Waited so long, but now: The second container has arrived

Report Martin Hunziker:

Actually, my first assignment in Andara would have been planned for summer and autumn 2020, but Corona thwarted our plans and I couldn’t fly to Namibia. The first container, which we loaded in Belp and sent on a journey in February 2020, arrived safely and undamaged in Andara and many supplies could be unloaded and distributed.

From January 2021 I was able to collect material and donations from many locations in Switzerland and store, sort and pack them in a common room in our settlement. This resulted in 6 heavily loaded pallets that were transported to Hamburg on March 15th, 2021. These then reached Walvis Bay in a collection container at the end of April and were temporarily stored in a warehouse. This was because in the meantime I had again shipped three pallets with large medical devices, patient beds, small devices, hospital tables etc from a practice, also via collective containers, from Hamburg to Walvis Bay.

Thanks to a larger donation, we were able to buy a second container in Walvis Bay and have the 9 pallets transported to Andara. This after the authorities, customs and other offices had finally given the OK for the import after waiting for days – Welcome to Africa! This container and the goods in it also survived the 1068km long route to Andara unscathed and could be unloaded with pinpoint accuracy.

I arrived in Windhoek on May 23rd, 2021 and was then able to start setting up our planned workshop in the container village. I trained a helper who was very willing to learn how to use the various tools and machines. Tidying up and setting up the workshop was a satisfying job and now you can find almost everything that is needed for the many different craft and construction work.

All the work involved: Repairs to the inner walls of the bedrooms in the containers that have been damaged by termites, getting clogged water pipes going again, tidying up in the first container, applying seals, preparing the stand for the second container and many other small jobs. There were also several assignments in Andara hospital. Assembly of devices, repairs to doors and filing cabinets, functional testing and partial repair of incubators for premature babies, minor repairs to wheelchairs and other medical devices. Unfortunately, the hospital does not have technically trained staff and so many things simply end up in the garbage dump.

On June 8th our second container was delivered and we could start unloading box after box, sorting clothes and creating a first order and making the container accessible.