Making the lives of the Namibian youth better
As founding member of ‘Do it for the Kids Namibia’, Robert Haihambo continues to devote himself to advocating for vulnerable children.
17 November 2020 | Columns
Monique Adams
The statement “never forget where you come from” is something Robert Haihambo frequently reminds himself of.
‘Do it for the Kids Namibia’ is a voluntary youth movement that helps the less fortunate children in the community through targeted programmes.
The most important founding members that assisted with the implementation of the pilot programme were grade 11 and 12 learners from Delta High School in Windhoek as part of a life skills project.
Haihambo, the founding member of the movement, convinced other learners to come on board and the concept was born mid-October 2018 in Okuryangava in the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency.
“It all started with a burning desire that turned into a vision; a desire to bring forth change in the lives of less privileged kids in the community. I sought to make this desire a reality by soliciting the cooperation of fellow youth/peers from learners, students and graduates,” Haihambo says.
The ‘Do it for the Kids’ programme was established after members identified a huge gap in the community. When children would return from school in the afternoon, they became involved in unproductive, and often disruptive, activities.
The programme was established to promote the idea of children becoming the “champion in the house” and to assist in children’s development, with specific focus on education, sports and cognitive skills.
The movement aims to bridge the accessibility gap in knowledge among under-privileged children. The aim is to foster development that might otherwise be inaccessible or unaffordable to these children.
“We have 75 registered volunteers, comprising learners, students, graduates and industry professionals. The pool is bigger, but active volunteers are few due to change of location. As our reach grows, we will take advantage of the spread-out pool of volunteers. In the future we will incorporate tertiary students in the programme,” Haihambo says.
Their aim over the next five years is to scale nationally by increasing the capacity in terms of human, financial and technical resources to increase their cooperation with players in the area of children’s development, both locally and internationally, and increasing their impact at the grassroots level of development.
The programme has had its fair share of achievements and struggles but their love for kids and being able to see the impact they have helps them to overcome the challenges.
“Do it for the Kids is not just my baby, and not just the co-founders’ baby, but is our combined platform to change our communities directly, practically and sustainably. To be part of the movement is simple: if you have a desire to change a kid’s life in our core areas or any area you feel passionate about, the platform serves you to impact and nurture that desire into a practical and direct action,” Haihambo says.
If anyone would like to contribute, they can make contact by visiting their Facebook or Instagram pages at DoitforthekidsNamibia, or email by [email protected] or contact the co-founders, Robert at 081 465 9735 and Rauna at 081 417 9507.
The statement “never forget where you come from” is something Robert Haihambo frequently reminds himself of.
‘Do it for the Kids Namibia’ is a voluntary youth movement that helps the less fortunate children in the community through targeted programmes.
The most important founding members that assisted with the implementation of the pilot programme were grade 11 and 12 learners from Delta High School in Windhoek as part of a life skills project.
Haihambo, the founding member of the movement, convinced other learners to come on board and the concept was born mid-October 2018 in Okuryangava in the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency.
“It all started with a burning desire that turned into a vision; a desire to bring forth change in the lives of less privileged kids in the community. I sought to make this desire a reality by soliciting the cooperation of fellow youth/peers from learners, students and graduates,” Haihambo says.
The ‘Do it for the Kids’ programme was established after members identified a huge gap in the community. When children would return from school in the afternoon, they became involved in unproductive, and often disruptive, activities.
The programme was established to promote the idea of children becoming the “champion in the house” and to assist in children’s development, with specific focus on education, sports and cognitive skills.
The movement aims to bridge the accessibility gap in knowledge among under-privileged children. The aim is to foster development that might otherwise be inaccessible or unaffordable to these children.
“We have 75 registered volunteers, comprising learners, students, graduates and industry professionals. The pool is bigger, but active volunteers are few due to change of location. As our reach grows, we will take advantage of the spread-out pool of volunteers. In the future we will incorporate tertiary students in the programme,” Haihambo says.
Their aim over the next five years is to scale nationally by increasing the capacity in terms of human, financial and technical resources to increase their cooperation with players in the area of children’s development, both locally and internationally, and increasing their impact at the grassroots level of development.
The programme has had its fair share of achievements and struggles but their love for kids and being able to see the impact they have helps them to overcome the challenges.
“Do it for the Kids is not just my baby, and not just the co-founders’ baby, but is our combined platform to change our communities directly, practically and sustainably. To be part of the movement is simple: if you have a desire to change a kid’s life in our core areas or any area you feel passionate about, the platform serves you to impact and nurture that desire into a practical and direct action,” Haihambo says.
If anyone would like to contribute, they can make contact by visiting their Facebook or Instagram pages at DoitforthekidsNamibia, or email by [email protected] or contact the co-founders, Robert at 081 465 9735 and Rauna at 081 417 9507.
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