Cheshire Home: 30 Years oftransforming lives at Katima

For 30 years, Cheshire Home at Katima Mulilo has been a beacon of hope for children with physical disabilities.

This non-governmental organisation, founded in September 1995, provides not just physical rehabilitation, but a loving and supportive home where children can thrive.

The organisation will be celebrating its 30-year anniversary this year.

Physiotherapist Jesse Nehemia recently shared the story of how Cheshire Home has transformed the lives of countless children in the region.

Nehemia said they currently take care of 34 children who attend the nearby government schools, Mulumba Primary School and Saint Kizito College.

“There are no special teachers or special classes at these government schools for children with disabilities. Some children have difficulties with balancing and coordination, hence we have physiotherapy and therapy pool sessions in the afternoon after school with all children,” she said.

Individual wheelchairs are set up according to each child’s specific needs. Any operations, special shoes, braces or prostheses are arranged in cooperation with the local hospital. During school holidays the children go home to their families.

With a staff complement of 12 employees, Cheshire Home sources its mainstream donor funding from Kindermissionswerk in Germany, Cumundo/Interteam from Switzerland and Alma Masana wa Africa from neighbouring South Africa. Locally, the ministries of health, education and gender equality and poverty eradication also chip in, as do a number of local companies.

“We are a charity organisation dependent on donor funding, and for us to keep these donors, we have to fulfil certain obligations with them. They also pay us routine visits to see if we are implementing what we are supposed to implement. Every few months, we have to write extensive financial reports on almost everything happening and how funds are utilised,” stated Nehemia.

Apart from the residential programme that houses and cares for the children in the hostel at the centre, staff members also carry out outreach programmes to different parts of the Zambezi region. The aim of these outreach programmes, according to Nehemia, is to visit all known children with physical disabilities at their homes, especially those who are not housed at Cheshire Home because of the magnitude of their disabilities and other challenges.

“During our outreach team visits, we visit all children including newly identified and those referred by community volunteers, nurses at the clinics or schools, or concerned members of the community. Our team advises the family about the available services and invites the parents and children to come to Cheshire Home for physiotherapy, wheelchair reviews or for the mother and child workshops that take place twice or three times a year,” she said.

Cheshire Home has a database of about 70 children who use wheelchairs.

“The wheelchairs are brought in at least once a year for review. Any damage is repaired, cushions are renewed and if the child has grown, the wheelchair is replaced with a bigger size,” she added.

The mother and child workshops empower mothers with knowledge and skills on their child’s disability.

“These workshops give them a chance to meet each other and learn from us and other facilitators. They also get a chance to hear about each other’s experiences and feel supported and comforted by the fact that they are not alone in their journey,” Nehemia emphasised.

With regards to the nutritional needs of the children, head matron Faustina Annarosa says the centre boosts a sustainable chicken farm sponsored by Caritas Italy, a backyard garden and orchard. The centre also has a playground and a trampoline.
In a bid to raise funds, the centre has a fully operational and registered guesthouse on its premises.

When the children complete their secondary education, they are no longer housed at the centre, but are in constant contact with the organisation for any future engagements regarding their general welfare.

Throughout its three decades of operation at Katima Mulilo, the organisation has housed names who today hold prominent positions in Namibia.

One such notable beneficiary is Chali Matengu, the current head of corporate communications and marketing at the Central North Regional Electricity Distributor (Cenored). Matengu started and completed his secondary education at Saint Kizito College.

Sharing his story, Matengu says he found himself at Cheshire Home through their village outreach programme when their team visited Muyako village in 1995 when he was in Grade 7.

“They spoke to my grandmother who was already worried about how she was going to take care of my secondary education because she had other kids under her care. The following year, in 1996, they picked me up and that’s how I ended up at Cheshire,” Matengu says.

At Cheshire, he met other children in the same position.

“I was exempted from paying school fees and other school-related activities. Cheshire took charge of almost everything, from school uniforms and clothing to toiletries,” he adds.

Though Matengu works full-time at Cenored, he also lectures distance students in the corporate communications field at the Namibia University of Science and Technology.

He is currently also the chairperson of the Board for the National Disability Council of Namibia.

– Nampa