Havana’s Soup Kitchen supports vulnerable youth for over a decade.
Founded in 2010 by Frieda Geises, the organisation focuses on addressing the needs of young children, elderly residents and school learners living in low-income settlements. A volunteer board of seven members oversees the organisation’s work.
Geises, who holds a certificate in early childhood development from action child mobilisation (ACM), completed four years of training and two years mentoring others in the same field. She is also part of the child care protection forum (CCPF) in the moses garoeb constituency, where she helps refer abused children to social workers.
Geises said the initiative was created to support one of Windhoek’s most vulnerable communities.
“We started the Havana Soup Kitchen to serve neglected communities and to support people through education, food and opportunities,” she said.
One of the organisation’s key programmes focuses on early childhood development. About 50 children between the ages of three and six are enrolled in the pre-primary education programme, where they receive free early education as well as daily breakfast and lunch.
Clothing donations are also distributed to the children when such items are available.
Another programme focuses on supporting elderly residents in the Havana community. Each month, more than 200 people aged 60 and above receive food parcels containing essential groceries.
Another programme focuses on supporting elderly residents in the Havana community.
Mbaningira Kemuiko,the daughter of the founder and homework project supervisor, who assists with the organisation’s activities, said the support plays an important role in the lives of many elderly residents.
“We provide food parcels with basic food every month to more than 200 elderly people in the Havana community,” she said.
“Our vision is to serve neglected communities, educate and empower people, and help them develop skills to improve their living standards,” Geises said.
