On a diplomatic mission
Facing life with a fighting spirit
Annastatia Sandlana has overcome many of life's hurdles with determination and an appreciation for the journey.
Annastatia Sandlana has worked at the British High Commission in Windhoek since 2020.She is involved in multifaceted roles, serving as a personal assistant to the high commissioner and deputy high commissioner, as well as the consular officer and IT security officer.
At first, she was unable to work in a normal office setting because she started just as Covid-19 hit, restricting her from seeing her colleagues until months later.
Admitting that it was quite an adjustment, it granted her the opportunity to explore and improve her service delivery obligations. "No work day is ever the same for me", she says.
Growth
"My name is Annastatia, but everyone calls me Stay-C. My grandmother gave me the nickname simply because she couldn't pronounce Annastatia. I've also discovered that many individuals don't know how to pronounce Annastatia correctly. I prefer Stay-C. I was born and raised in Windhoek."
She had always aspired to be a chemical engineer. She completed a bachelor of science with chemical engineering subjects until her third year of university and afterwards followed a career in the sports and development sector as the first full-time national director for the Special Olympics.
She believes sport can function as a vehicle for development and promotes clean sport (i.e., anti-doping). She is an anti-doping education officer who also serves as secretary general of the NUST Welwitschia 77 Athletics Club in her leisure time, and she is an executive board member for Athletics Namibia.
"If someone had told me that I would one day work for a diplomatic mission, I would have said they were lying. However, I like the beautiful adventures that God leads us on, and I am thankful that I have been able to effect constructive social change in the spheres of influence in which I have worked."
Highlights
She says some of her proudest moments include "serving as a judge for the Namibian Sports Awards (2011–2012); being part of a team that developed and implemented a flagship facility – the Katutura Football for Hope Centre – as part of the 2010 Fifa Football World Cup; serving people with intellectual disabilities; receiving the best academic student in her department for first, second, and third years at the Namibia University of Science & Technology (2019–2021); winning a consular scholarship (2022); and finally being 1/2 Namibian participants in the Young African Women Leaders Forum with First Lady Michelle Obama (21–22 June 2011, South Africa).
A fighter
Sandlana is a cancer survivor who has been dubbed resilient, a fighter, and an overcomer.
"I've seen that come to the forefront more since being diagnosed with stage IV cancer. I've become more grateful for life and more intentional about living in abundance, as the Bible says."
Unfortunately, these are some of the physical problems she had to face at work as a result of the side effects of chemotherapy. However, the British High Commission has been outstanding in that they have a people-centred approach in which their responsibility for care is an inherent element of the value system, she explains.
"They don't just talk the talk, but they walk the walk and support their staff, which I appreciate," she emphasises.