WINDHOEK-What started off as a donation of a red little car to an orphanage, turned out to be a vital lifeline for disadvantaged recipients.
This is the way in which Standard Bank Namibia’s Toyota Yaris vehicle donation five months ago is helping the 30 orphans and vulnerable children of the Omaruru Children’s Haven. Today the car is serving as vital transport for the children and housemothers to hospitals for regular medical check-ups. “The little red car is used on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to go to Windhoek to drive some of our four-year-olds to speech and occupational therapy, which unfortunately is not available in Omaruru,” says the Manager of Haven, Andreas Moeckel.
Moeckel adds that from management’s perspective the car’s main benefit to Haven’s children is the dramatically reduced fuel costs. “We used to have a Nissan Primastar bus which guzzled twice the amount of fuel and has long broken down. However, saving 50 percent in fuel expenses frees up money in other areas, a welcome gesture. If it were not for the little red car we would be struggling a lot with all the other logistical issues of hospital trips and sourcing food. Given the quick means of transport, the four house mothers at the Haven have more quality time with the kids and all the children are receiving adequate health care at any given time,” says Moeckel.
The car is also used to take the blind Principal of the Haven Lazarus Musambani on work related errands in and around town.
The Omaruru Children’s Haven caters for children between the ages one to eighteen years of age who are infected and affected by HIV/Aids, street children, victims of abuse and neglect or children with critically-ill parents.