In an act that goes beyond the call of duty and charitable giving in the festive season, a group of 14 employees at Bank Windhoek are putting smiles on the faces and a roof over the heads of a mother and her triplets this Christmas.
The group acted in response to an article that appeared in a local daily last month, in which Orpa Tengee, a domestic worker who earns around N$740 per month, made a public plea for assistance in caring for her now 5-month old sons and daughter.
Putting their company’s slogan – ‘together we do better’ – to action, the group came together two weeks ago to discuss how they could make a difference in the lives of Orpa and her triplets. Their consensus was to build the family a home, which they handed over on Thursday afternoon. The family’s plot, located in the informal settlement of 8de Laan in Otjomuise, was provided to Orpa by the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia.
So what inspired the Bank Windhoek team? ‘This is not the first project that we’ve come together to do, and we’ve actually been supporting Hillside Primary School in Goreangab in various small ways,’ says Fillimon Ngairo, one of the group members. ‘Giving something to Orpa and the triplets is our Christmas initiative. We just wanted to take some time off and give back to the community in a special and significant way, and to make sure the kids have a roof over their heads.’
Spreading the Christmas spirit, the group engaged their colleagues in making personal contributions to the initiative; and with a N$10 000 boost from the corporate department, and contributions from more than 60 bank employees, N$20 000 was raised. Building the house itself cost the group N$17 000, and the remaining N$3 000 went towards buying nappies, blankets, clothes, and other commodities for the triplets. Members of the group, along with two workers with technical building experience, cleared the plot and constructed the corrugated iron home, with a concrete floor,
Ina Munyama, another of the group’s members, says their support to the family won’t end here. ‘The house is a gift so that the little ones have a place to call home. But this is not a once-off project, and we plan to continue our support to the triplets. In fact, we’re already planning on hosting a function for them when they turn one, and supporting them beyond that.’
Their message for the Christmas season: ‘Wherever we are, having a plate of food in front of us, we must remember that there are others with empty stomachs. Let us reach out and help the needy, ans share what we have. By sharing, we add value to our own lives, and the lives of others. And peace, love and happiness must prevail. Together, we really can do better.’
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