Act now for Tomorrow

17/06/2026

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀?

Projects in Kenya and Tanzania, inspired by , have proven that such a simple solution does exist. Other countries are now following this example.

What is needed?

The local population must be aware of the problem and feel a certain sense of urgency. They must have a strong determination to tackle the problem. And the local population needs practical tools and guidance on how to implement the solution.

The small aid project Himba Eco-Village, together with the first Himba and Herero communities in the Kunene region in north-western Namibia, has taken up the fight against desertification and drought. We began in March 2025 and are still in the early stages.

Water bunds – or as we also like to call them: «Earth Smiles» – are semi-circular pits that capture rainwater. They are dug in the project area to capture rainwater that would otherwise run off over the dry, barren soil. By digging water bunds, we can restore vegetation to large areas in a very short space of time, benefiting biodiversity, nature, people, farm animals, wildlife and – ultimately – our climate.

The local population and we, as project leaders, are grateful for any financial support. This is because 100 per cent of the donations are used locally to purchase the necessary tools, and these tools are handed over to the communities actively involved in the project.

We hope that in three to four years’ time we will be able to demonstrate similar successes to those achieved in Kenya and Tanzania.

Essentially, anyone affected by droughts and desertification can make a difference in their own local area. Pick up a tool and dig ‘Earth Smiles’ or infiltration ditches to harvest rainwater and allow it to soak into the ground.

Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism MEFT, Namibia Nature Foundation, Save the Rhino Trust Namibia, EHRA - Elephant Human Relations Aid, Danou van Rensburg, Tony Rinaudo

22/04/2026

When the Earth falls silent, will we finally listen?

On International Earth Day, eyes around the world turn to our planet. Yet whilst climate targets are being discussed in many places, climate change has long been a harsh reality in other regions, including Namibia.

In the north-west of the country, in the remote Kunene region, the semi-nomadic Himba and Herero communities are fighting for survival. For generations, they have lived in harmony with nature, but this balance is increasingly being disrupted.

When the rain fails to fall

The ongoing drought has dramatic consequences: cattle herds, the livelihood of many families, are dwindling. Waterholes are drying up. Even growing vegetables, which could be an important addition to their diet, is becoming increasingly difficult.

The soil is hard, parched and nutrient-poor. Rain – if it falls at all – barely seeps into the ground or evaporates immediately. What remains is dust.

Yet this is precisely where hope begins.

Small actions, big impact

You don’t always need high-tech solutions to tackle climate change. Often, it is simple yet effective methods that make all the difference.

One such method is ‘Earth Smiles’ – crescent-shaped depressions in the ground that catch and store rainwater. Instead of running off unused, the water stays where it is needed: with the plants.

This approach is complemented by Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). This involves selectively pruning existing shrubs so that strong trees can grow from them again. Their roots stabilise the soil, provide shade and improve the microclimate in the long term.

The return of life

What sounds like small-scale measures has astonishing effects: projects worldwide show that dry, depleted areas can visibly recover within just 3–4 years. The soil becomes fertile again, plants grow, and even the ground temperature drops.

Researchers believe that such re-greened landscapes also have a positive long-term impact on the local climate: more trees mean more moisture in the air and thus a higher probability of rain.

A cycle begins to renew itself.

Knowledge that takes root

Yet this knowledge is still far from being widespread. This is precisely where the Himba Eco-Village aid project comes in. Together with local communities, we are bringing these simple yet effective methods to the Kunene region – in a practical, accessible and sustainable way.

We show how to create Earth Smiles. How seemingly useless bushes can be turned back into trees. And how people can actively shape their own future.

Your donation makes a difference – right there on the ground

What is needed is surprisingly simple: tools. Spades, hoes, pickaxes and machetes. With these, families can take action themselves, tend their gardens, store water and nurture new life.

This is exactly where your support comes in: every donation goes directly towards these tools and is handed over to the local community.

A day that calls for action

International Earth Day reminds us that we are all part of this planet and bear a responsibility.

The question is not whether we can do something.

But whether we will.

Because sometimes saving a landscape does not begin with grand words, but with a single stroke of the spade.

15/04/2026

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗘𝗰𝗼-𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗢₂ 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀?

Of course, the Himba Eco-Village project aims to reduce CO₂ emissions. A number of measures are in place to improve the climate in the long term. The Himba and Herero, inhabitants of the Kunene region in north-western Namibia, have been feeling the effects of climate change for many years. It has hardly been caused by these communities, as around 120,000 people live in this region, covering an area of approximately 115,616 km².

There are few roads, and most of them are gravel tracks, criss-crossing the area. The local population rarely owns a vehicle, and large numbers of tourists do not visit this region. There is not a lot of industry with a huge CO₂ emission.

There has been a drought for many years. Rainfall is insufficient to keep the landscape green all year round. The semi-nomadic Himba and Herero have therefore had to reduce the size of their cattle and goat herds, as there is not enough fodder available.

When it rains during the rainy season, it is brief and heavy. However, the hard, crusted soil absorbs hardly any water, and the rainwater runs off the surface. Rill-like channels form, then small and increasingly larger streams, and often the water does not even reach the sea because it evaporates beforehand.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗘𝗰𝗼-𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 (𝗦𝗗𝗚 𝟭𝟯)?

The Himba and Herero communities tell us about the lack of fodder for their livestock, as well as for wildlife, and we show them how to work the soil so that rainwater can once again pe*****te and seep into the ground locally. In this way, the soil once again acts as a water reservoir, and the grass and trees can grow again. This provides fodder, and the trees offer shade from the scorching sun.

𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀

The semi-circular shape of the Earth Smiles strikes an optimal balance between the amount of water collected and the amount of labour required. Earth Smiles are usually 30 cm deep, 2.5 metres long and 5 metres wide, which is roughly the size of a full-grown elephant!

Earth Smiles are dug on slopes, with the ‘closed’ side facing downhill. This way, the water flowing downhill is collected. The Earth Smiles collect rainwater and allow it to seep into the ground, ensuring that the valuable humus is not washed away.

To enable the Earth Smiles to be dug in the first place, we provide the communities with gardening tools that we have purchased in Namibia. This benefits not only the people in the Kunene region, but also trade in Namibia.

We took the idea for Earth Smiles from projects in Kenya and Tansania run by Justdiggit, which have demonstrated that a region can be re-greened within 3–5 years.

In 2025, we started with 6 communities and handed over 120 gardening tools. We will continue this project and equip further communities with tools. If you would like to support us financially, we would like to thank you in advance for your valuable support.

Currently, and likely in the future too, we will not be issuing CO₂ certificates; nevertheless, we would be delighted if, in addition to private individuals, other companies would also support us. Through your support, you are making an important contribution to CO₂ reduction. I am happy to be available for a personal discussion, to provide the annual report, or to offer further information. Yours, Stephan Stamm.

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀?

07/04/2026

𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁
To mark World Health Day 2026

When we have a health problem, we go to the doctor, and if it is an emergency, we go to hospital. In Europe, most of us can rely on a good, albeit expensive, healthcare system. People are generally well insured, and healthcare is accessible, close at hand and usually available in good time.

In the Kunene region in north-western Namibia, the picture is quite different. This region is almost three times the size of Switzerland, one and a half times the size of Austria and a third the size of Germany. The population density is very low at 2 people per km². Few roads criss-cross the landscape, which ranges from sea level to 2,000 metres above sea level. There is no public transport system. And temperatures in this rocky, desert-like region range from 10°C to just over 40°C throughout the year.

If you picture this in your mind, you quickly realise the differences compared to Europe. What does not distinguish the people there from those in Europe is the fact that they, too, have health problems and children are born.

A few years ago, our aid project received a request from the Otjikondavirongo community for support in procuring a clinic container.

Through our discussions with the community, we came to understand their concerns more and more clearly. They described their situation to us, and one example illustrated the dramatic nature of their plight very clearly. The nearest basic clinic is in Sesfontein, 46 kilometres away. By European standards, 46 kilometres is not a great distance. But on foot along a gravel road, the journey takes around 11 hours, and by donkey cart perhaps half that time.

The community told us 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵. The women are used to giving birth at home in their huts. When complications arise, the 46-kilometre journey is very long, and often – as was the case here – the mother and her unborn child die on the way to the clinic.

The clinic in Sesfontein has promised that, if the Otjikondavirongo community provides a clinic container and accommodation, they will provide a nurse for this mini-clinic.

We at the small aid project Himba Eco-Village cannot finance such a clinic container without a generous donation. However, we are showing the community how they can grow vegetables and grains in their large garden and either eat these themselves or sell any surplus. This means they need to spend less money on food or can generate an income. With the money saved or the income generated, they will be able to finance the clinic container themselves after a few years.

We have also provided the community with gardening tools, which they use for gardening but which they can also use to dig ‘Earth Smiles’. These hollows are called Earth Smiles because they look like smiling mouths in the earth. Each one is about two metres long and four metres wide – roughly the size of an elephant.

When the water finally falls from the sky during the long-awaited rainy season, the Earth Smiles catch the precious moisture that would otherwise flow unchecked across the barren land, causing erosion and flash floods and washing away even the last bit of fertile soil.

Thanks to the Earth Smiles, the landscape becomes greener again and the herds of cattle and goats have more to eat. Better-nourished livestock fetch higher prices when sold, and the additional income can also be used to invest in the clinic container.

In this way, Himba Eco-Village can specifically encourage self-help. Nevertheless, we welcome any financial support, 100% of which goes towards aid on the ground. We guarantee this.

Could you also imagine supporting Himba Eco-Village?



Picture: This is what the fulfilment of a dream might look like (image generated by AI, by Stephan Stamm)

18/03/2026

Dear Erwin Kandivi

For the past four years, we have been working side by side with our aid project, the Himba Eco-Village, in the Kunene region of Namibia. You are so valuable to our work. We still have the same ambitious plans to work with the local community to improve their living conditions. Whether through permaculture techniques such as the Keyhole Garden and the Elephant Stove, Or through food forest elements such as Earth Smiles and Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) to help shrubs grow into trees. We are also grateful to continually draw inspiration from a wide variety of sources. And, of course, we thank all our donors, because without their financial support – 100% of which goes directly to the project – our work would not be possible.

Your grateful friend, Stephan

Justdiggit - Christoph Schaaf - Tony Rinaudo - Menghestab Haile - Reiner Meutsch Stiftung FLY & HELP - Gisela+Andreas Horn (Verein Kaokoland) - Rob de Laet - Namene - Lasher Tools - Marcus Pan - Commonland - Dr. Richard Munang - Leonard Kanime - and many others

15/02/2026

15/02/2026

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗮.

In March 2025, we told six Himba and Herero communities in the Kunene region in northwestern Namibia about «Earth Smiles» for the first time.

«Earth Smiles» are semicircular depressions (2 meters in radius and 30 centimeters deep) with a semicircular dam on the valley side.

By breaking up the hard soil crust and creating a depression, rainwater can collect here and seep into the ground.

With 100 millimeters of rainfall per year, more than 630 liters of rainwater can be collected per «Earth Smile». With 100 «Earth Smiles», that's already 62,830 liters.

Experience shows that within 3 to 4 years, areas can be re-greened and provide food for livestock and wildlife.

The community of Orouhona, 60 km north of Opuwo on the way to the Epupa Falls, sent us pictures, showing that they are digging more «Earth Smiles» even without the presence of the «Himba Eco-Village» aid project team.

The community was already very active in March 2025, and together we had dug 21 «Earth Smiles» by the time we continued our journey.

The behavior of this community makes me very proud, because they first have to recognize that this activity will improve their living conditions in the medium term, and they have to do it themselves. Currently, temperatures are above 30 degrees Celsius.

True to the motto of «Himba Eco-Village»: Helping people help themselves.

Pictures: We are so proud of the people of Orouhona.

15/01/2026

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (provisionally last, special New Year’s Story)

In the first story in this series, I described how the Himba and Herero people in the Kunene region have two things in abundance: space and sunshine.

Last night, I woke up and thought again about scarcity and abundance. It then became clear to me that there is a third element of abundance.

𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲.

An African proverb says: «You have the clocks, we have the time.» This is exactly what I experience time and again. Although I have spent many months in southern and eastern Africa, my expectations, shaped by «faster, higher, further», often collide with a different reality. I become impatient when our local project partner Erwin Kandivi does not respond for several days or when it takes months to procure football shirts for a girls' team at Otjikondavirongo Primary School.

I am still learning that communities do not expect their wishes to be fulfilled within days or weeks. Often, it is enough for someone to listen and take their wishes seriously.

This was also the case in Otjikuju, where the chief requested a groundwater borehole with a solar pump and water tank in 2022. We returned to the site in 2023 and 2025, and no one reproached us for not yet fulfilling the request.

This calmness shows that there is time. The real challenge lies with me, in not wanting to realise everything immediately.

At the same time, we make intensive use of our time on site. We build keyhole gardens, dig earth smiles and show what is possible. Because when people see for themselves how their lives are improving, they continue after we leave.

We also continue. Thanks to the support of our donors, we can provide real help for self-help. As before, 100% of the funds entrusted to us are used locally.

We wish you and as well the Himba and Herero people a prosperous start to 2026.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗘𝗰𝗼-𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺
𝗘𝗿𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶, 𝗥𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗭ü𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗺

12/01/2026

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (Story No. 13)

We surf, read, learn and compare. We spend a lot of time in front of screens. For me, the internet is both a blessing and a curse. When I was at school, I used to look for information in libraries; later, I had a multi-volume encyclopaedia on my bookshelf. Today, all it takes is a click. Knowledge is available at any time, and lifelong learning is a reality.

But what if you live in a region where mobile phone coverage and electricity are scarce? What if you didn't have a good school education and internet access is out of the question?

Then you may not even be aware of this scarcity: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘁.

Does that make these people happier? Perhaps. Their priorities are different. They live more in the here and now, in their community and surroundings. World politics, wars and economic fluctuations are beyond their influence and their everyday lives.

And yet the Himba and Herero people in the Kunene region in north-western Namibia, where infrastructure is poor, are missing out on opportunities. Opportunities for home schooling, online consultations with doctors or midwives, purchasing seeds or marketing their own products.

For Himba Eco-Village, the internet is a key tool. We learn from other projects, avoid mistakes and share experiences. This is how the ideas for Keyhole Gardens in the slums of Nairobi, the Elephant Stove in the Kavango region and Earth Smiles in Kenya and Tanzania came about.

The procurement of materials, the establishment of networks in Namibia and worldwide – and, last but not least, contact with you – are also carried out via the internet.

I can hardly imagine life without the internet anymore. How about you?

Image: No television and no internet, but stunning sunsets in unique landscapes

𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥

10/01/2026

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (Story No. 12)

Tourists want clean streets, beaches and landscapes. In many parts of Namibia, this is exactly what they find. But if you take a closer look, you will also see a major shortcoming: 𝗔 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺.

In Europe, we have made enormous progress in recent decades, not only in waste disposal but also in recycling. It is easy to forget that things used to be different here too. I remember well: the rubbish from our village was taken to a landfill site outside the village, set on fire and later buried. This is still the case in many places in Namibia today.

In our work with Himba Eco-Village, we have found that recycling is virtually unknown. Metals, glass, plastic and cardboard are not seen as recyclable materials, but as useless waste. In many places, the concept of a circular economy is still unknown.

Many of the communities we visited are remote, far from major roads. And yet even there we find broken bottles. Upon enquiry, we learned that traders occasionally sell alcohol from off-road vehicles. What remains are empty broken bottles and rubbish.

In Europe, too, deposit systems were needed to establish glass recycling. Such an approach could also help in Namibia. The country is not sitting idle: Organisations such as the recycle namibia forum, Collect-a-Can (Pty) Ltd, RENT-A-DRUM NAMIBIA, NamiGreen E-waste and Green Planet are working to improve waste disposal.

In March 2025, we cleaned up the settlement together with the Okoupawe community. Our Toyota Land Cruiser was filled to the brim with rubbish bags, which we took to the landfill in Opuwo.

Tourists can also contribute: Avoid waste, take empty tubes or packaging home with you and dispose of them correctly. Those who set a good example can show that recycling is possible and makes sense.

𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥