Da Silva taking care of children’s needs in Ondangwa

Nowadays, especially in informal settlements of the “land of the brave”, many children – more specifically orphans and those from vulnerable backgrounds – do not have a happy childhood. This is due to poverty, hunger, abuse and many other social ills.

However, children in Ondangwa’s informal settlement of Uupopo are counting their blessings thanks to an initiative of philanthropist and community activist Jackson “Da Silva” Peuyelenga. Peuyelenga is the founder and director of Da Silva Northern Charity Feed a Child Soup Kitchen, a non-profit organisation based in Uupopo location in Ondangwa in the Oshana Region.

Established in 2018, the organisation’s core focus is to provide healthy and nutritious meals to children on a daily basis, support their educational needs and offer assistance to vulnerable groups, including the elderly and single mothers.

“I was inspired to establish this charity after witnessing the struggles faced by orphans and vulnerable children in Ondangwa, particularly in informal settlements like Uupopo. I wanted to provide these children with equal opportunities, nutritious meals and support to help them thrive despite their circumstances,” Peuyelenga says.

However, how can one run such an organisation without the necessary support from partners? “We have established partnerships with various organisations and local businesses that support our mission. Our partners assist us through donations of food, clothing and educational supplies. They also provide financial support and help in organising community events for our initiative. We welcome volunteers who wish to contribute their time and skills,” he adds.

Through his organisation, Peuyelenga has hugely impacted the Ondangwa community, and continues to do so. “If you look at the children that are registered under our organisation and compare them with others from elsewhere who are from vulnerable backgrounds, the difference is conspicuous. We feed about 240 children daily. We also donate supplies like clothing and school uniforms and support single mothers and the elderly,” he notes.

In order to create a safe space for children in the Uupopo area, the organisation has a sports academy for children where they can engage in different sport activities and learn about teamwork and leadership skills.

“Children who are not well looked after or sufficiently protected are lured into many harmful things like alcohol, drugs and even criminal activities. That’s why we always strive to keep them busy so that they don’t get time to engage themselves in bad activities.”

Peuyelenga emphasises his profound gratitude to the Ondangwa SOS for their generous support. “We are grateful to the Ondangwa SOS who provided us with office space, a storage room for our food supplies and space for our activities.”

“We are also thankful for the support from the Ondangwa Town Council for clearing land where we host our sport activities, which plays a crucial role in our mission of promoting healthy lifestyles and community engagement.”

However, supporting, caring for and feeding so many mouths does not come cheap, thus his call for more partners to come on board and collaborate with them in their efforts. “We are always in need of additional resources, including food donations, clothing, educational materials and financial support. We need to expand our activities and reach out to the many children and vulnerable members of our society,” he says, adding that the organisation recently donated school uniforms to needy pupils of Olukolo Primary School in Ondangwa and also provided nutritious food and nappies to single mothers in the area.

Marx Itamalo