 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It is Springtime… Although our winterseason is starting, Springtime has begun in Namibia. This also means that the first raindrops have fallen. This is a good testcase for our house. As we mentioned in previous newsletters, we had the roof repaired in April. Since then, it never really rained again and now is THE moment to see if our roof is ‘bullet proof’ against the rain. It will be a surprise to wake up in the morning in a dry or wet bed! Also with the rainseason in perspective it is good to know that new mosquito-screens have been installed in the house. This will protect the girls against the malaria-musquitos. End of school Schoolyear 2008 is ending on November 28. Their summer holidays will commence then which will end mid January. We will keep our fingers crossed for the girls if they will be promoted to the next class. So far, it looks good, because 10 of our girls obtained a diploma in various competitions such as reading, mathematics, etc. Bernice was even the best of her class!
On the picture you can see the proud girls with their diploma’s on the wall. Yes, we can be proud of them. Thanks to all the efforts of Heike and Apollonia, and the girls themselves, they have obtained these results! A promise for the future! Changes Sadly one of our girls, Jen-Eva is leaving our house at the end of this schoolyear. Jen-Eva is now 14 years old and cannot be promoted to the high school in Omaruru. After lots of efforts they have found a special school for her in Windhoek; a place, approx. 280kms away from Omaruru. You will understand that it is too far to commute to on a daily basis. (if this type of public transport even existed!). She will go to a boarding school in Windhoek. We are all saddened by this news to say goodbye to Jen-Eva but wish her all the best in the future. Her place will be taken by another girl. There is still a great demand for a place at Siama in Omaruru and lots of children are hoping for this place. They are not only given the chance to go to school, but above all find a place with love and warmth! A real home!! Alexandrine will take Jen-Eva’s place. She is 9 years old and is living with her parents in the local township under very difficult circumstances. Her mother cannot take care of the family and her father (if he is at home) is unemployed and drinks…. We give Alexandrine a warm welcome if she joins Siama in January and hope she will feel quickly at home. Computers When the new schoolyear starts, we also have 2 new computers. A befriended organisation in Germany, Namibia ProKind, has donated us 2 new computers. And with a connection to the internet, the girls have much more possibilities to enrich their knowledge. Being able to work with computers means so much more in Namibia. They can probably get better jobs, which means their prospects of a better lifestyle are improving. We are still looking for education games in English. Perhaps you have some at home (Windows XP). This material can be for all ages. Our girls are from 8 to 15 years old. Concert The girls and Heike received an invitation to attend a clacssical concert. A female singer performed work of Mozart and was accompanied by a pianist. Although our girls found it strange at the beginning, they did enjoy the concert and were very impressed. At home, as usual, looked in the encyclopedia who the composer was, where he lived and when he died. They made a little project out of it which was very educational for them. Just as the ‘talking’ globe which we brought them this spring. This tells them where a country is, what the capital is, the currency, inhabitants etc. They are very often playing with the globe. Together with Heike and Apollonia they made a roadsign where they made signs where their sponsors are living. They come from everywhere as you can see.
Further activities On our land are various wrecks of cars. In their free time, the girls have painted these with lots of enthousiasm and changed these old wrecks into bright and shiny cars. They now ‘ride’ around in their own posh mobiles!
In January Heike wants to commence with German and French lessons. Namibia used to be a German colony and still a lot of German is spoken. Although English became the mother tongue after 1998 (independence). At Siama the girls speak English, but it is a big advantage for them if they are able to communicate in German and French. Altogether a lot of news from Omaruru. Betty and Theo will soon visit Siama and we hope to give you the latest news from there. |
|||||
