Community Center

Following the completion of our major school construction project (Treehouse Academy) in December 2021, we had the time to dedicate ourselves to a new large-scale project. The idea of a soup kitchen in Rundu, where we could not only provide food for children in need, but also create leisure activities and community spaces, had been with us for some time. However, we were faced with the obstacle that we would not be able to run such an organisation from Germany.

During our trip through Namibia in February/March 2022, we met many inspiring and committed people, including the members of the non-profit organisation Ithemba. We realised that we had similar goals and together we started to develop the vision of a place to come together, a community centre. Thus begins the exciting journey of concept development, financing, land search and construction planning.

The Community Centre aims to meet the needs of the community in Rundu, especially those of financially disadvantaged children and young adults. At the heart of the Community Centre is a soup kitchen and the provision of sanitary facilities. In addition, we are building facilities that can be used for recreational programmes, educational seminars, psychological support, talent development, homework supervision and other initiatives.

The Community Centre will be run by the community for the community. The community is therefore involved in the planning and implementation from the outset. Cooks, teachers, educators, psychologically trained staff, craftspeople, artists, musicians, students, parents, support staff - anyone who wants to contribute is welcome. Our Namibian partner association Ithemba is responsible for coordinating the initiatives and managing the Community Centre.

Rundu is the second largest city in Namibia in the economically weak north of the country. The inadequate number of schools and jobs, limited government support and severe inequality between rich and poor have led to poverty, malnutrition, poor personal hygiene and resulting health problems in the financially weaker parts of the city. Education remains out of reach for many children, while motivated young people find it difficult to pursue a career due to the poor economic situation. With the Community Centre, which was built near the financially weak neighbourhoods, we want to contribute to tackling these problems and offer the community a place of mutual support.

The Community Centre is located on the outskirts of Rundu, close to the financially disadvantaged areas of the city. In collaboration with a local architect, we constructed a building with a kitchen and covered dining area as well as sanitary facilities so that visitors to the Community Centre have access to toilets and showers.

After purchasing the land, clearing and levelling it, we were able to lay the water pipes at the end of 2022. This was followed by the construction of the soup kitchen and sanitary facilities. The photovoltaic system was then installed and a wall was built to protect the property. The facility also has two water tanks to bridge water supply outages, which are a regular occurrence in the area.

The construction of the Community Centre was financed by Conambiki through donations from private individuals and companies. Our Namibian partner association Ithemba is responsible for the management and operation of the Community Centre. Ithemba is in contact with local companies to cover the running costs for food for the soup kitchen, operating materials and other expenses.

The core of the Community Centre is the soup kitchen, which provides hot meals for children and young people from the surrounding area. The sanitary facilities on the site are freely available to ensure basic hygiene.

In addition, the idea is to offer a wide range of activities, including homework supervision, a painting and craft area, handicraft courses, singing and music meetings and leisure programmes such as football and gardening. Our partner association Ithemba is responsible for implementation, as we rely on local initiatives and volunteer work and do not want to take on a leading role as a foreign organisation. We have therefore handed over the Community Centre to Ithemba and look forward to seeing the community grow in the future.