The Namibian Connection

Lutheran colleges nurture Namibian leaders

For the past 12 years, James Unglaube, '63, has been raising funds for Carthage. But before he joined the College, Mr. Unglaube spent two decades serving the cause of Lutheran higher education, with the former Lutheran Church in America, and after a 1988 merger, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

It was during this period he played a key role in one of the accomplishments he is proudest of, an educational outreach program to the African nation of Namibia. In January Mr. Unglaube and his wife, LaRue (Rhine) Unglaube, '64, returned to Namibia for a reunion with graduates of the program.

The roots of Carthage's Namibia connection are in the 19th century, when European nations scrambled to acquire territory in Africa. What is now Namibia, a nation on the Atlantic Ocean between South Africa and Angola, became a German possession known as South West Africa.

Even before becoming a German colony, Mr. Unglaube says, German Lutheran missionaries came to the area. "They invited Lutheran missionaries from Finland as well," he adds. "They were very effective; Namibia is one of the most Lutheran nations in the world."

After Germany's defeat in World War I, Germany was stripped of its colonies. South West Africa was given to South Africa under a League of Nations mandate.

"It was clearly not intended as new ownership, but the start of a new life" for the territory, Mr. Unglaube says. "Namibia is very rich in minerals. It's one of the leading producers of diamonds and uranium, and a major producer of copper. South Africa held on to it for its own reasons. When apartheid was established in South Africa, it became part of life in Namibia too."

The South West Africa People's Organization was founded in 1960, and later in the decade launched a campaign for independence. Mr. Unglaube, who served as director of the LCA's department for higher education in the 1980s, recalls that "Lutherans all over the world were advocating for Namibian independence." He and Carthage trustee Naomi Linnell, at the time a higher education staff person in the former American Lutheran Church, proposed that Lutherans in the United States show a form of tangible support.

"Why don't we become part of the advocacy by educating 100 Namibian students in colleges of the church?" is how Mr. Unglaube recalls the proposal. "Under apartheid, basically no Namibians could get a college education in Namibia, and only 3 to 5 percent were finishing high school."

The ALC and LCA (and later ELCA) colleges had to finance the Namibian students themselves through full scholarships.

"What we had to do was sell the 28 colleges of the church on the idea," Mr. Unglaube adds. "All but a couple agreed, and we were thrilled. The church in Namibia selected the students, and we determined which college they'd attend."

But while students' direct educational expenses would be covered, "we still had to get them here, they needed money for books, and we wanted to provide them with pocket money and one trip home," Mr. Unglaube says. He sought $20,000 per student for these expenses.

The program eventually received a grant of about $2.5 million from the Evangelical Agency for Development (EZE) in what then was West Germany, following a suggestion from the Lutheran World Federation. Since the 19th century and until recent years, a portion of the German income tax was made available to the church of their choice. At least some of grant money awarded by EZE were public funds.

"Part of the reason they did it, we think, was because Namibia used to be a German colony," Mr. Unglaube says. He adds that the United States was a better destination for the students because "these young people knew English. Very few could have gone to Germany, because of the language barrier."

The first Namibian students were admitted to U.S. Lutheran colleges in 1986, and all graduated by 1996. During this time, Mr. Unglaube went to Namibia to conduct annual orientation sessions for students who would enroll in U.S. colleges.

Mr. and Mrs. Unglaube have begun research on a book that would tell the story of the Namibian students.

While in Namibia "we met about 50 of the former students, and expect we'll have to go back one more time," Mr. Unglaube says. "We're also going to share what we know with the colleges they attended."

Perhaps the most interesting part of the story is how many of the students returned to Namibia, where they hold such positions as Director of the Electoral Commission, Director of Executive Policy Services and Liaison in the Office of the President, Country Manager for De Beers Namibia (diamond mining), and CEO of the Namibian postal service, NamPost. Several are high-level business executives. Many more are serving as teachers or administrators in public education. Several are medical doctors and dentists, and at least half of the graduates have graduate degrees. By contrast, Mr. Unglaube says many African students who come to the United States to study remain here.

"Of that 100, all but four or five went home to an independent Namibia," he reports. "There was a dire need for college graduates. One of the Namibian Lutheran bishops told the students the scholarships were given to the people of Namibia, and they were the carriers and needed to come back and help their people."

Art department chair Anne Cassidy joined the Unglaubes in Namibia in January 2010 as part of a J-term course. She met graduates who "told me that as teenagers they were in the middle of a war, and being recruited by both SWAPO and the South African army." Prof. Cassidy said meeting the graduates "was really a moving experience. They were so positive about their experiences in the States and the educations they got from the Lutheran colleges. There was affection between Jim and the students that was truly beautiful to see."

This was Mr. Unglaube's 12th trip to Namibia. "It's like a second home for me," he says.

— Bill Kurtz, Carthage College 

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Graduates

Abraham Nafine, '94
Inspector, Ministry of Education

Abraham was a teacher, then a principal of a high school for students with special needs, a rarity in Africa. As an inspector he travels to schools across the northern reaches of the country. Abraham studied sociology and secondary education at Carthage.

Ben (Bernhard) Kakonda, '93
Manager of Revenue Management, Air Namibia

Ben attended Waldorf College, at the time a Lutheran two-year school in Iowa, then came to Carthage. He studies were focused on accounting and computer science. Air Namibia is the national airline, owned by the government, established as Namibia gained its independence in 1990. They fly domestically and to nations across Africa and in Europe.

Michael Kisting, '92
Job Placement Director, Polytechnic of Namibia

Michael studied business and music was a member of the Carthage Choir. In addition to serving in the Dean of Student's office at the Polytechnic of Namibia, he continues his love of music, directing the choir at the Polytechnic. The choir includes students drawn from all of the tribal communities in Namibia and they sing music drawn from those traditions.

Moses Ndjarakana, '91
Director and CEO, Electoral Commission of Namibia

Moses is a native of Botswana and came to Namibia after completing high school. He was working at a Lutheran high school in Namibia when the opportunity to study in the United States came along. He completed his Carthage degree in sociology in three years, then immediately enrolled at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, another ELCA institution, where he completed a law degree in three years. Upon returning to Namibia, Moses served in several para-governmental positions before being selected as director and CEO of the Electrical Commission of Namibia. His name and picture are regularly featured on the front pages of The Namibian, the national English language newspaper, as the nation sorts out the results of recent parliamentary elections.