LÜDERITZ – Lüderitz town council chief executive officer Aunie Gebhald has taken up the plight of a 14-month-old disabled infant, and is now urging others to chip in with material assistance for the child.
The infant, Shiwoovanhu Ndatoolewe Nepolo, has problems with growing, and can neither see nor hear and has a physical appearance of a three-month old baby.
The infant and the mother, 21-year-old Julia Haikondja, arrived in Lüderitz a month ago, and approached the town council for assistance.
The plea for help touched Gebhald’s heart, so much so that she immediately arranged for the little girl to see a private doctor, who in turn asked that the girl be seen by a specialist.
However, the N$900 consultation costs alone for a specialist are high for the unemployed Haikondja. This prompted Gebhald to publicly ask for help on behalf of Haikondja, saying all donations must be forwarded to the town council’s office, which is facilitating the initiative.
Haikondja gave birth to Nepolo in the Engela State Hospital on August 25 2013, and she was discharged without having any idea about her child’s disability, until the child was seven months, when she took the child to Oshakati hospital.
Haikondja and her baby moved to Lüderitz one month ago, and she has been looking for help since she is unable to find work to support her child.