Bridge of Hope helps kids defy steep odds

"One day, I overheard teachers in the staff room talking about a boy. No one wanted him in their class, and I said, bring him to me so we can talk. We cried together when he told me, &#039;What&#039;s the use of going to school every day when I come home to nothing to eat? I have to scratch through the trash at the shopping centre in the hopes of finding something to eat,&#039;" said Eugenia Gcilishe, founder of the Bridge of Hope soup kitchen in Katutura. "I never forgot his words, and after leaving the classroom for good, I started doing something about the situation of so many children in the community."Learning from learnersEugenia began teaching in South Africa at the age of 19. When she was 24 and married, she came to Namibia. "My mother-in-law was one of the first nurses to come to South West Africa. So one day, my husband said, &#039;I was born in Windhoek, but I have no idea what it looks like there. Let&#039;s go see.&#039; In 1974, we moved there."Eugenia couldn&#039;t speak Afrikaans, so she went to the city hospital to apply for a job. "However, the matron said there was no way, and she called someone. It was her husband, who was a director for the schools. I went to see him, and three days later, I started at the now junior secondary school Goreangab. I couldn&#039;t speak a word of Afrikaans, and the children helped me, saying, &#039;Miss, you must say it like this.&#039; I sat every night until midnight, preparing lessons and hoping they were right and the children would understand. I taught myself in the evenings." She quickly realised that there was a need and that many children came to school hungry.""Children were fainting, and when I talked to them, they said there was no food at home. I started sharing my lunchbox with them. That&#039;s when my passion to help the children began."After spending 30 years at the same school, she resigned to care for her sister in South Africa. Upon her return, she thought about the boy in her classroom and began working on the Bridge of Hope soup kitchen.Filling empty platesShe initially provided sandwiches, fruit and juice for 50 children."The idea was for them to eat it at home the next day after school, but they came back and said the bread was already eaten when they got home. I realised I needed to cook food, and they should eat here."In October 2010, she put her pots on the stove and started cooking for 60 children. Today, 142 children come to eat at her place five times a week."I started using my own money and prayed that the Lord would connect me with people who would walk the path with me."Searching for connectionsIn 2013, the health ministry supported her for a year. She also wrote a letter to all Namibian embassies abroad."One day, I received a call from a woman representing a Dutch organisation here in Windhoek, and she had received the letter from the Netherlands. She came to visit and said she wanted to tell her pastor about me. The organisation also supported me greatly."The woman told her pastor about Bridge of Hope, and he placed a large cardboard box in the church, asking his congregation to donate something every month."The pastor also told Christo de Jager from the Windhoek Country Club Resort about me, and that&#039;s how our relationship started."Helping handIn May 2023, Christo offered the help of the Country Club."The first thing they did was provide beautiful plates, cups and spoons for the soup kitchen. After that, they gave us chairs. They also assist us with food every month," Eugenia said."The assistance we provide is usually for a year due to our budget. Eugenia called me and said that she had a challenge with two of the boys. Freddy needed a taxi fare to get to Jan Möhr Secondary School. I spoke with Tony Boucher, the CEO of Windhoek Country Club Resort, and he approved the transportation funds. Geraldo needed textbooks, and once again, I spoke with Tony, and he agreed," said Christo, the financial controller of the Windhoek Country Club.Rewarding the human spiritEugenia has known Frederick (Freddy) Shimonene and Geraldo Levi since Grade one, when they first visited the soup kitchen."Bridge of Hope only supports children who go to school. I&#039;ve known them for so long, and both of them were prefects in primary school. They were never naughty, always looking out for the other children. I knew that one day they would be exemplary men – men who just need to break out of their circumstances, men who just need a chance. So I spoke to Christo about them."Christo, after several discussions with the young men, spoke to Tony, who agreed to grant both of them a full scholarship."This is the first time we&#039;re awarding a scholarship. Both come from challenging circumstances and neither has ever given up. They didn&#039;t stop at grade 11; they went on to do grade 12. The scholarship is not a reward for academic excellence; it&#039;s a reward for human potential. If they come back to the community and inspire other children to break the cycle of poverty, that&#039;s all we want," said Christo.Inspired by MandelaFreddy Shimonene is 19 years old, and last year he completed his Grade 12 AS level with 36 points. He also scored the highest points in entrepreneurship in his grade."My life wasn&#039;t easy. After an accident at her workplace, my mom was classified as a person with a disability, and no one wanted to hire her afterward. My dad is a Congolese citizen who didn&#039;t always get a visa to visit. I saw him very little. My mom always said I had to study and get us out of this location."Nelson Mandela said: Education is the key to success. It&#039;s still on my wall. Everything drove me to get out of these circumstances. My environment, the kids around me who don&#039;t take education seriously, my mom who wants me to get her out. Mr. Christo and Boucher are giving me the opportunity to study. With every subject I wrote in my final exam, I just thought scholarship and it pushed me to do better, to persist."Freddy will study business management at NUST for three years.The human connectionGeraldo Levi, an 18-year-old, will study tourism and hospitality at NUST for three years."I was born here in the location. My circumstances inspired me to do well in school and to want to do something with my life. My dad works as a cleaner at a school, and my mom is unemployed. We live in a two-room house, and all of this drove me. That and my faith. Since I could read, I&#039;ve been reading the Bible. It motivates me."He completed grade 12 AS with 41 points."I&#039;m going to study tourism because it&#039;s the largest employer worldwide. I also think about the future, and artificial intelligence (AI) will take away many job opportunities from people, but tourism, tour guides, people who receive someone at the hotel cannot be replaced by AI."His advice to other young people in difficult circumstances is "never to give up, regardless of your circumstances or what you&#039;re going through."Remember, God is with you."

Bridge of Hope helps kids defy steep odds

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Bridge of Hope helps kids defy steep odds

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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