Windhoek (ipo) - Christmas in the Location of Okahandja. It is hot, the roads are dusty. Hundreds of mothers and children with HIV/AIDS live in this area and try to survive. Most of the adults are unemployed, many of the mothers are sick, only a few children visit a school. With 350 kg of food and milk, Child-Care-Africa supported the poorest of the poor on the day before Christmas.
Seven AIDS orphans live in a sheet metal hut. They have to look after themselves, only an uncle checks on them from time to time. 14 year old Paulus works at the craft market and feeds his cousins and brothers. Little Nadja is three years old an has the HIV virus. Her little body is riddled with skin rash. The symptoms of AIDS imminent! Brian is five years old and handicapped. His mother is single with three children. Widow Martha has two children of her own to feed as well a baby boy to support from a neighbour who died from AIDS. He is Victor, five months old and needs baby milk. But how to finance that?
Situations and fates like these are typical for the Okahandja Location.
These people have no lobby, no assistance, nobody to look after them.
Child-Care-Africa, an organization based in Austria, knows about their needs and helps wherever possible. On a house to house call, they handed over milliemeal and sugar, salt, cooking oil, milk and bread flour to 35 families. They bought baby milk for little Victor, gave ointment to little Nadja and food for Paulus and the other orphans. Konny von Schmettau, Namibia Represen-tative and Gender Commissioner of Child-Care-Africa, went to the location with her husband Axel and their helpers, Silvia Mubita and Maria Candido. Silvia and Maria live in Okahandja themselves and know all too well who is most in need.
“This small but most appreciated Christmas action will lead to greater things during 2007”, says Konny von Schmettau. “Our most beautiful Christmas gift was the happiness of these poor people. An old  shoemaker supporting his grandchildren, was so happy about the food brought by us that he had tears in his eyes. In 2007 we will support more families and AIDS orphans.
Our next step will be to donate school material and clothes as well as blankets for the coming winter. Medication has already been promised from German donors. All that is urgently needed is a medical volunteer to travel with us from time to time to treat and give advice where needed.”
The Child-Care-Afrika website shows the work of the organization:   www.child-care.afrika.org

Picture: Child-Care-Afrika assistants Axel von Schmettau, Maria Candido and Silvia Mubita (from left) handing over food to the children in Okahandja.