Exploring Social Capital and Wellbeing in Namibia's Rural Context

This essay examines the intricate relationship between social capital, rural communities, and overall wellbeing in Namibia. It defines wellbeing and social capital, highlighting the importance of community unity and social networks for societal progress. The essay focuses on Namibia's rural context, characterized by low population density and limited access to sanitation, and how these factors influence social capital and wellbeing. It also addresses key demographic indicators, such as life expectancy, fertility rate, and the concerningly high infant mortality rate, attributing it to poor sanitation infrastructure. The central argument emphasizes that fostering social capital enhances community understanding and collective action towards common goals, ultimately contributing to improved societal wellbeing and economic development. The essay identifies high infant mortality and disease rates due to inadequate sanitation as a priority issue, linking it to the interplay between social capital and societal wellbeing.

THE RURAL COMMUNITY IN FOCUS
NAMIBIA’S SOCIAL CAPITAL
AND WELLBEING

DEFINITIONS
Wellbeing
Is the state of happiness and comfort. It includes the physical, economic, developmental, emotional, psychological and
domain specific contention.
Social wellbeing, which is the extent of feeling part of and parcel of a given community and involvement in its
activities, is highly regarded by Namibians.
Social capital
Is a multi-dimensional concept referring to the networking unity co-existing among a people of a given society.
It entails structural and psychological elements upon which personal networks co-exist.
Social capital is a vital pillar towards achieving a stable economy and a well functioning society in Namibia.
Social capital has the following parameters; horizontal associations, the civil and political society, legal and
governance factors, (Claridge, 2004).

RURAL COMMUNITY
• Refers to the underdeveloped and uncivilized area in relation to geographical conditions
• Less densely population with a dispersion of 3 persons per square kilometer
• A high percentage (91%) of the population can access clean water. However, 65% have limited access to improved
sanitation facilities
Relationship between social capital, rural community and wellbeing
The rural community creates the environment in which persons of a particular society interact living together in
harmony. The unity in this environment propels development of societal wellbeing and economic growth.
Social capital is influenced by the unity among the people living in a given society and their wellbeing. A healthy
community promotes social capital which propagates economic development.
Promotion of social capital enhances the development of a mutual sense of understanding bringing the citizens
together towards a common goal.

Other demographics
Namibian population has a life expectancy at 64 with its median age at 21.2 years.
The contemporary fertility rate is 3.29 children per a female with a maternal age of approximately 21.5 years for
first births.
Infant mortality rate is high (35.1 deaths per 1,000 live births) ranking it at number 55 in the world according to
2017 statistics.
The high infant death rates can be attributed to poor sanitation facilities as highlighted above.
so the priority issue in Namibia is high infant mortality and disease rate among children of less than five years as a
result of poor sanitation infrastructures.
This project focuses on the infant mortality rates in relation to sanitation infrastructure which is influenced by social
capital and societal wellbeing.

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