Father Wayne Weinlader is 70 years old and actually on retirement. But the Catholic priest lives since over 2 years in Namibia is and well versed with computers as he regularly updates the website of the Roman Catholic Church. Father Wayne is from the USA and he was a military chaplain for the Marines, the US elite navy unit, and he accompanied the Marines to the Iraq in the first Gulf War.

"It is now a known fact that US soldiers were exposed to some radiation during the first Gulf War", Father Wayne says, himself also a radiation victim. "I was offered early retirement and my pension is in US dollars", he told PLUS. "I however got tired of being retired and looked for something useful to do for the Church". Through interesting coincidences he came to Namibia. "My US pension dollars are worth more in the local currency, so the idea of a feeding scheme was born".

He gives a considerable portion of his pension money to run a soup kitchen for the Roman Catholic Church. The first soup kitchen was set up in Katutura’s Okahandja Park. It was so successful, that the German NGO Hand in Hand took it over in 2005. The idea came up to run a similar scheme in a rural area. Bishop Joseph Shikongo of the Rundu Vicariate found that a good idea and a building was erected near the Catholic Church in Kehemu. It is the poorest suburb of Rundu, a small town on the Okavango River. One sees Father Wayne driving around in Rundu in a white Nissan bakkie buying food for 250 orphans and vulnerable children, that are fed every day, 365 days a year since last November. Three women cook the food and 2 security guards guard the place 24 hours a day. "The total cost for food, 5 employees, water and electricity comes to N$6000 per month", the Catholic priest says. "It costs us 80 Namibian cents per day to feed a child", the priest adds. Father Wayne is happy, his pension money is well spent on helping poor Namibian children.

PLUS was impressed what one person can achieve to help the needy. 
Photo: Father Wayne Weinlader