Hope for the destitute

THE Hope Village being built in Katutura is the first one in Namibia and only the second in the world.

The other one is in Johannesburg, South Africa. The village is a charity organisation which cares for the destitute, terminally ill adults and children with HIV-AIDS.Their primary function is to serve as an inpatients hospice facility, which offers comprehensive medical, nursing, psychological, social, spiritual, educational and occupational care, through a multi-disciplinary team.After working with Mother Theresa in Calcutta and later seeing the multitude of orphaned and destitute children in Namibia, Pastor Marietjie de Klerk wanted to help and in 2004 started the Hope Village.About 200 000 children are orphaned by HIV-AIDS and the number is growing daily.”We believe that every Namibian child can have a home and that every HIV-AIDS sufferer can live out his or her last days surrounded by love, care and dignity.We believe that Hope Village is a big step in that direction,” said De Klerk.When completed, the Hope Village will offer hospice accommodation for adults, children and babies, cluster accommodation for mothers and their children, a HIV community clinic, a pharmacy, a trauma centre with counselling and home-based care.Training will also be provided for nurse caregivers, counselling, HIV awareness and child care.The hospice will provide 24-hour nursing, medical care, psychological and spiritual care to the people.The day clinic will have an outpatient facility and those in need will be helped with medication, food parcels, clothing and counselling.The Hope Village will also offer soup kitchens, after-school care and programmes and a sports ministry to the community.The village hopes to be self sustainable through food production, the sale of arts and crafts and a second hand shop among many others.A bricklaying ceremony was held on Friday for the Hope Village and at the event people could buy bricks for N$10.The N$10 includes the cement, sand and labour needed to build with the brick.Bricks to the value of N$105 500 were sold and this will ensure that the Hope Village construction continues as planned.It is expected that the first house will be finished within a month and then the first six children will be able to move into their new home.The village is a charity organisation which cares for the destitute, terminally ill adults and children with HIV-AIDS.Their primary function is to serve as an inpatients hospice facility, which offers comprehensive medical, nursing, psychological, social, spiritual, educational and occupational care, through a multi-disciplinary team.After working with Mother Theresa in Calcutta and later seeing the multitude of orphaned and destitute children in Namibia, Pastor Marietjie de Klerk wanted to help and in 2004 started the Hope Village.About 200 000 children are orphaned by HIV-AIDS and the number is growing daily.”We believe that every Namibian child can have a home and that every HIV-AIDS sufferer can live out his or her last days surrounded by love, care and dignity.We believe that Hope Village is a big step in that direction,” said De Klerk.When completed, the Hope Village will offer hospice accommodation for adults, children and babies, cluster accommodation for mothers and their children, a HIV community clinic, a pharmacy, a trauma centre with counselling and home-based care.Training will also be provided for nurse caregivers, counselling, HIV awareness and child care.The hospice will provide 24-hour nursing, medical care, psychological and spiritual care to the people.The day clinic will have an outpatient facility and those in need will be helped with medication, food parcels, clothing and counselling.The Hope Village will also offer soup kitchens, after-school care and programmes and a sports ministry to the community.The village hopes to be self sustainable through food production, the sale of arts and crafts and a second hand shop among many others.A bricklaying ceremony was held on Friday for the Hope Village and at the event people could buy bricks for N$10.The N$10 includes the cement, sand and labour needed to build with the brick.Bricks to the value of N$105 500 were sold and this will ensure that the Hope Village construction continues as planned.It is expected that the first house will be finished within a month and then the first six children will be able to move into their new home.