Positive Solutions: Namibia 2010: In the City..........

Mount Sinai

A program started by Katutura State Hospital Nurse Christa Biart-Vega, who works in the ARV (antiretroviral) pediatric clinic, Mount Sinai provides HIV counseling, health education, well baby checks, formula, water and sippy cups for 105 babies and their HIV+ mothers. If the child is tested HIV- after 6 weeks of being breastfed, the hospital or clinic refers them to Christa. At this point it is important to discontinue breastfeeding: replacing breast milk with formula means that the baby will remain HIV-. Unfortunately, due to the lack of funds Christa has to limit the number of mothers and babies in her program because it is a commitment to feed each child for six months. Christa did receive land in Katutura for the clinic, but lacks the funds to begin building. Not only will this building be used to continue the program that Christa has started, she also envisions it as a safe place for moms and their children, as well as a hospice for children with AIDS to peacefully die in instead of out on the streets. Your donations will go towards formula, sippy cups, water and overall costs. More money means more women can enroll in the program and with your help Nurse Christa will finally be able to have a building to go along with her amazing, life saving program!

Family Hope Sanctuary

FHS is a community based program run by Abigail Maposa located in the extremely poor settlements of Hakahana. FHS’s program helps in two ways: first, to empower women, most of whom are HIV+, TB, single mothers who are raising orphans; and second, through its school readiness program. This program reaches children who are not in the school system and provides them with an education and a safe place to stay. More importantly, the heart of FHS is its kitchen: it feeds hundreds of children each day, which for most is the only meal they will get that day. Lacking the most basic necessities of life, all of these kids are grateful for such a meal, and are in dire need of a formal education before it is too late. Your donations will go towards education, food, clothes, shoes, water and other necessities. Amazingly, $20 sends a child to school for a whole year (books and uniforms included)!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

In the City..........

Outside the Museum explaining the rules

Playing after lunch at Zoo Park
Shoes and Ice cream

Up the escalator.......Down the escalator...... more icecream!

Eating Lunch at the Park................Last of the food hampers for families at Family Hope Sanctuary.............. The one and only Remarchell at the BNC

Today was an awesome day! We took our children from Hakahana into town to the museum. These children are all orphan or vulnerable kids who live in the informal settlements. They had never been out of their community so this was a new experience for them. None of these kids are in school, but they are all in the school readiness program at Family Hope Santuary. We hired a truck to bring 20 children to town and Mary and I met them at the museum. We were unable to get a guided tour as the woman was busy so we went on our own, which was better. I was a bit worried about my wild , undisciplined children but really had nothing to worry about. They were angels!! They were so completely enthralled with the museum that I don’t remember ever being that excited myself as a child. They loved every moment and were so quiet and absorbed by every display. The museum had a display on each tribe of Namibia. They would look at the displays behind glass and they thought they were real! Most of our kids were Ovambo, so when we got to the display of Ovambo women preparing the mahungu many of the kids tried to enter the glass to help the (fake) women!!! They would bump their heads on the glass and we had to tell them that they were not real!!! It was quite funny and also very sweet! They sat quietly for 30 minutes watching a video of a Bushman hunting. When we finished, they wanted to go around again!!
We then took them to the park in the center of town and they played at the playground while Mary and made a lunch for them. We knew that this was an experience of a lifetime for them and none of us wanted it to end so we walked through the center of town—down through the mall –and decided to take them through the town square and ride on the escalator. The escalator turned out to be better then Valleyfair!!! They were nervous and a bit afraid but we held their hands and got on and went to the top then turned around and went back down- then repeat-up then down! Such a simple thing and yet I don’t think I will ever be able to ride on an escalator again without remembering this day and the joy of these children.
We then took them to the Pep store and bought each child a pair of shoes. We ended the day with an ice cream cone for each child. The ice cream turned out to be a bit of a disaster as many were unable to eat it fast enough before it melted and they were reluctant to throw it away, so they would hold the melting ice cream in their hands! What a mess! Luckily we had wet ones to wash them up before getting back into the truck for home.
After most of the morning and half of the afternoon was gone; Mary and I had not had our fill of children, so we got into a cab and went across town to play with the kids from the Catholic AIDS Relief center or the BNC (as they call it).
A day filled with children-hugs, kisses, laughter-----it doesn’t get any better then this!