Frequently Asked Questions

Himba women never wash themselves but take a daily smoke bath. They burn aromatic herbs and plants. They then sit over the smoke to ‘steam’ their bodies. This smoke kills bacteria and removes unwanted odours, keeping them clean without using precious water.

As part of a larger migration, the Himba and Herero people migrated to what is now Namibia and Botswana. These Bantu-speaking people came from East Africa centuries ago. In the 19th century, the group began to split, with a large portion moving further south and becoming known as the Herero. Those who remained became the ancestors of the Himba people we know today.

Around puberty, both boys and girls have their lower front teeth knocked out with a stick and stone. It is an important cultural moment that has not only physical but also symbolic value. It confirms their adulthood, status and social and cultural identity. Another reason that is sometimes given is that it helps with the pronunciation of certain sounds in their language, Otjiherero. The absence of front teeth is said to facilitate certain sounds.

The Himba are a nomadic people; they move around the country with their cows and goats. They also grow maize, which they make into maize porridge. The Himba’s food consists mainly of milk with flour in it; if there are vegetables, they eat those too. Occasionally an animal is slaughtered; they eat every part of it.

Married women and those who have given birth wear an erembe. This is an ornate headdress made of sheepskin with their coloured braids woven through it.

The OvaHimba are the original traditional Herero who crossed the Kunene and came to Namibia from Angola in the mid-16th century. They settled in the Kaokoveld, the northwestern part of Namibia, and lived a semi-nomadic, pastoral lifestyle. The early history of the Herero was fraught with severe droughts and other disasters. Large groups of Herero left the Kaokoveld and sought better grazing lands for their herds in the southeast. The remaining Herero in the Kaokoveld were attacked by the Swartbooi and Topnaar Nama in the 19th century. The Nama entered the Kaokoveld from the south, also in search of better grazing lands. In 1850 the Nama established a base at Sesfontein from which they organized raids against the Herero of the Kaokoveld. Because the Herero were widely dispersed and the Nama had much better weapons, large herds of Herero cattle were plundered over the next 20 years. As the situation deteriorated and the loss of their material and social wealth increased, the Herero fled from the Kaokoveld across the Kunene River into Angola and sought shelter with the Ngambwe, who supported the refugees. They called the Herero Ovahimba, which means “beggar” in the language spoken by the Ngambwe. Over the years, the Herero adopted this name and continue to use it to this day. Most Ovahimba followed a popular warrior named Vito back to Namibia in 1920. Since then and until Namibia’s independence in 1990, the Himba were able to live their traditional lifestyle. In recent years, the Ovahimba have been more exposed to the influences of the modern world, although this mainly refers to the consumption of unhealthy foods, soft drinks and alcohol. The positive developments of modern society, such as a good health care system, modern schools, pension funds, etc., have not yet reached the majority of OvaHimba.

The drought in Northern Namibia, including the region where the Himba live, has become more severe in recent years. This can be attributed to several factors, both natural and man-made:

Climate change

This is affecting weather patterns worldwide. Southern Africa is one of the regions that is vulnerable to the effects. Global warming is causing temperatures to rise, leading to evaporation of available moisture and less rainfall. This is causing seasonal rains to become more irregular and sometimes even fail to occur. Trade winds, which normally bring moist air to the region, may be less active due to global climate shifts. This leads to less rainfall in certain years.

El Niño

This is a climatological phenomenon that affects ocean and atmospheric conditions in the Pacific Ocean. It also affects weather patterns in Africa. During an El Niño year, some parts of Southern Africa, including Namibia, receive less rain than normal. This results in longer periods of drought.

Decreased rainfall and irregular seasons

Northern Namibia is located in a semi-arid climate, which means that rainfall is limited anyway. However, in recent years there has been a noticeable decrease in the amount of rain that falls during the rainy season. Rains are often late, irregular or too short to support agriculture and livestock farming in the region.

In summary, the drought in Northern Namibia is mainly caused by the combination of natural weather patterns, such as El Niño and climate change, combined with local factors such as land degradation and increasing demand for water. This makes the situation more serious than in previous years.

We buy the groceries directly from the supplier and hire the transport ourselves. We pay directly for the services provided to minimize the chance of corruption.

Since there are hardly any shops in the areas where the need is greatest, most groceries come from the places Kamanjab and Opuwa. There are both supermarkets and wholesalers here.

The groceries are brought to a central location with local trucks and pick-ups, from where we deliver them to our homes ourselves.

Since there are also some other people living in this region who could also use something extra, we will not skip them. However, the focus is on the Himba.

Yes, there are 1000 reasons you can think of as an excuse, but there is only one reason why you should participate: The Himba need it now more than ever!