Children for Children (Interconnected for children)

Changemakers: Patricia Kaiser, Elsabe Van Vuuren

Interconnected for Children is a Globalchangemakers project run by Patricia Kaiser and Elsabe van Vuuren. Over the past year they have had fundraisers in Switzerland and in Namibia and they have secured funds for the following activities:

Training people in the community in working with orphans and providing skills to the adult population of Namibia to deal with the ever-increasing number of orphans in their communities. Making contact with University students and providing support for them during their internships. University students who are part of the interconnected for children program do their internships in some of the orphanages and places of safety where we work in.

Getting High School Students more involved in the community and providing platforms where they can engage orphans in meaningful activities, helping them with their school work or teaching sports or arts.

Training courses: In collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Children’s Welfare, UNICEF, UNAIDS, Hope’s Promise International and Compassion International, we provide training courses on: Minimal standards for residential care units for Orphans and Vulnerable children in Namibia, Working and living with HIV-positive children, Early childhood development and how to Budget, finance and shop for a family. High School Children: Children visit orphanages in the afternoon and play with the children and help them with their homework and deal with whatever concerns the kids have. University students: We have a small group of student at the University of Namibia who work together in establishing a strong “Interconnected for Children” network, through which we will provide students with support and materials to do their internships in poor and needy areas of the community. We expect to touch the lives of at least 500 Orphans directly and up to 5000 Orphans indirectly in Namibia. We also expect to see how people within the community, young and old, grow in their accountability towards problems in their area. ADDITIONAL NOTES This is a growing project that has undergone a number of transformations over the past year, we are committed to keep adjusting and remodeling it according to the need and what we have learned along the way.