Hope for Life helps families get back on their feet

For the Hope for Life Foundation, changing lives begins with meeting people where they are and helping them take the next step towards a more secure future.

Although only formally established as a Section 21 organisation in December 2018 by Charlene Uakuramenua in Windhoek, the foundation’s work began at grassroots level in 2010, when designated social worker Uakuramenua started supporting women facing crisis pregnancies. Roland Engel later partnered with her to establish the organisation as a registered welfare organisation.

“We are a registered child protection organisation and focus on saving children who are at severe risk,” said Rosalind Schlabitz, the managing director at Hope for Life Foundation.

The organisation’s work extends beyond immediate assistance. Its baby house operates around the clock, while its team conducts community home visits twice a week to assess clients’ circumstances and develop individual plans of action.

“We then devise a plan of action and return with any physical items we have that can help them get back on their feet,” Schlabitz said.

Education is another important part of the foundation’s work. Through its Send a Child to School project, 75 children currently receive school uniforms, stationery and learning support. The initiative is supported by a mobile library containing more than 1 800 school books, including textbooks, encyclopaedias and research resources.

The foundation has also helped clients overcome challenges in their education and personal lives. One client who was nearing the end of her studies to become a teacher became overwhelmed and considered giving up. With the foundation’s intervention, she resolved difficulties with her institution, continued her studies and eventually qualified as a teacher.

Looking ahead, Hope for Life Foundation aims to expand its reach and support more children and families each year. Schlabitz believes meaningful change can begin with helping a few people who then go on to help others.

“We may not be able to change the whole community, but we can change the lives of a few, who will go on to change the lives of a few more, and it keeps growing,” she said.

Her message to young Namibians interested in community development is simple: “Don’t look for the glory. Look to love someone less fortunate than you. Therein lies the real value.”