Background

The Oponganda project was established on 31 July 2001, and was registered as welfare organization on 29 May 2002. The center cares for small and young children between the age of (2 and 18years) with different disabilities. Most of the children are from the formally disadvantaged township and much marginalized group of our society. At this point in time we have thirty five registered children.

 

Aims and objectives 

  1. To improve conditions, and develop the children socially as well as academically to attain their full potential.   

  2. To empower the parents and care takers of the children with disabilities through training that will allow them to actively participate in the activities that will improve the well-being and development of the children.

  3. To establish an Early Intervention Center offering sustainable services to all the children in our society who are need of Special care.

  4. To foster co-operation and networking between NGO’s and the responsible Ministries that are involved in supporting children with disabilities, by requesting aid and assistance.

Goals for Parents:

The parents of the children at Oponganda have the overall responsibility of these children that extends beyond the centre. To ensure that the parents are able to address the needs of the children, the following goals are stated.

  • Address the perception constrains of the parents in relation to their children, by providing a better understanding of the challenges of these children to the parents.

  • To providing specialized training that will enable these parents to take care of the needs of their physically challenged children.

Current Activities

The Oponganda Centre provides daycare, physical therapy, and also developmental stimulation to 35 children that are physically challenged. All enrolled children are transported to and from the Centre and enjoy 2 meals per day, with snacks in between. Our 5 caretakers serve 35 children, a ratio of just over 7 children to every caretaker. The daily program involves training of daily activities such as using the toilet and eating. Activities also include stimulating and learning experiences, both formally, through directed activities, and through spontaneous play. The outdoor playground activities are balanced with indoor story time, education, and music and movement therapies. Regular home visits, and parent support meetings are other programs offered by the centre. The centre provides transportation for the children from home to the center and back home at the end of the day. Windhoek Rotary Club has provided the building and is currently covering water and electricity costs. 

Despite, that daily activities are conducted as indicated above, the following remain as challenges that the Centre is currently facing:

Structural needs: The size and space constraints of the current centre barley meet the immediate needs of the children. In order to assist the children in attaining the highest level of functionality the centre must expand to meet the needs of both the children and the Centre itself.

Parental Demands: Due to the facilities available at the current time, the Centre cannot meet the demand to accept more children. In order to meet the needs of the parents with children of physical disabilities in the community, outside financial assistance is necessary.

Basic needs: The basic needs of the children in the Centre are the same as any other child. It is the aim of the centre to provide the children with these basic needs such as food and clothing. However, due to limited funding, the Centre is currently not able to provide all of the basic needs of the children.

Running Cost:  In addition to the above, the running cost of the Centre includes: food, toiletries, stationers, telephone, internet, petrol, car service charges, and the transport allowance for volunteers. The cost of these services is high and makes further development of the Centre impossible. The parents are contributing a monthly fee, which is N$ 200.00 per month, and only 9 parents can afford this fee.

General

We would like to ensure you that all our efforts are dedicated to those who could least help themselves- thus we are trying to be true to our motto: INVEST IN CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. 

 

 

 
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