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Ulrike Kösters is currently with her husband for 3 months in Okakarara and is involved in the steps project, including through „art lessons“. As a trained art teacher and art therapist, she draws on a rich range of experience. She reports:

„No, I wouldn’t really call them art lessons…. I paint and draw here in Okakarara with the children who come to steps for children. These are the preschool and nursery children in the mornings, and schoolchildren from Year 1 to Year 7 in the afternoons. In total, nine groups visit my „arts room“.

This room is an aluminium-sheet hut in the yard, which has so far mainly been used as storage. Thanks to the donations collected by a former volunteer, tables and a storage cabinet could now be bought for it. I brought paints and other art materials with me from Germany. The pupils and my colleagues at the secondary school Zum Diek in Haan near Düsseldorf, where I otherwise work, gave me their deposit bottles. I used the money to buy the materials. Thanks also to Air Namibia, which, on request, gave me an extra baggage allowance for this purpose.

After breakfast, half of a preschool group always comes to me with the assistant Emily, who translates my English into Herero. I noticed that the children, who are supposed to be able to write their name at the end of preschool, still have many difficulties with block letters. From my experience with shape drawing, I select exercises for the children that support their motor skills. I begin with large arm movements in the air. My explanations and gestures are accompanied by sounds; sometimes they are little stories, e.g. about the crocodile I saw on a trip. After the „set task“, the children can paint a free picture in which the shapes they practised beforehand appear.

The schoolchildren come to me in the afternoon, once their homework is done. Here I give little instruction; I want to support their creativity and show them different forms of artistic expression. On a fixed day of the week, each year group comes to me. I work with liquid paints, pencils and coloured pencils as well as charcoal and chalk.

As it quickly became clear that all the children like painting elephants, I started the Etosha project. Using my own photos, copies and other templates, I provided a selection of animals that live in Etosha National Park. In all groups, painting and drawing were done enthusiastically. In the end, a large group artwork by all the children was created.

The atmosphere while painting is always focused, and many expressive works are created. I really enjoy working with them. And now many children throughout Okakarara know me!

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Ulrike Koster is currently with her husband for 3 months in Okakarara and is involved in the steps project, including through „art classes“. As a trained art teacher and art therapist, she draws on a broad range of experience. She reports:

„No, I wouldn’t really call them art classes…. I paint and draw here in Okakarara with the children who come to steps for children. These are the preschool and nursery children in the mornings, and schoolchildren from Year 1 to Year 7 in the afternoons. In total, nine groups visit my „arts room“.

This room is an aluminium-sheet hut in the yard, which has so far mainly been used as storage. Thanks to the donations collected by a former volunteer, tables and a storage cabinet could now be bought for it. I brought paints and other art materials with me from Germany. The pupils and my colleagues at the secondary school Zum Diek in Haan near Düsseldorf, where I otherwise work, gave me their deposit bottles. I used the money to buy the materials. Thanks also to Air Namibia, which, on request, gave me an extra baggage allowance for this purpose.

After breakfast, half of a preschool group always comes to me with the assistant Emily, who translates my English into Herero. I noticed that the children, who are supposed to be able to write their name at the end of preschool, still have many difficulties with block letters. From my experience with shape drawing, I select exercises for the children that support their motor skills. I begin with large arm movements in the air. My explanations and gestures are accompanied by sounds; sometimes they are little stories, e.g. about the crocodile I saw on a trip. After the „set task“, the children can paint a free picture in which the shapes they practised beforehand appear.

The schoolchildren come to me in the afternoon, once their homework is done. Here I give little instruction; I want to support their creativity and show them different forms of artistic expression. On a fixed day of the week, each year group comes to me. I work with liquid paints, pencils and coloured pencils as well as charcoal and chalk.

As it quickly became clear that all the children like painting elephants, I started the Etosha project. Using my own photos, copies and other templates, I provided a selection of animals that live in Etosha National Park. In all groups, painting and drawing were done enthusiastically. In the end, a large group artwork by all the children was created.

The atmosphere while painting is always focused, and many expressive works are created. I really enjoy working with them. And now many children throughout Okakarara know me!

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