Our Project
The Etanga Development Foundation was founded in close partnership with the OvaHimba community of Etanga, located in Namibia’s Kunene region. Built on years of trust, dialogue, and mutual respect, the foundation emerged in response to urgent challenges, including deepening food insecurity, limited access to education, and the growing threat to traditional livelihoods. But its purpose reaches beyond emergency relief. It is a commitment to long-term, community-led development grounded in dignity, cultural continuity, and collective vision.
Our work is shaped by the belief that sustainable change must emerge from within, from local knowledge, community priorities, and the cultural frameworks that have guided life in Etanga for generations. Each of our initiatives, from school fee support to bi-weekly food deliveries to traditional skills training, reflects this ethos. We do not design programs in isolation; we build them together, in conversation with the people they are meant to serve.
At its core, the foundation supports not just survival, but sovereignty, the right of a community to define its own future. We aim to strengthen what already exists, intergenerational resilience, shared responsibility, and a profound connection to land, story, and identity. By investing in both immediate needs and long-term vision, the Etanga Development Foundation stands as a bridge between local strength and global solidarity.
Founder Bio
Anthony Beall is a PhD candidate in the History of Religions at the University of Chicago, where his research examines ritual practice, ancestral memory, and the political dimensions of death and identity in southern Africa. His work focuses specifically on the sacred fire traditions of OvaHerero and OvaHimba communities in Namibia, combining ethnographic fieldwork with archival research to understand how ritual sustains collective memory in the wake of historical trauma.
Anthony’s relationship with the Etanga community began over a decade ago as a volunteer teacher. What started as a temporary teaching placement evolved into a deep and enduring partnership built on trust, shared history, and mutual respect. The Etanga Development Foundation was created in response to the community’s call for sustainable, locally driven support, not as an outside solution, but as an extension of relationship and responsibility.
Outside of his academic and nonprofit work, Anthony is a husband and father of two adventurous boys. A lifelong camper and overland enthusiast, he finds joy in the rhythms of the natural world and believes deeply in the value of hands-on learning, storytelling, and cross-cultural exchange. Whether navigating backcountry trails or community development projects, his work is guided by a commitment to curiosity, care, and long-term connection.
Where We Work
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