A loving home
Charles Dickens once wrote the following: “There were two classes of charitable people: one, the people who did a little and made a great deal of noise; the other, the people who did a great deal and made no noise at all.”
Both ‘classes of people’ still exist today – each of us can ask ourselves: “Which group do I want to belong to? Which group do I want to be remembered as belonging to?”. Rosa Namises, the founder of the Dolam Children’s Home, would never answer that question truthfully – she’s too humble. However, her actions clearly show that she belongs to the second group. In essence, you have to force her to tell about her activities. She has given up everything she had/has for vulnerable children. Her job, her home, her comfort space, and her choices. Her life is no longer lived using an “I,” but a “we.” The Children’s Home was founded to ensure that the children of Katutura (in Namibia), have a place that they can call home. A place where they can feel safe and secure, a place where they have a sense of belonging. Since I was in Namibia last, a lot of change and development has taken place. I'd like to share some of the activities with you.
When I visited the Children’s Home last, the children were living in her home. She had transformed her individual home into a place for the children – leaving her with one single room that she could call “her own.” For more than 15 years, she shared her space with the children; however, over time saw a need to accommodate more children. Being a strong and independent woman, she bought a plot in the nearby area. She started a fundraising project to be able to build the children a larger home, with a larger space for recreation and play. The result is beautiful! A modern house, fenced to make the children feel safe, and enjoy each other’s company playing outdoors. Also, they have a big living room where they can all be together as a family. Accomplishing this in a country where the economy is not reliable, and where people earn less than needed to survive is no easy task.
Nonetheless, her determination paid off. Most people, when reaching such a milestone, would be content and “take a break.” But, Rosa Namises is not “most people”!
Namibia has had a rise in abandoned children, either dumped at the hospitals or mothers, right after giving birth, leave the baby at the hospital. To attend to this need, she is planning another project. Making use of the extra space on the plot, she has planned to build a home designated only for babies having been abandoned. She will then, together with her team, be able to give them the proper care needed in the most valuable years of their life. Rosa is therefore, starting another fundraiser, and given her past, we have no doubt that she will reach her goal. To get to know Rosa “more in-person”, please watch the video.
We are proud to contribute to supporting a woman helping the most vulnerable group in society - children. We will keep you updated on the fundraiser and the milestones that she reaches along the way.