UPEI received warm welcome during visit to the University of Namibia

The UPEI team travelled to Namibia on October 24, and returned on November 3. While there, the team compiled some stories and background on life in Namibia from health and social challenges (including a staggering statistic of HIV-positive residents-from 6% to more than 30% in certain areas) due to the lack of adequate housing for students and residents.

During their visit, the team also toured the area of Katutura, a poor township created by the government during the apartheid in order to separate the black and white populations. Individuals at UNam explained that most of their students reside in this poor area as the cost of living is cheaper. 'Some students are forced to share a bedroom in a tiny shack with 15 students, or worse, sleep outside the shack in a tin or cardboard box,' said Barbara Campbell, UPEI team member.

While at UNam, the team worked with the Office of the Dean of Students, which they described as an 'extremely rewarding experience.' The team plans to create a Webster Centre International at UNam, a sister version of UPEI's Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning, and has already started the initial training and development in order to replicate the UPEI model. Both university groups plan to meet once a month via Skype to continue discussions and their work.

The team believes their visit has been a success, and that they have adequately prepared the staff at UNam who will continue in the development and implementation of a math help centre, a transitions program for first-year students and student success workshops.

As the team was leaving, they received a rewarding ‘thanks' from a UNam staff member who said, 'Thank you for coming to help our country.'

The UPEI team consists of: Barbara Campbell, associate professor of nursing and director of the Webster Centre, and two Webster Centre employees, Treena Smith, Transition Coordinator, and Anne Bartlett, Pathways to Academic Success Coordinator.