‘JOJOBA for NAMIBIA’ empowers Namibians in desert areas, to run their own Jojoba plantation and establish themselves as suppliers of prime quality jojoba seed oil in the European cosmetics industry. This transfer of farming and business knowledge aims at fighting wealth inequality in the local community. Most workers on the farm are women. One of them, Esther Katjohange explains why that is working well – and tells her story of sharing opportunities with others.
Can you tell us about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Esther Katjohange. I was born in Outjo. Later, I moved to Windhoek. There, I started working at the Ondekaremba travel lodge where I met my boss, Oliver. He was running the lodge. We worked together for many years.
I have five Kids. One, I adopted. Her mother – I knew her – she had passed away. I like kids very much, I also like taking care of other people’s kids. So I adopted her.
Later, my husband became an alcoholic. He left for Swakopmund. The kids had also to start school in Swakopmund and I had to take care of my kids. They were alone at a friend’s house while I was away working. I told my boss: I’m sorry, I have to go and stay in Swakopmund with the kids to take care of them, because one of them, he dropped out of school. I don’t want the others to drop out of school, too. It’s better to be there and take care and make sure they go to school on time. A mother is a mother.
Now, I am working at the Jojoba farm in Swakopmund near Mondesa. The kids are well, they are in school in Swakopmund. The farm is also only 10 km from Swakopmund. I come to work by taxi and I go back. When I’m not there with my children, they stay with my family. They are good students now. I hope they are going to finish school.
How did you make a living before Jojoba for Namibia?
It was very very bad, only to sit and wait for my husband, doing nothing. It was very hard to get the money. We weren’t working. Nothing is coming in. You’re just waiting for one person. Then, I started to work for Oliver and then, he made me part of the project. Now, life is better.
In your community, do many women work?
Many women are not working. They depend on their husbands. They are just in the house doing nothing. Oh, they suffer too much. Even their houses, if you look, they are not good, the place where they live. And the kids have to go to school. Oh my goodness, it’s not good… . So, our mission is to look after them.
How can you look after them?
To help them learn how to help themselves. Something like a garden is a very good idea, or something you make yourself. You must not depend on somebody in your life. You have to stand up for yourself.
Do you think Jojoba for Namibia can change people’s life?
Yes, I think it will change many people’s life. Especially, the life of women who suffer from their husbands.
Why is it better if women work rather than their husbands?
Husbands? No no no. (laughs) Husbands, sometimes they don’t care about their kids. And like my husband, when he became an alcoholic he didn’t care for the kids. Only me. As a woman, I can’t leave my kids to suffer like that. I had to make another plan so my kids could live a better life. But the husbands don’t care. They are not there.
How did you come across the jojoba plant?
I was working at the lodge. One day, Oli brought in the Jojoba seeds. Me and my friends we looked at each other and said: ‘What is going on with our boss? He brings some kind of seeds that look like dead fruit. I had never seen such kind of seed in my life. Then, one day, Oli came and told us: ‘This is a jojoba seed. We will plant it and start a garden.’ Oh my goodness, I couldn’t stop laughing. (laughs) I thought my boss had become abnormal or something. Because I had never heard of jojoba . But then, I liked the idea of having a garden. I like gardening so much. Pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes. So, it was a good news to hear.
How are jojoba plants in comparison?
Jojoba plants are great. They are growing well. Now, I am at the part where I do the cuttings of the tree and I plant them. I am called Ms. Cuttings because I am the boss of cuttings (laughs). The master of cuttings.
Are you teaching others?
Yes, I am teaching the women and the kids. I show them how to plant the cuttings.
How do you do the cuttings?
We count six leaves from the branch, then we cut. We put the cuttings into a small container of soil with powder to grow roots. After half an hour we spray it softly with water. After two weeks the roots start to come out. From there, you take it out and plant it in the garden. They grow and in three, four, five years they start to make the seeds, if the soil is good.
Have you already pressed the oil yourself?
Yes, we press it in the big house where the machines are. It’s important to check the machines. Sometime the machine is not controlled right and then it will not press nicely. I know how to control it and I also put the bags to clean the oil. You need to clean the oil through a bag. When the oil comes out, it goes through the bag and clean, pure oil is coming out.
Is it difficult to plant jojoba?
Nooo, planting is very easy. But we want to go deeper and deeper. We want to know about the cosmetics, all those things we want to know. We can’t just stay here and plant and make oil. One day in the future, we want to know, what we are going to do with this oil for ourselves. We want to know how to make business. Master of business. (laughs)
Do you already have your own garden?
We have a plot, a small land from the project. Now, we want to make it bigger. Help the others also.
What did your community think of Jojoba for Namibia when they first heard about it?
Most people thought the same like me. These seeds, the colour looks like a date. But if you touch them and check them nicely you see that they are completely different. When they saw the seed, even the men from the council were surprised. They don’t know what jojoba is. Now, when they see how they grow, they start to believe and wonder: ‘Ooh, what kind of seed is jojoba?’
What is important in your life?
I want to work a lot with the people and help them to get themselves out of poverty. That’s an important thing in my life. So that they can help themselves. Because before, I was depending on my husband. But as I see now, from the day I became a partner of the project, I am not that kind of woman that depends on someone. So, I like to encourage the women and teach them: How does a garden or a plant work, how does jojoba work?
What makes you happy in life?
I like to enjoy the church . It is my thing that makes me happy. The church and the farm, that is the love in my life. I work, I plant, then, I sing and pray in church.
What do you worry about? What is your main problem in life?
My main problem in my life… (thinks for a long time). Not so much, Mm-mm.
The children?
Yeah sometimes they are a problem. Sometimes, you wake them up and they don’t want to go to school. And then you need to tell them, school is very important. You can’t stay like that, like me. We didn’t finish our school, but you must go . It’s very important. But it’s a little problem in my life.
Why do some people have more money than others?
Some people, they are rich already from the beginning. Their parents started to save money. They already have a better life and start saving the money for their kids. Other people don’t have money to save for their kids. That’s why some of them are rich, some are poor.
Do you think people can move out of poverty?
I think they can get out of poverty to become better. They will not become equal, but I think they can build a better life although they are not becoming rich.
What do you think people need to build a better life?
I think for them to build a better life, they have to start saving. They need a job or something like a garden. As soon as they have income, they have to start saving. It will change their life, for a better life.
What happens if people can’t get out of poverty?
If we don’t change, life will not become better. And for the young women and young boys, many of them go to prison if they just stay without doing anything, not able to help themselves. At the end of the day, you are not working, you are not getting any income, and later you will start to steal or do some stupid kind of thing. Then, you are in prison. You will not change your life.
Do you think everybody has the same opportunities in life?
No. Some people don’t have the same opportunities. Because they don’t know. They didn’t learn. They didn’t hear anything from someone about a plan to help yourself. They didn’t hear that if you don’t have a job, you can do something for yourself, some small business or a small garden in the house to help yourself.
Is it important that everyone has the same opportunities?
It’s very important to have good opportunities. If we all learned to look after other people, to teach them, it’s a very good opportunity. It’s important to get them out of poverty.
Do you think the rich people help the poor people?
Not all of them. But some of them like to help.
Why is it important for the rich to help the poor?
When you see that you are rich, you have to like to help others also. You can’t eat bread alone while your neighbour is hungry.
Why not?
Because! It’s also a human being! You have to think about that. Thinking about that will help people to get out of poverty, out of the hunger. Many people, they are in the hunger.
