Don’t Brand Children

WITH reference to an article in your March 25 edition, headlined ‘Farmers Support Street Children’: The involvement of the farmers is for us a great encouragement, a sign of hope.

Like a visitor from The Netherlands recently remarked: “If every person in Gobabis who is able to do so, can only do a bit, then there will be no difficulty to care for these children”. Continuous involvement is needed, so all children may enjoy care and stability and not grow up with negative perceptions.In the same breath, we also want to thank the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare in the Omaheke Region, under Mr Kangootui and Mrs.Hiyamutiti, who have shown their involvement with this and other projects for a long time now and recently helped the project Light for the Children with quite a lot of building materials, which will go a long way to enable the community to build a structure, making use of its own members and in that way encouraging involvement of elders with children.A last note: we are trying to move away from the term “street children”, as this represents the result of circumstances, that which you see in town and does not tell the whole story, and moreover brands children.We would rather stick to the term orphans and vulnerable children, so we may be looking forward in hope.Rev G H Olwage Co-ordinator Light for the ChildrenContinuous involvement is needed, so all children may enjoy care and stability and not grow up with negative perceptions.In the same breath, we also want to thank the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare in the Omaheke Region, under Mr Kangootui and Mrs.Hiyamutiti, who have shown their involvement with this and other projects for a long time now and recently helped the project Light for the Children with quite a lot of building materials, which will go a long way to enable the community to build a structure, making use of its own members and in that way encouraging involvement of elders with children.A last note: we are trying to move away from the term “street children”, as this represents the result of circumstances, that which you see in town and does not tell the whole story, and moreover brands children.We would rather stick to the term orphans and vulnerable children, so we may be looking forward in hope. Rev G H Olwage Co-ordinator Light for the Children