Current Projects
The initial project for Reaching the Goal for African Children involves rescuing street children in the town of Rundu, Namibia. Rundu is a growing but impoverished community on the border between Namibia and Angola. As one of the towns in the north of the country, it seems to have been largely forgotten by both the government of Namibia and by tourists. As a result, there is very high unemployment rate – around 40% - and a growing number of children who have no place to find food and shelter. They stay mostly on the streets of Rundu, begging for money to buy food and any other help that they can get from passers-by.
Our work involves finding these children, providing them with food and shelter, enrolling them in school if possible (besides getting an education, being in school provides both food and shelter if the children can be admitted into the school’s hostel program), and staying in contact with them to give them ongoing help and encouragement.
As a secondary project, we also provide school fees, money for books and supplies, clothing, and other necessities at all levels of schooling, all the way up through attending the country’s only university, the University of Namibia.
Future Projects
We want to expand both of these existing programs.
In addition, Reaching the Goal for African Children will help build a center for vulnerable children and their mothers in Rundu, Namibia. As one of our local contacts put it in a letter recently (the English spoken in Namibia is called “Namlish,” and is a variation of American English): “As for children, some of these vulnerable children are without parents or having parents that are never at home or having single parents that are not able to support them. Therefore it will be also a good chance to have these children here.” This center will create a better future for these children and for all in Rundu.