A group of young Namibians have started a heart-warming initiative where they provide food to vulnerable children in the in Windhoek’s informal settlement of Havana.
Known as the Porridge Storage, the initiative is feeding over 500 children every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Composed of mostly students and a mother (Mee Ndaafa) the group are sustaining their initiative through own savings.
Gishela Shikongo, a member of the soup kitchen project said charity is compassion.
“Charity is giving to the next person not because I have in abundance but because of love, charity is giving without expecting in return because the person I am giving to is not in the capacity to give me back, charity is putting a smile on somebody’s face and giving hope, charity is love,” she said.
The group envisions to see zero hunger in children all over the country.
Although determined, they still face innumerablechallenges as the number of children increase.
“The most heart-breaking challenges we have encountered are when we have to send back children home because the food isn’t enough. Wefeed around more than 500 children now,” said Shikongo.
Shikongo added that on some occasions they have life skills teachers at rural Windhoek who call them to donate sanitary pads.
“People look at us as vibrant and energetic young people, so they expect more from us, but our hands become short in giving because the donors are few,” she said.
Shikongo further said that the feeding programme has been affected by Covid-19 as they tend to get new children everyday due to job losses and some children become orphans.
“We find ourselves inconvenient especially food not being enough. Most of our donations come from Good Samaritans who are individuals taking from their personal pockets. There is no consistency as they are also struggling to make ends meet. Covid-19 have affected everyone both financially.”
Shikongo said they would like to see more young people especially the youth involved in such initiatives.
“Through serving you realise your purpose in life. Serving opens various doors for you and we would like all youth from all corners of the country to start with the little they have and make a change in their communities. You don’t need much to start,” she explained.
“Try sacrificing your lunch to somebody you don’t know or somebody you know that doesn’t have. In that manner we will rise to give hope to the girl child and boy child of Namibia. Give the child the hope to pursue their dreams.”