Panel Presentation/Oral Paper - The Perivoli Schools Trust Project: Exploring Lived Experiences and Wider Social Impacts in Namibia

The Perivoli Schools Trust (PST) is an educarer training programme which offers free training for early childcare and education professionals who support children aged 0-4 years old through centre-based provision. The programme began in Namibia in 2012 and has since been expanded to other countries in southern Africa. Namibia is ranked as a middle-income country but has one of the most unequal distributions of income per capita in the world, with more than 43% of people living in poverty. Whilst the PST programme is present in all of Namibia’s 14 regions, it is more prevalent in rural and poor areas because of its strong focus upon the capacity building of staff and the sustainable use of waste materials to improvise teaching resources and activities. The project connects closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 3/4/5 (good health and wellbeing, quality education, and gender equality) 12/13 (responsible consumption and production, and climate action), and the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development in promoting sustainable communities and environmentally sensitive development through sustainable human relationships. This paper presents the findings from a 3-year partnership between the University of Namibia and the University of Bristol, UK. Qualitative findings (n=86) comprised of 1:1 interviews and talking circles (teachers, family members, community members, Perivoli Schools Trust staff). Data was thematically analysed. This paper presents the themes from the findings of the project drawn from six Early Childhood Centres, from three different region in Namibia.