Since their arrival in Namibia in 1994, just four years after it gained independence from South Africa, Maryknoll Sisters have traveled to almost every corner of this vast barren land to give short courses, workshops and various services in health, education, catechetics and women’s ministries.

There are really two Namibias, according to Maryknoll Sisters who have worked there. One is centered in the affluent sections of Windhoek, the capital, and Swakopmund, a resort town on the coast, both dominated by whites. Though whites are a small part of the population, they control most of the total economic wealth.

The other Namibia can be seen in the dry parched countryside where African farmers eke out a subsistence living, and in the squatter settlements cropping up on the outskirts of the larger towns throughout the country. Two Maryknoll Sisters wrote about their early experiences in this post-apartheid, independent Namibia: “The people experienced that we shared similar accommodations and shared meals with them. For many, this was a real first, and they commented that we accepted them (and so similarly they accepted us). "

The apartheid legacy had left wounds, and some of the people said it was good they could experience that we “were one, no matter what our background or skin color.”

Namibia’s AIDS infection rate is one of the highest in Africa. A German historian addressing a Catholic forum during the 100th anniversary of the Catholic Church there in 1996 marveled at the spirit of forgiveness he found in this desert land.

He described Namibia’s response to its brutal history as “one of extraordinary magnanimity, fundamental readiness for reconciliation, and profound humanness.” Asked the meaning of forgiveness, a Namibian catechist replied, “It means we can laugh together again.”