Editing Sam Nujoma (section)

==Early life==
Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma was born at Etunda, a village in [[Ongandjera]], near [[Okahao]], [[Ovamboland]], South West Africa, on 12 May 1929.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McKenna |first=Amy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JdCcAAAAQBAJ&q=Samuel+Nujoma+1929&pg=PA128 |title=The History of Southern Africa |publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-1615303984 |page=128 |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313160421/https://books.google.com/books?id=JdCcAAAAQBAJ&q=Samuel+Nujoma+1929&pg=PA128 |archive-date=13 March 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> Nujoma was born to Helvi Mpingana Kondombolo (1898–2008) and Daniel Uutoni Nujoma (1893–1968). His mother Helvi was a [[Uukwambi]] princess by descent, and this fact would later reinforce Nujoma's charismatic influence during his political career.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://afrolegends.com/2025/02/11/so-long-to-sam-nujoma-namibias-first-president/|title=So long to Sam Nujoma, Namibia's first president|website=afrolegends.com|accessdate=March 5, 2025}}</ref> He was the eldest of his parents' eleven children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cowell |first=Alan |title=Sam Nujoma of Namibia Dead at 95 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/obituaries/sam-nujoma-dead.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250209093806/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/obituaries/sam-nujoma-dead.html |archive-date=9 February 2025 |access-date=10 February 2025 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

Nujoma spent much of his early childhood looking after his siblings and tending to the family's cattle and traditional farming activities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sam Nujoma |url=https://archive.org/details/SamNujomaWhereOthersWavered |title=Where Others Wavered |date=2001 |publisher=Panaf Books}}</ref>{{Rp|page=|pages=22–26}} His educational opportunities were limited. He started attending a [[Finnish Missionary Society|Finnish missionary]] school at [[Okahao]] when he was ten and completed Standard Six, which was as high as possible for blacks during the time. In 1946, at age 17, he moved to [[Walvis Bay]] to live with his aunt, where he began his first employment at a general store for a monthly salary of 10 [[shillings]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=26–30}} He later worked at a whaling station. While there he was exposed to world politics by meeting soldiers from Argentina, Norway, and other parts of Europe who had come during [[World War II]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=33}}

In 1949, Nujoma moved to [[Windhoek]], where he started work as a cleaner for [[South African Railways]] (SAR) while attending adult night school at [[St Barnabas Anglican Church School]] in the [[Old Location|Windhoek Old Location]], mainly to improve his English. He further studied for his Junior Certificate through correspondence at the Trans‐Africa Correspondence College in South Africa.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hilukilwa |first=Placido |date=8 December 2008 |title=Namibië begrawe sy volksmoeder |trans-title=Namibia buries her mother of the nation |url=http://www.republikein.com.na/politiek-en-nasionale/namibi-begrawe-sy-volksmoeder.77683.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035145/http://www.republikein.com.na/politiek-en-nasionale/namibi-begrawe-sy-volksmoeder.77683.php |archive-date=22 February 2014 |access-date=4 February 2013 |work=[[Die Republikein]] |language=af}}</ref>