Annettes Soupkitchen

Annette lives in Otjiwarongo, a town 250 km north of the capital Windhoek. She became aware of the situation of the street children in her town when several children died while searching for food in the local rubbish dump. Annette then went to the dump and invited all the children to her home, where she cooked them a hot meal.

This experience gave Annette the idea to start a soup kitchen for children in need. Financially, Annette could not do it on her own, so she mobilised a private person to cover the cost of the food. In the beginning, she cooked in her garden for a handful of children. Today, she provides for about 45 children 2-3 times a week in a building financed by Conambiki for this purpose.

We learned about Annette's selfless commitment through indirect channels. In the summer of 2021, when the private donor covering the soup kitchen's food expenses passed away, the future of Annette's soup kitchen was in jeopardy. Fortunately, a supporter of Conambiki, who resides in Otjiwarongo, heard about Annette's project and informed us about the financial gap. Since then, we have been covering the monthly costs of approximately €200. We take pride in our successful collaboration with Annette and look forward to the realization of her ambitious future plans for the soup kitchen. We are in close contact with her and are provided with weekly pictures and videos of the children playing and laughing in the soup kitchen.

We work closely with Annette and support her in expanding her soup kitchen. During a visit by the Conambiki team to Otjiwarongo in April 2022, Annette shared her desire to construct a small building in her garden to provide shade for the children during the hot summer months. Additionally, she envisioned a space where the children could spend time together beyond just having meals.

After we promised Annette our financial support, she immediately started planning while her husband set about constructing the building. By June 2022, the new soup kitchen was already up and running, consisting of three rooms: a dining room, a small bathroom with a shower and toilet to provide the children with basic hygiene measures, and a quiet room that is also used for communal activities such as singing and Bible studies. This step fulfilled Annette's dream and now allows her to invest her energy and love in this place where she can care for the children in a safe environment. Tables and chairs were also added here in summer 2024 so that all the children now have a place to work. Annette's soup kitchen is also supported as part of our yearly Christmas project with school starter packs and small surprises for the children.

We also use the infrastructure created at the soup kitchen in Otjiwarongo to promote education. This is not primarily about traditional knowledge transfer, but about basic skills such as social interaction and teamwork. In the premises of Annette's soup kitchen in Otjiwarongo, we offer small and accessible workshops where children are supervised and supported by volunteers after school.