The roots of the community

As I walked up to the family strengthening office in the Village, I noticed a small garden. Through various initiatives such as gardens, bread-baking and career counselling, SOS’ Family Strengthening Program prevents child abandonment before it happens. The program provides support to vulnerable families from the surrounding community who are at-risk of separating. This involves a social and economic intervention that allows the family to become resilient and self-reliant.

The gardening program directly benefits families by generating a surplus income from the sale of vegetables. In addition to this income, the crops and vegetables of the garden add to the daily food consumption of the families and particularly benefit young children. The little ones from the SOS Kindergarten also come to the garden to learn about planting trees and caring for plants.

People in Namibia face countless challenges everyday that can easily threaten the stability of a family —including food insecurity and a slowly developing health system. For me, it was so touching to learn that an organization like SOS is taking it upon itself to strengthen existing families and keep them together. By helping parents and caregivers to start their own businesses, the SOS team is helping them regain their sense of confidence and pride in their community. These hard-working parents are also building opportunities for their own children.