olindi

(katutura, namibia) it makes me wonder...how many orphanages did i visit in nyc? NONE. why is it that i waited to be half way across the world to take action on the same things that needed attention back home? did i think someone else was taking care of it? did i think no one in namibia would take action? i am just being hard on myself, i know. but at the same time its hard not to see the obvious holes in one's thought patterns.

we went to donate school shoes to the olindi place of safety orphanage in katutura yesterday afternoon. the volunteers, staff and even the president of ifesh (she is visiting us in namibia) was there to make the donation in front of the media. the children were very interactive, like what you see on those commercials. they reached out their hands, cried if you didn't pick them up in your hands. almost as if they were trained, either that or starving for attention. never did i picture myself in one of those commercials. dr. sullivan (the president of ifesh) mentioned how they seemed better off than the orphanage she visited in malawi. in malawi, she said, the children were withdrawn. they looked sick in an obvious way. these children? better off? i'm speechless. i can't imagine what the children in malawi are going through if these children are better off, they looked hurt to me. i guess i'll have to make a second visit to a commercial.

other than this wonderful photo-up we were there to do some actual business. as part of my job description, i am looking to expand ifesh's programming. one of the initiatives we will be working on is with orphans and vulnerable children (ovcs). olindi is actually just one in a network of ten orphanages in katutura. we will be working on receiving funding to support these orphanages in a holistic way. meeting with the banks tomorrow, wish me luck!