Stefanus Nambara
NKURENKURU – Nkurenkuru Combined School learners have come to the rescue of an unemployed disabled woman at the town by donating food items and other necessities.
After winning a class tournament earlier this month, and walking away with prize money of N$500, the grade 10E class learners approached their class teacher with an idea that they’ll not spend the prize on themselves but use it to assist a needy person in the community.
After this, they identified 34-year-old Filomina Reporutu, a disabled single parent as their beneficiary.
But because the money was not enough to cater for most of Reporutu’s needs, the learners through the leadership of their class teacher, Joy Earnest brought the idea of assisting Reporutu to the attention of their school management, and the mayor’s office, who made a collective effort to
assist.
Through contributions from the two school’s staff members and the prize money, an amount of N$4 276 was raised as well as a blanket worth N$500. Meanwhile, the mayor’s office sourced for a donation of a wheelchair and a portable toilet for disabled people.
The money was used to buy food items, a mattress, toiletries, cooking and eating utensils, a school uniform for Reporutu’s daughter and other necessities.
“As a school, it’s our responsibility to link with the community in terms of teaching our learners the spirit of caring. The world can be a better place if we all have hearts of caring for one another,” said Karina Ndango, the head of department for languages who spoke on behalf of Nkurenkuru CS.
Meanwhile, Earnest said he did not expect his learners to have such an idea as he expected them to opt for spending the prize money on snacks.
“The feeling was really amazing, especially when it comes from your learners that you are supposed to teach but instead they teach you some humanitarian behaviour,” an emotional Earnest said.
Reporutu lives with her only child, an 11-year-old girl – who is a school learner. Although she was not born disabled, Reporutu could not remember exactly when she was struck by misfortune.
She could, however, remember how the ordeal that caused her lose the use of her legs started. She has for many years now been subjected to crawling.
Due to her condition, she can neither cook nor fetch water, thus making her depend on her daughter and also her neighbours who would assist when her daughter is at school.
A happy Reporutu, expressed gratitude for the assistance, saying: “I am really grateful seeing this crowd of people here and for what they brought for me. I am no more going to suffer like before by crawling,” she noted.
Although Reporutu receives a government disability grant, it is not enough to cater for all her needs. She is, therefore, appealing to good Samaritans to construct for them a decent shelter as they currently sleep in a makeshift structure covered with a huge plastic sheet on the sides.
“It is a decent shelter that I am really in need of. The one I have now gets flooded when it rains,” she said.
Jafet Muti, the mayor of the town who also sympathised with the woman, reiterated that it is good to be rendering a helping hand, saying it would help build a better Namibia.