Thieves steal from orphans

THE Family Hope Service Organisation in Katutura’s Hakahana section was broken into on Tuesday night.

When the caregivers and children entered the hall yesterday morning, they noticed that plastic bags containing the children’s toys, food and other belongings were stacked by the side entrance. Upon further investigation they discovered that the building’s roof had been broken open.The office, storeroom and kitchen were ransacked.All cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils, and almost all the food supplies for the rest of the month were stolen.Foibe Silvanus, a volunteer, said she did not know how they would manage to feed the 70 children in the care of the centre.”Most of the food has been stolen and even the little that we have left is useless, as they took the pots and now we cannot cook for the children.”The Family Hope Service Organisation feeds 70 children daily and also has a school readiness programme and a kindergarten benefiting about 400 orphaned and vulnerable children in the Hakahana community.Another charity worker, Herbert Mtowo, called on the community to do the decent thing and inform on those who had stolen from the poorest of the poor.”This is a community project and hall for the children of the community and the people living around here must take responsibility for their hall and their property and protect it form such robberies and other forms of vandalism,” he said.The people involved with the project now fear that the thieves might return for more valuable items like the fridge, stove, chairs and tables in the hall.The Italian organisation Terre des Hommes – the main sponsor of the Family Hope Service Organisation – immediately responded yesterday by buying bread to feed the children for the day.The organisation will also employ a permanent security guard at the centre.This is merely temporary relief, however.The soup kitchen’s cutlery, crockery, pots and pans still have to be replaced and all donations are welcome.Upon further investigation they discovered that the building’s roof had been broken open.The office, storeroom and kitchen were ransacked.All cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils, and almost all the food supplies for the rest of the month were stolen.Foibe Silvanus, a volunteer, said she did not know how they would manage to feed the 70 children in the care of the centre.”Most of the food has been stolen and even the little that we have left is useless, as they took the pots and now we cannot cook for the children.”The Family Hope Service Organisation feeds 70 children daily and also has a school readiness programme and a kindergarten benefiting about 400 orphaned and vulnerable children in the Hakahana community.Another charity worker, Herbert Mtowo, called on the community to do the decent thing and inform on those who had stolen from the poorest of the poor.”This is a community project and hall for the children of the community and the people living around here must take responsibility for their hall and their property and protect it form such robberies and other forms of vandalism,” he said.The people involved with the project now fear that the thieves might return for more valuable items like the fridge, stove, chairs and tables in the hall.The Italian organisation Terre des Hommes – the main sponsor of the Family Hope Service Organisation – immediately responded yesterday by buying bread to feed the children for the day.The organisation will also employ a permanent security guard at the centre.This is merely temporary relief, however.The soup kitchen’s cutlery, crockery, pots and pans still have to be replaced and all donations are welcome.