result of their carelessness with their health. For many people, it is their hands that cause the trouble for their health and well-being. Cholera, diarrhea and malaria are the most common diseases found in the society. They can cause death. Some of these diseases don't come on their own, but we welcome and embrace them into our lives out of ignorance and we kill our well-being and good health. Many youths die today because of a little mistake made out of ignorance or rooted in our characters and attitudes. We use dirty hands to cook and eat expecting germs not to come into our systems. We make use of dirty pots, plates, cups and cutleries and do not expect to contract diseases and sicknesses. STOP! We must put a stop to all this carelessness. The learned who have knowledge about good health and well-being should teach others. They should motivate people to practice health and hygiene because their lives depend on it. The government should also create awareness programs about good health and well-being, and it should promote hygienic practices in the general public. The government can also ensure clean and healthy water in places which lack it. Government can also provide insecticide - treated nets in places where they really need them. If the people in the country abide by the guidance for neatness and cleanliness introduced to them, I'm 100% sure that disease and the occurrence of deaths will be reduced. Sanitation should be the first thing to think about around our communities. We should be able to dispose of refuse properly without littering. We should also be able to clean the drainage systems. In places where there are no drainage systems community should create one and not feel it should wait for the government to do these things for them. There should be well-built toilets in every house to ensure a hygienic society. Preparation of food should be done in a suitable and hygienic place to ensure the safety of those who will eat the food. If we ensure the safety of our health, then we will continue to move forward and reduce the risk of deaths and diseases in our country. The safety of our lives and health lies in our hands. We should always protect our health and our lives. ABOUT THE 17 STORIES PROJECT The 17 Stories project is an SDG Action Campaign designed to engage and motivate children towards taking action for the SDGs through the art of storytelling. The 17 Stories project is an initiative of the Nigeria Volunteers Network (NVN) led by Vincent Odigie. The Nigerian Volunteers Network is a partner of the UN SDG Book Club African Chapter. ABOUT THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES SERIES The African Perspective Series was launched at the 2022 Nigeria International Book Fair with the first set of commissioned papers written and presented by authors of the UN SDG Book Club African Chapter. The objective of African Perspectives is to have African authors contribute to the global conversation around development challenges afflicting the African continent and to publish these important papers in the SDG Book Club blog hosted in the Stories section of the UN Namibia site. In this way, our authors’ ideas about the way forward for African development, can reach the widest possible interested audience.  

Walter Bogya, a well-known publisher in Tanzania, observed that indigenous publishing is integral to national identity and development, namely cultural, social, and economic. This is because such publishing reflects a peoples’ history and experience, belief systems, and their concomitant expressions through language, writing, and art. Books constitute crucial repositories of social memories and imaginations, containing the accumulated cultural capacity of society, of its accomplishments, challenges, and aspirations. Books, therefore, are not and cannot be a luxury, but a prerequisite for development, nationhood, and human progress. The African Union Commission (AUC) undertook in-depth research on curriculum, literacy, and book sector development in 1999. In collaboration with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) the Continental Framework for National Book and Reading Policies was validated in Nairobi Kenya in 2019 and is now widely and freely available for use by member countries in formulating and implementing their National Book and Reading Policies. ADEA also produced a Tool Kit on National Book and Reading Policies along with a brochure that succinctly explains what National Book and Reading Policies are. Malawi has become the first country with the support of USAID and ADEA to formulate their National Book and Reading Policy through the Ministry of Education. The SDG Book Club African Chapter / Publishers and Booksellers in Africa The SDG Book Club African Chapter aims to use books as a tool to encourage children ages 6-12 to interact with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a curated reading list of books from around the African continent related to each of the 17 SDGs in—Arabic, English, French, and Kiswahili. So far, books covering the following have been identified from participating publishers across Africa. SDG 1 No Poverty; SDG 2 Zero Hunger; SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being; SDG 4: Quality Education; SDG 5: Gender Equality; SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Full lists can be accessed via – https://namibia.un.org/en/209341-sdg-book-club-african chapter#:~:text=The%20SDG%20Book%20Club%20African,English%2C%20French%2C%20and%20Kiswahili.   The major concern here is, books have been published and identified, but have they been made known to booksellers across Africa? What can be done to ensure that these very useful books for children are widely accessible in all African countries through bookshops? What about trade terms and trade relations between publishers and booksellers? There is need for the two continental organisations, namely APNET and PABA to begin working together like they did in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s to address some of these bottlenecks. The Elephant in the room / Challenges in book distribution Any book published is meant for a reader somewhere, who supposedly needs it to fulfil some purpose. Following the argument above, the mega question is: Are distribution channels readily available in Africa within and inter-country? Our experience is that it is easier to do business with countries outside Africa than to do countries with neighbouring countries. Book distribution has been a challenge that has often been discussed but without a clear answer. Yet, our position is that the UN Book Club could have afforded the best chance of opening book distribution at least for the winning titles. Given the current status in book distribution, it is our contention that the very useful books may not find their way into the hands of the intended audience. Publishers are actively involved in the project, not so the booksellers. Reading promotion / School libraries / Public libraries and Community libraries Along with the need to have the published books distributed, the books ought to find their ways into the wider audience via school libraries, public libraries and community libraries wherever they exist. We are aware that in most African countries, all these categories of libraries have received very little attention through government funding. There is a huge need to have the above facilities established and supported by governments. In the absence of such support noble projects like the UN Book Club Africa Chapter remain but a pipe dream for lack of reach to the intended audience. Reading is key in attaining literacy, which in turn is fundamental in acquiring education and self-fulfilment for lifelong learning. Success / Failure of the UN Book Club Africa Chapter To the extent that the organisers managed to bring together a dedicated team of professionals to work with African publishers who fortunately have risen to the occasion, it can be said that the project has been very successful. However, given the arguments given above regarding the reach of the titles to the booksellers and readers, we think that the project needs to rethink its strategy even as they move onto to the rest of the SDGs. We believe that there is always room for improvement and the organisers can find strategies for improving book distribution and dissemination in all African countries.   Conclusion We alluded earlier to the efforts by the AUC and ADEA on improving the ecosystem of publishing and book trade in Africa, through National Book and Reading Policies. We think each African country needs to formulate and implement their National Book and Reading Policies if they want to achieve not only quality education and knowledge acquisition but also establish a sustainable way of knowledge creation, production, distribution, dissemination and use. Africans need to catch up with the rest of the world through books and reading if they are to assert their culture, identity and aspirations. The UN SDG Book Club Africa can be the ignition needed to bring sustainability in the African book industries. LILY NYARIKI – CAREER PROFILE Lily Nyariki holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Literature and two post- graduate Diplomas in Librarianship and Mass Communication from the University of Nairobi (Kenya) and the Leeds Metropolitan University (UK) respectively. She has worked for the public sector, NGO’s and international organizations for over 30 years. Currently, she is based in Eldoret, Kenya. Lily just retired from Moi University in June 2020 where she worked as a librarian in charge of the university bookshops for 23 years. Previously, she worked for the Kenya National Library Services Board for 14years. Lily is published and has two books titled Publishing and Book trade in Kenya (1997) and Perspectives on Book Development in Africa (2019) as well as several papers in peer-reviewed publications.  She has a special interest in developing and nurturing the habit of reading especially among children and has, since 1997, worked at the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Inter Country Quality Node, Teaching and Learning (ICQN TL) as their Focal Point for Books and Learning Materials (BLM) section. She is also an Executive Committee member of International Book Agency for Education (AILE). ABOUT THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES SERIES The African Perspective Series was launched at the 2022 Nigeria International Book Fair with the first set of commissioned papers written and presented by authors of the UN SDG Book Club African Chapter. The objective of African Perspectives is to have African authors contribute to the global conversation around development challenges afflicting the African continent and to publish these important papers in the SDG Book Club blog hosted in the Stories section of the UN Namibia site. In this way, our authors’ ideas about the way forward for African development, can reach the widest possible interested audience. Find Brief Guide of the National Book and Reading Policies NBRP's) Formulation and Implementation in Africa: https://www.adeanet.org/sites/default/files/nbrp_brochure.pdf    

Mbuyi Kayembe is one of over 7,000 residents in the Osire settlement, located in arid scrubland over 200 kilometres from Namibia’s capital, Windhoek. He fled his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1993 because of the conflict which claimed the lives of both his parents.  Mbuyi originally sought safety in Zambia, where he met his wife Mary, whose father had also been killed by rebels. When their daughter Sarah was born with albinism, their lives came under threat once again. His daughter was the target of witchcraft and Mbuyi was approached by a local army chief to buy her body parts for use in traditional medicine. Their safety in jeopardy, the family fled again, to Namibia. At the settlement in Osire, land is set aside for refugees to grow fruit and vegetables, enabling Mbuyi to supplement the family’s food rations and providing a small income from selling the surplus crops.    "The food we are receiving doesn't last us through the month." Today however, the once-fertile land has become inhospitable. Unseasonal weather and dwindling food rations caused by cuts to aid budgets are leaving Mbuyi’s family hungry for days at a time. With temperatures in Osire reaching nearly 40°C, and water in short supply, refugees are struggling to grow the crops that have until now been a vital source of food and income.  Mbuyi is resourceful, but he now fears for the future of his five children.  “The food we are receiving doesn’t last us through the month,” he says, in the dark two-room dwelling with a single mattress where the family of seven take turns to sleep. “We haven’t received paraffin to cook with for several months. We have no choice but to look for firewood in the private farms surrounding the settlement. It is illegal but if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to cook our food. Our children would starve.” “Sarah can’t go outside without getting sun burnt,” he adds. “By midday, it’s so hot outside and it pains me as a parent to see her struggle with this. I have to sell the few rations I receive to buy sunscreen lotion for her.”  Located 90 minutes from the nearest town, refugees in Osire are isolated from opportunities to integrate and reliant on humanitarian assistance.  Just as needs are increasing, aid in the region is under severe pressure due to the sharp increase in fuel and food costs. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi recently warned that without an injection of US$700 million in additional funding before the end of the year, UNHCR will be forced to cut vital aid to forcibly displaced people across the world. In Namibia, the impact of inflation has meant that the budget allocated by UNHCR to fund a year’s worth of food for refugees has lasted only eight months. Osire’s livelihoods project, supporting refugees in small-scale farming and animal-rearing so they can be more self-sufficient, was already cut in September. See also: Out of the Spotlight: Away from the headlines millions of forcibly displaced people are being pushed to the brinkLink is external Climate change is compounding these challenges. Low rainfall has resulted in a poor harvest: the two acres provided to refugees to farm should already be full of plump watermelons, but without water, the melons have split open before they are fully grown. Rows of onions and corn are withered and burnt. Half of the settlement’s boreholes have run dry.  “Here in the desert, if we don’t have food, we cannot survive,” says single mother Chantal Mwamarakiza, who was forced to flee Burundi when her husband was beaten to death. The refuge she has found in Namibia is now uncertain as the seasonal rains are yet to arrive and soaring temperatures are undermining her ability to support her family. “We are cultivating our gardens but the water has run dry so nothing will grow. I have to sell my rations of beans and maize for other kinds of food for the children and sometimes I don’t have money for them to go to school.”  Martin Byendimbwa, chairperson of the Refugee Community Committee of Namibia and an active advocate for his fellow refugees, echoes these concerns.  “The problem is inflation,” he says. “The price of a bag of maize meal, our staple food, keeps going up. I am grateful to the Government of Namibia for giving us this settlement but without the right to employment, we can’t support ourselves and we can’t make use of our education.”  "I'm crying for my children's future." The head of UNHCR’s office in Namibia Bernadette Muteshi is concerned about the consequences of underfunding for refugees. “Our budget has plummeted, which is why we have to take tough decisions to cut services,” she explains. “We’re only giving basic rations which only last for three weeks of the month. We don’t have extra funds to give more support to those in need like pregnant and nursing mothers, or people living with HIV and AIDS. Refugees are left to make up the shortfall and they are struggling because of the drought. “We desperately need donors to help support this population with immediate and sustainable assistance. Not doing that will mean they are left behind. It’s heart-breaking.”  At the UN’s Climate Conference, COP27, being held this month, the UN Secretary General is calling for the international community to protect the most vulnerable from the ravages of the climate emergency. Still suffering the aftershocks of brutal conflict and now facing food insecurity, without urgent intervention, Namibia’s refugees are at risk of becoming a forgotten population. “I’m crying for my children’s future,” says Mbuyi. “I can see my future is darker because of the years that are passing. I lost my whole life. I studied mechanics but I don’t have a job. I’m praying for my kids to not to have a life like mine.”
   

To support the Ministry of Health and Social Services, WHO and WFP trained 37 Community Health Workers, 962 pregnant and lactating women and 286 men in Ohangwena and Otjozondjupa regions, on exclusive breastfeeding, complementary food, food preservation using the solar dryer, WASH, and food safety. This campaign includes an 8-month NBC media plan until October 2023, comprised of radio messages in 9 local vernacular languages and 15 second video clips and recipe cards for social media. The 1000 Days Campaign has been officially launched on NBC and we hereby request your assistance in disseminating our content further on the UN Namibia platforms and other radio channels within your network.