Together with our deep gratitude for your support in 2022, here are some highlights of the achievements your donations made possible. The most important is the completion and opening of the Mother House, a home for 16 orphaned and vulnerable children of Drimiopsis!
Mother House
Left, children dancing at a community celebration of the opening of the Mother House.
Lazarus Musambani, Director of the Omaruru Children’s Orphanage and CSN Board Member, selected 16 of the most vulnerable children from a possible 75 in Drimiopsis, to reside at the Mother House until age 18. His expertise with Ministry guidelines speeded up registering the Sanctuary as a Child Care Facility. With her two children, Belinda Tsuses was hired and moved into the house to become the resident Manager. Lazarus taught Belinda, Chief Ita, and the House Mothers, Viktoria and Katrina, many aspects of their roles. Belinda ensures that Ministry guidelines are followed. As a team under Belinda’s guidance, they provide loving care for the children who are now settled into their new home, enjoying food, shelter, and support in all aspects of life, including school. The youngest children attend Sanveld Kindergarten, while the older ones attend the local public school.
Four children who didn’t know their birthdates or ages, proudly display their birth certificates!
CSN Manager
Belinda Tsuses has been busy this year supervising routines and programs in the House, supervising CSN’s food and garden projects, and cultivating positive relationships with neighbours and merchants from local communities. She has brought CSN and the Sanctuary to the attention of Namibians by inviting their support via media interviews. Since electricity has yet to be supplied to the Moher House, Belinda uses a donated laptop and her cell phone at the home of Theresa Matengu, the High School teacher who co-founded CSN with Helge Mercker and Chief Ita.
Soup Kitchen
The Soup Kitchen remains a vital resource for 120 + orphaned and vulnerable children who receive three meals weekly from a dedicated group of volunteers. Left, orphaned and vulnerable children gather for a special Soup Kitchen Christmas meal, including a meat serving. Each child and volunteer received a Christmas gift of food items.
Kindergarten Food Program
CSNS funds the Sanveld Kindergarten food program, providing two meals daily, five days a week, during the school year for the 55 children in attendance. Left, the children wash their hands before entering their school for a meal.
Sanctuary Garden
Expanding the Sanctuary’s Gardens remains a crucial goal for CSN. CSNS is fundraising to purchase shade netting, a solar panel water pumping system, fruit trees, and fertilizer. Produce from the garden supplements the children’s mealie porridge and lentils diet. Crops of carrots, spinach, and sweet potatoes are grown year-round, while watermelon, mealies, tomatoes, and onions are planted during the summer.
CSNS Board
The CSNS Board welcomes a new board member, Tyler Cresswell. Tyler’s business and marketing knowledge is a valuable resource for our board of retired social workers and teachers. From left to right, Tyler Cresswell, Yvonne de Troye, Diane Mawson, Judy Dunbar, Betty Owen, and Terry Adler. Absent: Helge Mercker, our agent in Namibia.
A note about fundraising
Left: We thank Yvonne for hosting another successful house concert at her lovely home in Tsawwassen, B.C. A special “thank you” to the staff and students of Canyon Heights Elementary School in North Vancouver, BC, for their continued support of the “Pops for Namibia” program. Proceeds from the sale of popsicles support the food program at Sanveld Kindergarten and the Soup Kitchen.
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