What we do
After school care
From Monday to Friday we take care of 40 children who grow up in poverty. The after-school care focuses on the most vulnerable children in Rehoboth. Children whose parents are absent due to death, alcohol addiction or really do not have the resources / ability to offer their children what they need. Every day the question is whether these children get something to eat at home. After school, these children come to us for a hot meal, guidance with their homework, to play and for various activities such as archery, crafts, arithmetic or reading. We also try to help them practically where necessary.
Sunshine Club
In addition to the children who need both emotional and practical help, there are also many children who have a parent who gives the child attention and love, but who lack the finances to provide a daily meal and the materials needed to to go to school. These are children who come to us on Fridays, together with the children from the after-school care. This group of 20 children receives a food package from us every second week and we also provide the resources needed to go to school. Because we see them weekly, we can keep a close eye on how they are doing. Friday looks different from other days. During the sunshine club, only children of primary school age come. We sing together, listen to a Bible story, eat a hot meal and do activities such as creativity and games. A very nice and pleasant afternoon.
Lighthouse Youth
We organize teen evenings for the teenagers. Every Friday at 4 pm the teenagers come to us. In terms of target group, it resembles the Sunshine club. Teenagers who desperately need practical help. They also receive a food package every second week and are provided with the materials needed to go to school. The teenagers who come to after-school care during the week are also present during these evenings. We start the program with a game. Then we eat together, have time for worship and reflect on a Biblical theme.
Hostel
There are children in Rehoboth whose home situation is so bad that it would be better for them to live elsewhere. These children first came to the after-school care, but unfortunately this help was not enough. A hostel is a place next to the school where children live. At the moment we have 18 children who go to hostels. We make sure that their hostel money is paid, that they have a school uniform, bag and materials and they also receive toiletries every month.
Practical skills
Many of our children have difficulty learning, but are good with their hands. By offering different skills, the children can discover what they like and also what they are good at. This way they can develop further. At the moment we do this on a small scale by offering different skills for a short period of time. Think of: archery, agricultural project, sports, sewing, dance and music. We hope to expand this project in the future.
Young & Pregnant
We are setting up a training for pregnant young girls. We want to prepare them for the arrival of their child through this training. Teenage pregnancies are unfortunately common in Namibia. Many girls have no idea what is good to do during pregnancy and afterwards. We think it is important that they are well informed, so that their children will hopefully have a different start. We see that many younger girls do not have the resources necessary to care for their baby after birth. We are currently (in collaboration with the Mommaluv Foundation) issuing packages for newborn babies, to make the start of this baby a bit easier. In the future, we will only hand out these packs after completing the training.
Social work
Our children grow up in difficult circumstances. In order to change the situation of the children, something will also have to change at home. This is why we have contact with the parents. We try to include them in their child’s process through training, advice and also being a listening ear. We also have a lot of contact with the local schools and the social workers in Rehoboth, in order to offer support and initiate change together.