Friday, 20 February, was yet another exciting day for Luderitz’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and soup kitchens! Over 20 OVC, parents, and soup kitchen coordinators assembled in the Dance Studio of the Luderitz Youth Centre to receive donations of hygiene products and meal packages from the ever generous Luderitz Church Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) Committee, a branch of the CAFO Head Office. There again to lead the event were Luderitz CAFO Committee Members Rev. Jan Scholtz, Chairperson, and Sr. Elizabeth Wilskut, Volunteer.

After welcoming the crowd and leading a short prayer, Rev. Scholtz and Sr. Wilskut called the OVC up to the front, one by one, to receive their pack of hygiene products (consisting of soap, face cloths, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and Vaseline). The children giggled with delight as they got their gifts, and some were so excited that they quickly scurried off and had to be called back to pose for a picture. Following this the parents of OVC were brought to the front and given additional donations of fortified rice and soy protein meal packages. The Luderitz CAFO Committee made its final gift to three members of local soup kitchens, in order to assist them in their care for the vulnerable; each received at least two boxes of the meal packages, or over 30 kg of food each.

The hygiene products were from an earlier donation from the American Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (reported on last year), while the meal packages were given to CAFO by an American volunteer charity based out of Minneapolis, called Feed My Starving Children. The Deputy Director of the CAFO Head Office, Ms. Nicolette Bessinger, travelled to Luderitz on 10 February to deliver Luderitz’s share of the donation, a whopping 154 kg of food! The Luderitz CAFO Committee gives its most sincere thanks to these charities and the CAFO Head Office for enabling them to give care and support to Luderitz’s OVC.

This set of donations is just one of the many that the Luderitz CAFO Committee has already given and, as always, will continue to give so that our OVC receive the care they need. The committee calls on all community members to look into their hearts and offer their support in this great endeavor. As CAFO’s motto goes, “We want to see all children fulfilling their Godgiven potential,” and thus the committee will not rest until this aim is met.

On the 3rd of Decmber ’08 the American Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has made a large and very generous donation to Namibia’s OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children). The Church gave hundreds of boxes of bedding, clothing, shoes, hygiene kits, school kits, and blankets to the CAFO Head Office in Windhoek, which then distributed them all across the country. Luderitz received its share of these gifts when CAFO Head Office Driver, Mr. Bessinger, arrived in the afternoon of the 3rd with a bakkie full of these boxes of hope. There to receive the donation were several Luderitz OVC and members of the Luderitz CAFO Committee: Revd. J.A. Scholtz, Chairperson, and Sr. Bettie Wilskut, Volunteer.

The donation itself consisted of 2 boxes of clothing, 10 hygiene kits, 5 school kits, and 35 blankets. Revd. Scholtz stated that these supplies will make perfect Christmas gifts for Luderitz’s OVC and that the committee has now distributed all donations to excited youngsters. The boxes allowed Luderitz to get into the Christmas spirit by knowing that our community’s most vulnerable have been given special care.

This donation has not only raised our spirits and given hope to Luderitz’s OVC, but it has also demonstrated the commitment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and of CAFO to improving the lives of all OVC. This event has been highly motivating and encouraging for us, and thus we would like to extend our most sincere thanks to the Church and to the CAFO Head Office for the assistance provided.