Children Life Changing Centre provides safe haven for vulnerable kids

"One day I saw street children searching for food in garbage cans. It hurt me. Because I love children. And because it reminded me of my own childhood. Since I happened to have some money to spare, I bought bread for them."This is how Frieda Nambuli describes the moment she decided to care for children in need. That moment was 20 years ago. Today, she is 'Mom' to dozens of street kids in her children's shelter in Okuryangava, Katutura.Twenty years ago, she had practically nothing to give. Born in northern Namibia, she lost her parents during the liberation struggle, and there was no one in her family who wanted to take care of her. She found temporary accommodation, rough-and-ready, with an aunt in northern Namibia and then with an uncle in Arandis, she said. "I had to take care of myself," Frieda recalls. Nevertheless, despite the uphill battles she faced during her youth, she completed grade 12. This gave her self-confidence. The next hurdle was finding work. A family friend took her to Windhoek, and she worked as a nanny and cleaner for an acquaintance of the woman in Katutura. That was her situation when she saw the street children...Then she met her husband, Wilbard. With his severance pay, they bought a plot of land in Okuryangava, one of the new, impoverished neighbourhoods on the northern edge of Katutura. There, they built a house and founded the Children Life Changing Centre (CLCC) – a safe haven for vulnerable children and orphans, offering a meal, a bed and the opportunity to get registered for school.No donors for operating costsFrom the very beginning, the CLCC relied on donations. Its largest project, the construction of a kitchen, was funded by the Dr Nikolaus Kappen Foundation (Stuttgart). However, the CLCC was unable to secure donors for operating costs, such as food for the children, which is in fact the responsibility of government.To qualify for government funding, however, a charity organisation such as the CLCC must be registered with two ministries: as a welfare organisation with the Ministry of Health and Social Services and as a children's home with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. The CLCC has been recognised as a welfare organisation since 2007.Registration as a children's home, on the other hand, is subject to strict requirements. These include safety certificates for the premises, an organisational structure with a board of directors and management, a financial plan, independent financial audits, and annual reports. Documentation for each child is also essential. Requirements that seem virtually impossible to fulfil in Okuryangava's everyday life.ILATUYE alongside the CLCCIn 2021, Gisela Fasse visited Namibia. In the early 2000s, she had taught for several years at the German private school in Windhoek, the DHPS. She was now living in Cologne as a retired teacher. During her visit, she met Frieda and Wilbard and visited the CLCC, recognising the need for ongoing support.Back in Germany, she founded the initiative ILATUYE, which in Oshiwambo roughly translates to "Let's walk the way together". Fasse called on relatives, friends and acquaintances for regular donations and promoted the project through the German-Namibian Society (Deutsch-Namibische Gesellschaft, DNG). Initially privately, and later through the DNG, ILATUYE collected donations and transferred them to Namibia every three months to cover the children's food costs.Following another visit in April 2025, ILATUYE expanded its support. Since June, tutor Paula Makango has been giving afternoon lessons once a week. She grew up at CLCC and, due to circumstances, had to abandon her education studies at the International University of Management (IUM) due to a lack of funds and now earns a small income through tutoring. A newly established school fund ensures that CLCC can pay the registration fees for all children for the 2026 school year.Long list of needsIn addition, ILATUYE is now helping Frieda and Wilbard step by step on their path to registering as a children's home. ILATUYE consultant and coordinator Onai Mutizwa is discussing and developing financial plans with them, helping with accounting and applying for necessary documents, and advising them on improving the premises and facilities.The list of needs remains long. CLCC needs tables and chairs in its main room to eat at, for homework and afternoon lessons. A laptop for research related to schoolwork. A washing machine, because up to now the older girls have been washing the laundry for 40 children by hand. A vehicle to transport children to schools more than 5 km away. Support for healthcare and higher education.At the top of the wish list is solid housing for the girls. After every heavy rain, water floods their makeshift accommodations. The plan is to build a professionally constructed house on a slightly raised foundation, with affordable zinc-panel walls, windows, four rooms, a toilet, and a shower. ILATUYE is able to realise this plan thanks to a generous donation from Arbeiter-Wohlfahrt (AWO; Workers’ Welfare) Mannheim. For months, AWO employees set aside portions of their salaries and, in some cases, contributed significantly more.For Frieda and Wilbard Nambuli, not to mention the girls of CLCC, this is the best Christmas present.

Children Life Changing Centre provides safe haven for vulnerable kids

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-22

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Children Life Changing Centre provides safe haven for vulnerable kids

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-22

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