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This report is going to adhere to the SWOT analysis format. This type of analysis is particularly relevant to the fellowship because we have recently finished the Gobabeb annual plan for the year based on a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This analysis reviews the target subject (which will in this case be the fellowship) under those four key areas, and hopefully will provide a good overview of where the fellowship is and where it might be heading in the future.
Strengths - Things that currently contribute in a positive way to the functioning of the fellowship
Weaknesses - Things that currently contribute in a negative way to the functioning of the fellowship
Opportunities - possibilities for the fellowship to improve in the future
Threats - possibilities that threaten the future of the fellowship
Strengths
Beauty of Gobabeb
Gobabeb is one of the most breathtaking places I have visited and certainly the most beautiful place I have had the pleasure of living for an extended period of time.
Opportunities to perform a range of activities in research, development, and implementation
This section refers to the variety of interesting and exciting projects you will have the chance to be involved in. Gobabeb and the DRFN conduct a wide range of ecological and socio-economic research. They are very much involved in demonstrating, researching and implementing tools for sustainable living in Namibia, both at the decision maker and the local levels. As a Grinnell fellow, you are allowed a unique opportunity to be involved in environmentally sustainable development work at all levels.
Job largely driven by strengths and interests of Fellows
The involvement of the Grinnell Fellows in different projects is largely based on what their strengths are coming into the fellowship. For example, since I have some knowledge of web-design, I created a centrepiece for the Namibian presentation at a major UN convention to combat desertification. I am also helping to create websites for Gobabeb and ELAK (a project bringing together stakeholders from different sections of a river basin in Namibia to discuss water management strategies). In this way, fellows can shape their experiences in Namibia, while still contributing to Gobabeb and the DRFN in important ways.
Great confidence in and support of Grinnell Fellows
Due largely to the lack of funding for permanent staff at Gobabeb, the fellows are relied upon to fulfil positions integral to the running of the station. While this can be a daunting task at times, the trust placed in the fellows and their abilities to contribute, empower the fellows to make real and important contributions to the station.
Great housing arrangement at Gobabeb
The Grinnell fellows moved into "Luxury Hill" accommodations this year. These accommodations are one-room flats with a private bathroom and shower. They have bed, dresser, shelving and ceiling fans. Due to the special clay brick construction of this housing, they stay quite cool even in the height of the summer heat. This accommodation situation is a real improvement over the previous years fellows who shared accommodation. The cooking is done in a communal kitchen, which can get a little messy, but is a nice place to socialize with the other staff members / interns in the evenings. There is also currently a television room with DSTV (paid for by the fellows and other Gobabeb staff). Surprisingly there is also a swimming pool at the station. The station also offers mostly reliable email, and soon will hopefully have reliable internet access. Calling out of the station is very expensive, but you can have people call you back.
Availability of car in Windhoek
One of the good parts of being in Windhoek is that the Grinnell Fellows have access to a car named Nelly. It's a Ford Tracer. It still seems to run fine, despite me running it into a few things and occasionally leaving the lights on. Its great to have when you have to run around the city collecting data from various ministries or need to make it to important meetings on time. It also makes me feel safer in the city at night.
Interns and other staff at Gobabeb
The interns that the station gets are roughly the same age as fellows and can often lead to close ties and friendships for the fellows. The two long-term research technicians (Snake and Olavi) are also great. Thus making for a generally good social situation for the fellows at the station.
Weaknesses
Stipend insufficient at current exchange rate
One of the main weaknesses this year for the fellowship has been the lack of a sufficient stipend. This has been due largely to the drop in the value of the US dollar. Two years ago the dollar was trading at 11 to 1 with the Namibian dollar / South African Rand. This year we are getting below 7 to 1. This drop in exchange rate has altered the amount of the stipend, hence it is becoming difficult to stay within our budget.
Undefined job roles
With the freedom allowed the fellows comes a certain amount of uncertainty in job roles. I often find myself questioning what my role at Gobabeb is, and what exactly I am expected to do. Being as the fellows and the roles that the fellows play from year to year changes so drastically it is hard to pin down, and can often lead to confusion over what a fellows responsibilities are.
Too much dependence on Grinnell Fellow for IT expertise
Right now, there is no full time IT person at Gobabeb. Olavi is the head of IT and can help out sometime, but his main roles at the station deal with the research. The running of the network and the day-to-day computer problems of staff at the station fall largely to the fellow to take care of. This can be hard when a fellow does not know everything needed about networks and computers. It can also be very distracting from daily activities and long-term projects.
No housing arrangement at Windhoek
Currently there is no housing arrangement made for fellows when they must be in Windhoek to complete some aspect of their work. This means that they must stay in backpackers (youth hostels). This can be a difficult aspect of the fellowship because I often find myself not sleeping well and arriving at work tired and disgruntled. This situation has improved since we begin receiving reimbursements for the nights we spent in Windhoek.
VISA applications become a problem every year, poor VISA consultants
Every year of the fellowship seems to have their own mini VISA dramas. This year, my VISA was not approved until days before the VISA deadline. A similar situation occurred last year. It seems almost impossible to avoid this, even starting as early as four months in advance did not seem to leave sufficient time for VISAs to be comfortably approved.
Remote location of the station
The remote location of the station has its drawbacks. You are about an hours drive from any sort of civilization and can go for about a month at a time without leaving the station. This can lead to the hardships that one normally associates with living in a small isolated community. It also can be hard when you are eating meat and cheese sandwiches because your last bread ran out a week ago. You should probably learn how to make at least one type of bread before coming to Gobabeb.
Opportunities
Grinnell fellow position becomes more stabilized / continuous / defined
This opportunity is one that this years fellowship should try and recognize through sufficient planning and documentation to make sure that the new years fellows get a head start integrating into the positions. It will also help with this years annual business plan that we are creating specific action areas which the Grinnell Fellows will be responsible for that fall under the umbrella of the Gobabeb Centre.
Stipend increases, economy recovers
If the economy recovers, the financial pressures of the fellowship will significantly decrease.
Grinnell fellows find a more permanent housing situation in Windhoek
Although unlikely, it would be ideal that the fellows could reach an agreement with some sort of private housing facility in Windhoek so the fellows have somewhere comfortable and quite to stay.
New VISA consultancy firm found
Due to the ties the DRFN and Gobabeb have to the current consultancy agency this opportunity too seems unrealistic. With a more efficient, more communicative agency available this would lead to less worry for future fellows.
Threats
Mark crashes Nelly / Nelly dies
Nelly is no spring chicken and although it is running fine now, there is always the distinct chance that I could be the end of this car. My stick shift skills are improving, but driving on the wrong side of the road still bugs me from time to time.
Fellowship gets abandoned
Not really a possibility because of the high success of the fellowship in the past years, both from the prospective of Grinnell students and what they get out of it, and from what they can contribute to Gobabeb and DRFN. The only real chance of this happening would come from a loss of funding for the fellowship from the Grinnell side.
Power of US dollar decreases, power of Rand increases
If the current trend continues, the fellows will have a harder time covering expenses under the current stipend amount.
Fellows in years to come have harder time getting VISAs
Under the current Namibian government, there seems to be a distinct trend of wanting Namibian jobs to go to Namibians. And although what the fellows is doing is technically service work (being as we are not paid with Namibian money), there is still the possible perception that we are taking away a job that would otherwise go to a Namibian. This attitude is making it harder and harder for foreigners to get work in Namibia. Consequently it makes it harder for VISAs to be granted.
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