By Jill van Leeuwen | International Director and Project Leader
Nafasi means chance. We believe in making a difference in the lives of abandoned babies and vulnerable young children.
Chance of a new centre:
Thanks to the generous help of all our donors we have realised our dream to provide Nafasi with a brand new and purpose built home where the abandoned, orphaned and vulnerable babies and children that Nafasi cares for can be looked after and given their new chance in life.
After two and a half years of hard work, supported and encouraged by our supporters, the Nafasi Welfare Centre has been operational since last October and we are delighted to announce that plans are in place to have an official opening on 21 October 2017. We hope that many of our volunteers from near and far will join our day of celebrations and have the chance to see our amazing facilities and the work we do.
The centre is now so much more than a home, it is a hub of activity, a place of love and laughter, tears and fun, playing and learning. Our Nafasi Community Support Programme now spearheads its work in the community from the centre, and as a result we can provide more activities that are tailored to help teenage mums learn parenting and related skills.
Our new centre has quickly become a place where people from differing generations, walks of life and experience can come together for the common good and Marjan’s story of her chance to help Nafasi is just one inspirational example!
Marjan's chance to make a difference:
Marjan is one of our volunteers from The Netherlands whose childhood dream was to go and lend a helping hand in Africa. After her own children had grown and flown the nest she decided it was time, but hampered by chronic back pain she never took the plunge, until she heard about Nafasi! She was inspired and determined to help to give our babies their new chance and that is exactly what she has done.
For the six weeks of her visit to the new centre she threw herself into everything she could, from cuddling and playing, feeding and bathing to cleaning, and supporting other volunteers and staff. By sharing her knowledge and experience of bringing up her own four children she has been an enormous help and Nafasi is very grateful to her and conscious of the many sacrifices she made to make the trip.
Marjan’s absolute priority was to give individual attention to our youngsters and find ways to enrich their experiences. Now that Nafasi is located on the campus of Children’s Welfare Mission she took the opportunity to take our older children for a walk to the primary school’s playground. There they had the chance to meet others and play, and they each got a taste of life beyond the Nafasi compound.
Marjan was also involved with fundraising before she left and now she knew how she wanted the money to be spent- play equipment for our new playground area! A shopping trip with project staff followed and they returned with a seesaw, slide, swing and not forgetting a paddling pool! Squeals of laughter filled the air as the children explored the equipment and enjoyed pushing, swinging and splashing about.
Marjan believed she could make a difference, that is what she has done and continues to do. She is now helping with our fundraising for a permanent outdoor canopy for the play area and we are excited to announce that we have just received approval for our first Global Giving Microproject! It is called ‘Permanent Garden Canopy for Shade and Shelter’ with project ID 27775.This project lasts for 3 months and earmarks all gifts fort he canopy. You can click the link here for more details. https://www.globalgiving.org/microprojects/permanent-garden-canopy-for-shade-and-shelter/
Every donation however small will help towards our children and staff being able to enjoy outdoor activities sheltered from the Ugandan sun and the rain!
Stop press:
Since the beginning of April two children have been resettled with their biological families and four babies have been admitted. Read more in our next report coming in August!
Thanks again for supporting Nafasi Welfare Centre. Your help can really make a difference to the lives of vulnerable babies and young children, giving them a new chance in life.
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