The Children Begin to Arrive!

The Green Family – SOS Children’s Village Ondangwa is a unique and Integrated Approach Facility, the 1st of its kind in Namibia. The SOS Village consists of twelve Family Houses, a house for Village Manager and another for the Child and Youth Development Co-ordinator, a kindergarten with three classrooms and a kitchen, two guest flats, an  administration building, and an Aunt’s House. 

Furthermore, opposite the SOS Village is a Community Play Ground which was cleared and levelled by Ondangwa Town Council whereas SOS Children's Villages Namibia will develop the site.

Staff

• 12 SOS mothers. 
• 3 Kindergarten staff (KG Principal, Teacher & Cook)
• 5 Village Office Staff 
• 1 Family Strengthening Programme Staff

• Although the full capacity is 120 children, currently there are 26 children admitted in the program because of slow admission process from Government Probation Officers.
• 7 houses are operational with children.
• All 12 Family Homes are fully furnished.
   

 SOS Family Strengthening Programme

• They are doing service roll-out to 265 beneficiaries. The majority of the beneficiaries are cared for, by incapacitated care-givers who are suffering from terminally deceases and or single parent systems. 
• There are 5 support group members that help with initial assessments, Family Development Plans and service distributions.

• Many of the children have already lost 1 parent with the second parent terminally ill (AIDS, TB).  Too young to care for their dying parents, SOS Children’s Villages was a logical and necessary placement for them. Several others were neglected, abused and subsequently abandoned.  All the children were in desperate states and had little hope for their survival let alone futures. 
• When we went to collected the children in the small villages, on our way back, the children started to sing “We welcome you” as if they are welcoming themselves to their new live, that was really cute. 
• SOS Children’s Village has alredy become a place of safety and love for them. A few have already become very spontaneous and joyful, while others are still traumatized by their very hard beginning in life. SOS Children’s Villages will work with all of them so that they can soon regain their childhood and sense of hope and happiness.