Helping orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:04 am
Dear Jeanne and everyone
Thank you for sharing here about our desperate call for help. I wish to add the following information, which is an excerpt of my correspondence with our supporter the passed 6months, CAFO (Church Alliance For Orphans). Unfortunately the grant is running out mid August.
"We at Childrens Sanctuary Namibia, wish to express our deepest gratitude to the ELMA Relief Foundation and CAFO, for the support of our orphaned and vulnerable children in Drimiopsis, Kalahari Constituency, Omaheke Region.
We wish to express esp 'thank you' to Ms Angela Brand who was always assisting us with kindness and efficiency. She also informed us that the funding will cease in August 2014 . We are heartbroken to hear this and are desperate to search for other means of continuing a well functioning way of uplifting our OVCs (Orphans and Vulnerable Children).
The past 5 months ( we supplied our first meal through CAFO on 11 February, and since then every day Mondays to Fridays) we have accomplished so much and through your support impacted the children's health and physical and emotional well being. Through our core group of 23 volunteers, the daily work was distributed in groups and the children were catered to in an effective and loving way.
Here are some of the benefits noted by all of us working with the children:
-the physical change, children started to look healthier, some put on a little weight
-children's emotional well being was noted too; they started to wanting to go to school; attendance in school was more regular and thus impacting their general grades, which slowly show an improvement.
-runny noses, eye infections, scalp problems etc seem to show improvement.
-isolated orphans showed signs of socialization and some started to speak, and came out of their emotional isolation
-through the regular attendance registering of the children it was easily noted if a child was 'missing' or wounded (as these children are sometimes attacked, bullied, beaten for just no reason....truly vulnerable children with no support. Thus it is our plea and mission to build an ChildCare Facility as soon as possible to provide proper shelter for the most needy ones).
Though CAFO budgeted for 160 children, we always fed more as it was impossible to turn away others starving. Thus our numbers were closer to 300 children a day. Please refer to our attendance registers which were supplied to your good office every month, together with the menues).
Herewith I wish to plead with your good organization and other potential donors, to please support us in any way you can, so we can continue this feeding program for the most vulnerable citizens who are stricken by poverty and hardly have a chance getting out of the restrictions of a resettlement camp. The hopelessness that is imposed onto these young souls is a heavy burden to witness, and a duty upon us to lighten this in the fulfilling of Our Father's Will.
I come to you in humble pleading to please help us."
I share this with everyone as to show how beneficial the soupkitchen is for the children and others in need, and also how desperate our situation is. If you wish to participate and assist us in our efforts, I provide herewith the following information regarding the money we need to raise and also how you can donate. Your loving thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated. Herewith an indication of how much money we need to raise to support our children in the coming months.
Please note that we are also pleading for assistance for sick and elderly people, persons with disabilities and adult Aids/ HIV patients (line 2 in the budget below). We have been bringing to the bedridden patients a soup to their home on a more or less regular basis. This population group often have no middle aged children to take care of them (as many have passed on due to TB, Malaria or Aids). Thus the elderly are as vulnerable as the little ones.
The budget per month as follows: expressed in Namibian dollars:
soupkitchen for children ( close to 300 attending daily) 12 000N$ (1 warm meal per day)
soupkitchen Aids pts, old, sick, handicapped (3x weekly) 5 000N$
rent for office and parcel in garden 65N$
salaries 2 500N$
orphan transportation 250N$
diesel for community tractor for wood collection 400N$
Total monthly estimated expenditure 20 215N$ (close to 2000U$)
We have a group amongst our volunteers who are washing the very neglected children and adult patients, washing their cloths also. We hope to secure funding for personal hygiene items through some interested parties from overseas. Nothing confirmed at this stage.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your heartfelt participation in bringing peace and love to our part of the world, thus we all can heal, bit by bit, heart to heart.
Here is the information on how to donate: You can go to
our website http://childrenssanctuarynamibia.org/
or here http://divine-love-sanctuary.ca/divine-love-project .
If you wish to transfer directly into our bank account at Bank Windhoek, Namibia, please inquire for details by writing to childrenssanctuary at yahoo. dot com.
I wish to thank those who have made a donation already or have pledged their support. You lifting us up, as we turn our souls to Our Father, in deep gratitude for the blessings He is providing us with.
Much love to you all, as we strive to live the Love by loving all. Helge.
Thank you for sharing here about our desperate call for help. I wish to add the following information, which is an excerpt of my correspondence with our supporter the passed 6months, CAFO (Church Alliance For Orphans). Unfortunately the grant is running out mid August.
"We at Childrens Sanctuary Namibia, wish to express our deepest gratitude to the ELMA Relief Foundation and CAFO, for the support of our orphaned and vulnerable children in Drimiopsis, Kalahari Constituency, Omaheke Region.
We wish to express esp 'thank you' to Ms Angela Brand who was always assisting us with kindness and efficiency. She also informed us that the funding will cease in August 2014 . We are heartbroken to hear this and are desperate to search for other means of continuing a well functioning way of uplifting our OVCs (Orphans and Vulnerable Children).
The past 5 months ( we supplied our first meal through CAFO on 11 February, and since then every day Mondays to Fridays) we have accomplished so much and through your support impacted the children's health and physical and emotional well being. Through our core group of 23 volunteers, the daily work was distributed in groups and the children were catered to in an effective and loving way.
Here are some of the benefits noted by all of us working with the children:
-the physical change, children started to look healthier, some put on a little weight
-children's emotional well being was noted too; they started to wanting to go to school; attendance in school was more regular and thus impacting their general grades, which slowly show an improvement.
-runny noses, eye infections, scalp problems etc seem to show improvement.
-isolated orphans showed signs of socialization and some started to speak, and came out of their emotional isolation
-through the regular attendance registering of the children it was easily noted if a child was 'missing' or wounded (as these children are sometimes attacked, bullied, beaten for just no reason....truly vulnerable children with no support. Thus it is our plea and mission to build an ChildCare Facility as soon as possible to provide proper shelter for the most needy ones).
Though CAFO budgeted for 160 children, we always fed more as it was impossible to turn away others starving. Thus our numbers were closer to 300 children a day. Please refer to our attendance registers which were supplied to your good office every month, together with the menues).
Herewith I wish to plead with your good organization and other potential donors, to please support us in any way you can, so we can continue this feeding program for the most vulnerable citizens who are stricken by poverty and hardly have a chance getting out of the restrictions of a resettlement camp. The hopelessness that is imposed onto these young souls is a heavy burden to witness, and a duty upon us to lighten this in the fulfilling of Our Father's Will.
I come to you in humble pleading to please help us."
I share this with everyone as to show how beneficial the soupkitchen is for the children and others in need, and also how desperate our situation is. If you wish to participate and assist us in our efforts, I provide herewith the following information regarding the money we need to raise and also how you can donate. Your loving thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated. Herewith an indication of how much money we need to raise to support our children in the coming months.
Please note that we are also pleading for assistance for sick and elderly people, persons with disabilities and adult Aids/ HIV patients (line 2 in the budget below). We have been bringing to the bedridden patients a soup to their home on a more or less regular basis. This population group often have no middle aged children to take care of them (as many have passed on due to TB, Malaria or Aids). Thus the elderly are as vulnerable as the little ones.
The budget per month as follows: expressed in Namibian dollars:
soupkitchen for children ( close to 300 attending daily) 12 000N$ (1 warm meal per day)
soupkitchen Aids pts, old, sick, handicapped (3x weekly) 5 000N$
rent for office and parcel in garden 65N$
salaries 2 500N$
orphan transportation 250N$
diesel for community tractor for wood collection 400N$
Total monthly estimated expenditure 20 215N$ (close to 2000U$)
We have a group amongst our volunteers who are washing the very neglected children and adult patients, washing their cloths also. We hope to secure funding for personal hygiene items through some interested parties from overseas. Nothing confirmed at this stage.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your heartfelt participation in bringing peace and love to our part of the world, thus we all can heal, bit by bit, heart to heart.
Here is the information on how to donate: You can go to
our website http://childrenssanctuarynamibia.org/
or here http://divine-love-sanctuary.ca/divine-love-project .
If you wish to transfer directly into our bank account at Bank Windhoek, Namibia, please inquire for details by writing to childrenssanctuary at yahoo. dot com.
I wish to thank those who have made a donation already or have pledged their support. You lifting us up, as we turn our souls to Our Father, in deep gratitude for the blessings He is providing us with.
Much love to you all, as we strive to live the Love by loving all. Helge.