Introduction
The Omaheke San Trust was established in 1999 at the request of local
San community leaders and activists. The OST represents the San in the
Omaheke Region and works with San communities and individuals across
the whole Omaheke Region to help improve their livelihoods and protect
their rights.
The OST is a not for profit, community based organisation,
led by San people for San people in the Omaheke region. The OST is a
development organisation that works to empower San communities through
income generation projects, worker and civil rights awareness, child
development and education programmes, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and
sustainable food production projects. Throughout all of our work, we
aim to protect and respect San tradition, culture and language.
The OST has links with and has become well known among local, regional and
national non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government agencies
and funding organisations. We have built on these links over the years
and developed good partnerships and working relationships with many
of them.
Through the OST, San individuals, leaders and communities are
becoming more empowered and confident to address issues of social exclusion,
marginalisation, poverty and invisibility that is part of their daily
lives.
Main aims and purpose of the OST
1. To develop the capacity
of the San in Omaheke so they are self reliant and self-sufficient
2. To ensure that San traditions and cultures are recognised and preserved
3. To educate the San on their rights, so that the San are enabled to
gain access to those rights and ensure that those rights are recognised
and upheld
4. To ensure that the San will have equal access to and support
through education at all levels
5. That the San are educated on health
care and are enabled to gain access to health facilities.
Ethos and principles of The OST
- To value children, women and men
equally
- To believe in the intelligence, strength and dignity of the
San people on both an individual and collective level
- To always respect
San cultures and traditions in our work
- To work to build self confidence
and self belief on both an individual and community basis
- To always
be open and accountable in our work
Key goals
The OST retains its 4
key programme goals:
1. Building self-reliance and self-sufficiency
among the San of Omaheke
2. Promoting the rights of the San in Omaheke
3. Ensuring equal access to school and education
4. Promoting good health
among the San of Omaheke