People open hearts to ‘swimming-pool San’

SCORES of people have rushed to the aid of 67 displaced San people living in the old swimming-pool complex at Okahandja after an article on their struggle to survive was published in The Namibian.

The Namibia Red Cross Society and good Samaritans from as far afield as Swakopmund and Germany want to help improve the living conditions of the San. Anna Piet (40), a severely handicapped San woman who had been lying on a blanket on the bare floor, has received a mattress from a benefactor.”For the first time in her life she can now lie on a soft mattress,” said her mother and caretaker, Maatjie Piet.The community has also received seeds and gardening tools.They started a small garden and all was going well until cows wandered into the garden at night and ate all the vegetables.”All our hard work was eaten up overnight,” said Paul Chapman, who started he garden.The community urgently needs material to fence off their garden.Chapman had been a farmworker all his life, but he and his family were evicted from the farm and moved to Okahandja.The San people were living in abject poverty on the outskirts of Okahandja when two local women, Lischen Hoabes and Emma Geingos, found them and decided to help them.They obtained permission from the Municipality for the people to move into the old swimming-pool complex earlier this year.”The San are willing to make a living for themselves, they just need a little help,” said Hoabes.All the San are experienced craftspeople but a lack of materials prevented them from utilising their skills, she said.Anna Piet (40), a severely handicapped San woman who had been lying on a blanket on the bare floor, has received a mattress from a benefactor.”For the first time in her life she can now lie on a soft mattress,” said her mother and caretaker, Maatjie Piet.The community has also received seeds and gardening tools.They started a small garden and all was going well until cows wandered into the garden at night and ate all the vegetables.”All our hard work was eaten up overnight,” said Paul Chapman, who started he garden.The community urgently needs material to fence off their garden.Chapman had been a farmworker all his life, but he and his family were evicted from the farm and moved to Okahandja.The San people were living in abject poverty on the outskirts of Okahandja when two local women, Lischen Hoabes and Emma Geingos, found them and decided to help them.They obtained permission from the Municipality for the people to move into the old swimming-pool complex earlier this year.”The San are willing to make a living for themselves, they just need a little help,” said Hoabes.All the San are experienced craftspeople but a lack of materials prevented them from utilising their skills, she said.