Swakopmund made history when the Delivery Room Foundation hosted Blue Santa Namibia 2026, making Namibia the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to host the internationally recognised Blue Santa ocean cleanup movement, founded in Japan by NPOUmisakura.
Volunteers, families, schools, community members, and partners gathered at Platz Am Meer Waterfront, Swakopmund, dressed in blue Santa costumes, and together cleaned 3.3 kilometres of Namibia’s Atlantic coastline up until Seaside Hotel and Spa in just 2 hours and thirty minutes. Waste collected included plastic bottles, milk cartons, paper and cardboard, cans, cigarette butts, clothing and textiles, and mixed litter.
According to the organisers, this was more than just a Beach Cleanup, as Blue Santa Namibia 2026 was dedicated to mental health. “The Delivery Room Foundation believes and has documented through five years of community work across all 14 Namibian regions that the state of our environment directly affects the state of our minds,” a statement by Blue Santa states. “When you clean your environment, you clean your mind. Every piece of litter picked up today was also a piece of hopelessness removed from our community. A clean beach says: this place matters. And if this place matters so do the people in it,” Elago Nantana, Chairperson of the Delivery Room Foundation said.
“Namibia holds the highest suicide rate in Africa. 82% of those who die are men. Environmental action, community connection, and shared purpose are not separate from mental health they are mental health. Today proved it,” the Blue Santa organisers remarked. The volume of waste and area which was covered in a single morning are labelled by Blue Santa as both a triumph and a reminder. “Litter accumulates on our coastline every day. Marine pollution does not take weekends off. And the habits that bring waste to our beaches littering, improper waste disposal, single-use plastic require sustained public education, not one annual event,” the statement reads.
The Delivery Room Foundation calls on all Namibians and all visitors to Swakopmund to carry the Blue Santa spirit beyond 18 July:
• Do not litter on our beaches or in our communities ever.
• Dispose of cigarette butts in dedicated bins. They are the most collected item on beaches worldwide and among the most toxic.
• Carry a bag when you visit the beach. If you see litter, pick it up. You do not need a costume or an event to make a difference.
• Teach children that the beach is not a bin. Environmental habits begin at home, at school, and on the street.
• Support local cleanup initiatives. Join the next Blue Santa event in 2027. Volunteer. Mobilise your school, your company, your church.
“A clean beach does not stay clean by itself. It stays clean because a community decided to take responsibility for it. We made that decision today. Now we must keep making it every day,” Elago Nantana concluded.
The Delivery Room Foundation extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Swakopmund Municipality for their partnership, waste bags, gloves, and post-event collection. To NPO Umisakura in Japan for bringing this movement to Africa. To Wakapinya Environmental Education and every volunteer, family, and community member who showed up. And to the media for helping carry this story to Namibia and the world. “Blue Santa Namibia 2026 was a beginning. We will be back in 2027 bigger, louder, and with more of you.”
By Marshallino Beukes
