Education, Nutrition, Health and Safety to 60 Kids

Dear All,

The school year started in January, andmost girls attended the same schools as last year. Queen, Uzuvira and Rosa started their first year of high school and have chosen schools already attended by students from Mammadu, which has proved to be a great convenience for our bus which does not have to lengthen the morning itinerary to take everyone to school!

Queen attends David Bezuidenthout Secondary School, as does Tuisira and Ngunomuna. Uzuvira attends Chairman Mao Zedong High School. Rosa and Benjamin attend Khomas High School. All of these students get transported by Mammadu, however, Jazuvira was not so lucky, she is forced to use public transport as her school, Centaurus High School, is outside the bus route.

Nono continues to attend the Eros Girls school which also includes eighth grade.

The beginning of the new year at Mammadu meant some changes between our students and the staff. Sesiria no longer attends Mammadu as her parents enrolled her in a school in southern Namibia together with her cousin. Kevin’s parents decided to enroll him in a school located on a farm with a hostel north of Windhoek. It was actually somewhat of a punishment for him as his parents said he was naughty and often frequented the streets. He promised he will come back to us next year! He wasn't joking… he left his cell phone as a pledge!

Ashley... our little mouse! Her parents are separated and simply decided to move her to another location with her uncles for family reasons. Our center is in Otjomuise, a suburban district of Windhoek, while Ashley was transferred to Katutura which is too far away to be able to visit Mammadu.

Our Arumas, due to family problems, lives with her older sister in Katutura and hasn't been to Mammadu since June last year. Our hearts broke when we learned they would no longer be attending the center, and we hope things change and come back to us soon!

Since some of the older children left (either to different schools or to high school) were able to accept a few more younger students. Unfortunately, their families were in tough circumstances and we are happy to be able to support the children with healthy food and a safe place to learn and grow. An example is the touching story of Papaki.

 Papaki's story

A mother with two children aged 8 and 4 respectively came to see me in November asking for help. She lived in a tent near Otjomuise and wasn’t able to provide for her children. The 8 year old boy Papaki, did not attend school during 2022 because she could not afford school fees. Additionally, she said she did not have any food for them, so I decided on the spot to allow them to attend Mammadu so they could safely play with our children and have daily meals.

As of January, Papaki attends grade 3 at Otjomuise Primary School, the same school as Gift so they can walk to school together. Clever, the 4-year-old also attends Mammadu, but stays at the center with the smaller children who don’t yet attend school. 

We have 5 new students: Balbina, Chantelle, Nampa, Penda and Shagwana, granddaughter of our cook Meme Dina.

After-school children are looked after by volunteer teachers from the University of Namibia (UNAM) and from Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) with great success.

Meme Julia, mother of our Josia, has also joined us at Mammadu as a new staff member. 

Kindergarten

As for our kindergarten, this year we had more enrollments than previous years. Now the number of kindergarten attendance is almost the same as before the Covid period. We have a total of 25 kindergarteners, 10 more than in the last 3 years! They carry out all the activities prescribed by the Namibian school system and much more. Our volunteers look after the children in the presence of Lydia, a teacher who is currently a volunteer.

Maintenance works

Meanwhile we are consistently doing maintenance work to keep the center at its best, especially with  regards to the plumbing in the bathrooms and kitchen, the appliances and our bus which often throws a tantrum.Plus the handle to our freezer broke and currently barely closes. It survives for the moment, but I don't know how long it will last. As you can see, you can never let your guard down as maintenance is constant to keep Mammadu in full efficiency. 

Petrus Negli USA

"I am Petrus Lukas. Last year I took the opportunity to take part in a youth leadership program which focused on climate action in the United States of America. I picked it up because I believe we all need to do something about climate change and understand how it will affect our future. Getting this opportunity was not easy, because there were many potential candidates from all over the country who wrote amazing essays. Not only was there an essay requirement, I also had to go through an interview with the people at the American embassy.

 About a month before departure I had a lot of support, especially from Mimma who gave me financial assistance for both the passport and other things. She lent me a suitcase and helped me with the Covid vaccine, which was mandatory to go there and with the card and the vaccination certificate: this was a really stressful procedure!!! Furthermore, at the airport she "saved" my departure by promptly sending a message to immigration, otherwise they would not have let me through. For all this I am truly grateful for your help.

 So far, my experience in the United States of America was wonderful, although I find some things a little strange… but I think it is part of the experience.

I stayed in Seattle and got to visit many places and attractions like the Space Needle, and Seattle Tower, which I found amazing.

My adventure continued until March 29!!!"

 UPdate from Mimma: Petrus returned to Windhoek on March 30th (having left on the 9th), super happy with the experience!

 

JOSIA TO BETHANIE VILLAGE 

This is how Josia talks about his philanthropy experience: 

“On March 5th I went to the Bethanie village, one of the oldest settlements in Namibia, located in the southern part of the country, with the club MTD (Make a difference) to open a shop on the street, basically a stall.

From this store,  the inhabitants of the village Bethanie (about 300 inhabitants) can choose items they like, ranging from shoes, shirts, sweaters, trousers. All of the items are free of charge, and they also receive a hot meal. A great opportunity for those living in poverty.

 The experience was so strong that it will stay with me for a very long time, because I felt well inside and generous in giving something that may not mean much to me, but means the world to others. The people have been kind and grateful for receiving donations.

 I made new friendships and had meaningful conversations that lasted for hours. None of this could have happened without the support of Mimma. Thanks for the wonderful experience at this resort! I hope to be able to do more events like this in the future!”

 Mimma: "Petrus and Josia have been very good at looking for and creating these opportunities and they deserved to have experienced them. I am overjoyed to have given them all my support!

 

BIRTHDAYS

Mbau Khaxa (per tutti Nono) 01/01/2005 - A special wish in the first newsletter of the year goes to Nono who turned 18 on January 1st. She is very responsible, willing and teaches the youngest children! Compared to last year, she has integrated much more with the group of after-school students and volunteers..

Barack 02/02/2009 - Barack turns 14. A very beautiful and sociable child. He is quite taciturn but also playful and likes to have fun with his Mammadu friends. He loves to team up with Gift and tease together!

Wake 08/02/20010 - Vaka turns 13 years old. She's a pretty little girl! She is a bit sensitive but recovers quickly if her feelings are hurt. She is very studious and will certainly be successful in the future.

Jazuvira 04/01/2008 - Jazu turns 15. She is playful, always ready to joke. She loves being photographed, and puts a lot of effort into school!

Tuisira 26/01/2007 - Tuisira turns 16. He is a very quiet boy, he speaks very little and when he does he needs a microphone! But he is always smiling. He is very good at school!

Uzuvira 22/02/2008 - Uzu turns 15. She's super cute! She is very talkative and has remarkable singing skills. She sings and dances like a pro, and in company she is the most enterprising.

Viningirua 25/02/2006 - Vini turns 17. She is a very reserved, very intelligent girl. She is committed to school and this will be a very busy year for her because of the exams!

Benjamin 03/03/2008 - Benji turns 15. He's a volcano of sympathy but sometimes he deserves an earful, he doesn't speak, he screams as if he were at the bar!

Vino 05/03/20010 - Vino turns 13. Vino has a very calm character, she likes to study and gets along with everyone! She's very sweet!

Rezelda 03/15/2010 - Rezelda turns 13. She's a beautiful little girl, she really likes to play and prank and tease everyone!

 

HAPPY EASTER FROM MAMMADU

All the kindergarten children and the little ones after school were busy with Easter preparations and made some hand-made crafts to decorate the classrooms and to take to their families.

All together we want to wish you a happy and peaceful Easter!