Working at the garden

Metaha Vakwetu/ Good day dear friends

The rain fall is good this year and the garden looks promising. Maize is covering one third of the garden. Pumpkins, butternuts, tomatoes, spinach and carrots cover another portion of the garden. Almost half of the garden is currently being prepared for other vegetables and will be utilized when water is available.

The generator which are pumping water from the bore hole is out of order but a solar energy is been awaited to be instaledl by June this year. This is a donation by private people from South Africa. It will hopefully solve the water problem once and for all.

Fruit trees(papaw, lemon and guava) are also growing well and 1 papaw tree is bearing fruit already.

The children need to be involved at the garden, so that they learn to earn and to give to others in need. They came on Friday and slept in tents at the garden and went back on Monday afternoon. That Monday was a public holiday.

Uharee nawa

Sticks are needed to stabilize the tomato's trees

A girl, hard at work in the garden

Girls are preparing lunch

Tomatoes, few weeks before the harvest

Preparing to go back to school

Anika is gone

Metaha Vakwetu/ Good day dear friends

Anika is eventually gone. Staff members and volunteers went to the Ministry of Health to see her for the last time. Although she volunteered at the Ministry of Health, she gave of her time and love to the children and the bicycle shop project.

The Red Cross benefited a lot from her skills, passion for work and warm personality.

The Omapitiro Weyuva kids and staff wish her a safe journey home and a bright future!

Uharee nawa

From left to right: Rauna, Anika and Kakarandua

Anika and Blaundina

Anika and Monica

A group photo with 2 nurses

Goodbye Anika

Metaha/Good day

The last weekend was a long weekend for independence commemoration and the children went home. There was no class on Friday but some children stayed behind to work in the garden.

A meal was prepared at the garden and we sat around the fire. About 15 children, 2 guys from the bike shop and the OVC project staff gathered at the garden to say goodbye to Anika whose period of service came to an end. The children brought a big poster which they designed for Anika, written "Welcome to Anika".

This was actually a goodbye poster.

We will miss her a lot! We appreciate her contribution at the class and the bike shop!

Karee nawa tu hakaene/ Stay well,till we meet

Kakarandua

Well designed goodbye poster.

A group photo

Around the fire, Rara (Anika's dog) was part of the group

Preparing pap and sausage

Himba Children

Metaha

These are some of the boys from the himba community who joined the Omapitiro wejuva class. Their vulnerability is different from most of the other children in the group.

Why are these children vulnerable?

The government established schools in the rural areas to encourage himbas to send their children to school. While in these schools, children remain in their traditional attires and are not required to pay school fees. The school career of many children ends at the forth year which is the last grade at these schools. The next year is in a formal school where fees need to be paid, toiletries and school wear need to be purchased.

Some parents are not sending their kids to school at all and when some of them are getting older, they decide to go to school by themselves.

The life in school is good until they start in the formal schools.

Most of them will hear the following comment from their parents: 'You decided to go to school on your own, then pay for yourself.'

On the other hand, there are some parents who can hardly afford to pay for school fees.

Some children find casual jobs to help them pay the fees or buy other necessities. Jobs are not always available and so they arrive at the Red Cross office.

For the past 4 years, school fees for almost 25 children were paid with the help of private individuals who made one time donations for the children. As for the donations already received, only next term's fees will be paid and nothing will be left for later terms.

Still hesitating to join the activities.

A committed participant of the Omapitiro weyuva class.

This young man is an orphan. Unfortunately there was no space in the hostel for him, so he is struggling to survive at a good Samaritan's house. The people who took him in are members of the community who didn't want to see him out on the street. He has no family to take him in or to help him go to school.

A letter of appreciation, written by four young men after they were paid for working in the garden. The money will go towards paying their school fees.

These three young men are in urgent need of examination fees so that they can take their grade 12 exams.

Uharee nawa,

Kakarandua

Video show

Metaha

The children were on time this Friday and found everything (TV, DVD and chairs) already arranged by Panz, the new male volunteer for the class. Those who came later found everyone concentrating on Snow White the movie. The children enjoyed the movie and wanted to watch another one.

Watching video

But Blaundina said 'enough'. It was time to work on their journals. The older girls are assisting Blaundina to distribute the journals. And soon everyone was writing.

Time for journals

For the first time in four years, himba children joined the OVC group. Ever since last year 10 boys of 15 years and older joined the group.Their situation is different from the rest of the children and they are also older. You will learn more about them in the next blog.

3 of the older boys

Panz, completed his grade 12 last year and decided to assist with the Omapitiro weyuva class for the time being. He will be the one managing the blog in my absence.

Panz, observing the class

Uharee nawa,

Kakarandua

Computer class

Good day

The first computer class of the year was exiting. The first 10 children took their sit at the youth center computer class under the leading of John, the Peace Corp volunteer. After the welcoming and introduction session, they started with the basic introduction to the computer. Two children shared one computer and learned how to open the computer. They had various games to exercise working with the mouse.

The next class will be next month again. The children enjoyed the computer class and made notes on the things learned.

Computer class

John, assisting the children in the computer class

A group of boys played soccer with Gerhard. He had a great time with them. After the game, they took time to write in their journals. It makes a difference if the boys is having a man supervisor in their midst. Young men will be encouraged to assist in the project.

Playing football in front of the office

The sky is the limit

Another group of girls took turns to read the hygiene booklet. They had a question and answer session on hand washing.

U haree nawa/ Have a nice day

Kakarandua