Namibia has one of the highest rates of tuberculosis infections in the world with around 300 in every 1000 adults or a notification rate of 700 cases per 100,000 people. The Namibian government has successfully applied for donor funds from the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria (GFATM) to curb the disease. This month the Fund announced a disbursement of US$ 143,000 to Namibian authorities to help fight tuberculosis (TB).

However, TB is the principle cause of death in people infected with HIV or living with Aids. In this proposal to the Global Fund, the health ministry stated that about 50 percent of TB patients were also HIV positive.

While anti-retroviral drugs for Aids patients and to those who have tuberculosis are free at state hospitals and clinics, the success rate for fully curing tuberculosis is only some 65 percent. Health authorities say that about 15% of the patients interrupted or stopped their treatment, 8% died during treatment and the remaining 8% were transferred during treatment.

The Johanniter Hilfswerk in Namibia supports 2 tuberculosis projects in Katutura and one in Rundu. In Katutura, their Tuyakula project provides 2 meals daily for TB patients, who receive their medication at a state clinic. On the premises they started a large vegetable garden to provide fresh vitamins for the meals. But the garden is now in danger of being abandoned as funds dry up. Kerstin van Wyk, business manager of the Johanniter Hilfswerk Namibia says, providing meals and maintaining the gardens cost around N$120,000 per year, but only some N$ 45,000 were covered. "Unless we receive financial support, we will sooner or later have to decide if we stop the garden projects and rather buy the vegetables, which is a tough choice".

Van Wyk says that a lot of labour and efforts had been accompanying the garden projects in the past years. "It would be a pity if the rows of vegetables and the orange and lemon trees would have to die, because funds dry up", she told PLUS.

Johanniter international (JOIN) was started in 2001 and is the union of European and non-European aid organisations of the over 900 years old Orders of St. John. JOIN members cooperate through joint projects of international assistance, youth exchanges and social work, and advocate their common interest in strengthening the importance of first aid training.