The University of Namibia (UNAM) is the only national university in Namibia that was established in 1992. It offers diploma and degree courses. The Bachelor of Nursing Science (Clinical) (Honours) was introduced in 2008 after the Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing Science was phased out. This degree is offered over the period of four years full-time. Students are allocated to the clinical practice throughout the training to acquire the relevant nursing skills. At the time of research the course was offered at two campuses only namely Windhoek and Oshakati. The total number of students who were admitted in 2010 was 83, but at the time of the research when they were in their fourth year, there were only 59. The difference of 24 was the students who could not make it to the fourth year and finish in the prescribed time frame. The lecturers were concerned with the poor performance of the students, the increased number of students with some modules behind, and the overcrowding of some classes. The purpose of the study was to identify, explore and describe the factors that hinder the academic performance of the nursing students at the UNAM Oshakati campus. The study was conducted among nursing students who registered for the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Clinical) (Honours) in 2010. The study was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual in nature using non-probability purposive sampling. The findings revealed that the academic performance of student nurses at the University of Namibia Oshakati campus is influenced by both internal and external factors. However, external factors are many compared to internal factors. External related factors comprise of teaching and learning, insufficient resources, lack of university accommodation, curriculum related and socio-economic factors. Teaching and learning related factors include use of one teaching strategy, language barriers, inadequate support and labeling of students by lecturers. On the other hand, insufficient resources are unavailability of the bookshop on campus, insufficient prescribed textbooks, poor internet facility, lack of space and less equipped library. Curriculum related factors include overloaded examination time table, huge scope of test, study day system and module pre-requisites, while socio-economic factors are problems in relationships, peer influence, financial problems and pregnancy while studying. Internal factors comprise of students' attitude and lack of self-discipline among some students. Those factors result in increased number of students with some modules behind, overcrowding of some classes, increased student-lecturer ratio and some students not completing their studies within the prescribed time frame.

Background: Undernutrition in children under the age of five years is prevalent in the developing countries which increase the risk of morbidity and mortality among such age group. Lack of information related to nutrition and feeding practices as well as other factors such as employment and pressure from family and community members cause mothers and caregivers of children under the age of five years to use inappropriate methods of feeding which contribute to undernutrition. Purpose: The aim of this article is to relate the experiences of mothers and caregivers on feeding practices of children under the age of five years in Oshikoto region, Namibia. Methods: A qualitative study design was utilized to explore and describe the experiences of mothers and caregivers on feeding practices of children under the age of five years. The study population comprised of mothers and caregivers of children diagnosed with undernutrition either severe or moderate, admitted in pediatric units or registered on Nutritional Assessment Counseling and Support programme. A purposive sampling was used to select participants and a total number of fifteen mothers/caregivers were interviewed. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Tesch steps. Results: The study revealed that mothers and caregivers experienced lack of information related to nutrition and feeding practices and other contextual constraints which resulted in the utilization of suboptimal feeding practices of children under the age of five years. Conclusions: Due to challenges experienced by mothers and caregivers, they need to be empowered with knowledge on nutrition and feeding practices of children under the age of five years.

Traditional beliefs and practices can influence the health of the people. The purpose of this article was to describe taboos and traditional practices related to pregnancy and childbirth. There was no actual research done, but taboos and traditional practices were identified during rural placement of nursing students in rural health facilities. The results indicated that there are different taboos and traditional practices related to pregnancy and childbirth, some of them are beneficial and others are detrimental to the health of the mother and the baby. In conclusion, there is a need for health care providers to strengthen health education on the importance of diet and also to educate mothers and community members on the taboos which have negative effect on the mother and babies. 

People living with cancer encounter different problems; some are related to their diagnoses and treatment. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the challenges experienced by cancer patients receiving treatment at Oshakati oncology clinic in Namibia. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted using purposive sampling and twelve patients diagnosed with different types of cancer were interviewed using unstructured individual in-depth interview. Data were transcribed verbatim and Tesch `s method was used to analyze the data.The study revealed multifaceted challenges which include physical constraints such as physical ailments, long distance to health facilities and excessive travelling; financial and resource constraints as well as other challenges such as negative attitudes of health workers, poor communication and inadequate provision of information to patients. The study concluded that understanding those challenges will assist the government, private sectors, non- governmental organization and health workers to come up with intervention strategies to support cancer patients effectively. The study recommends the need to decentralize oncology services and to provide in-service training to the health workers working with patients living with cancer.

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