Alvine Kapitako
Windhoek-Moved by the number of vulnerable children in their community, two people were moved to start a welfare organisation that feeds and cares for those who would otherwise not be in a position to care for themselves.
Katrina Nguvauva and Walder Pakarae founded the Katrina Nguvauva welfare organisation seven years ago.
“We support care for the elderly, orphans, street children, people with disabilities and those affected by HIV/AIDS,” said Nguvauva. The organisation feeds these people three times a week at the Katutura Community Hall.
“I do not like to see people suffering – that is what moved me to start doing this,” Nguvauva said.
In serving the vulnerable members of society, Nguvauva said she has made it her goal to encourage children to stay away from alcohol. “We encourage children to stay out of trouble and focus on their studies,” added Nguvauva.
On special occasions such as Christmas and Independence Day, Nguvauva and Pakarae together with their team make the elderly feel special by washing their clothes and trimming their nails and hair.
“As you can see there are a number of shacks here – that is where we house the children who do not have a place to stay. We are thirty-two in total, of these eighteen are children,” said Nguvauva who lives in Katutura Central Constituency.
Despite having sponsors, the duo appealed for more people to come on board, saying that taking care of the needy comes with the challenge of a lack of resources. “We are thankful to all our sponsors,” they both said.
New Era visited the welfare organisation last week when it received a donation of 100kg of meat from a business organisation.
“Being a business person I thought of giving back to the community and there was no better organisation than this one because they care for the needy,” remarked Teppy Ngaizuvare, who made the donation.