Monica came to Europe, we met her in Aachen
February 2023
It took some arranging but eventually we managed to meet Monica. The night before I had almost given up again because an 'Umwelt' sticker was needed to be able to drive into Aachen, also for an electric car. But Lau brought a solution because he found out that the football stadium was also accessible without this sticker and that we could have lunch there, in the football canteen (De Klömpchensklub). We are happy to take the costs of all this for our own account. The trip went smoothly and there was plenty of free parking on site.
When we arrived in the Klömpchensklub Monica was already waiting for us (because Maria is always very punctual, haha). It was a warm reunion after a long time. And there was a lot to talk about..... Monica said that she had met the director of Eurowings (low cost airline in Germany) at a meeting in Windhoek and that he promised her to help (financially) with the realization of the new building. He even visited the soup kitchen and was very impressed. Peacemaker had then shown him the 'plot'. Monica expects that construction can start at the end of 2023 and that a new building will be erected at the end of 2024. We'll have to wait and see how it all goes......
When the soup kitchen is in full swing (600 children), four large pans of food are brought to it and that is usually not enough. After that, sandwiches are handed out. Monica does not work with a list of children or with a waiting list. All children are welcome, although the mothers know the children and the families and feed the children who really need it. Children who get enough to eat at home are sent away.
Of course, we also talked about the homework classes, especially about the Oshivamba children who come from the North of Namibia. I understand these are children of Angolan refugees who returned to Angola after the war to look for work. The children were often left behind, they are not registered anywhere and do not have a birth certificate. Those who still take care of them try to find work in Windhoek. Unemployment is high in the north of Namibia and there is no safety net. The living conditions in the township of Windhoek are terrible for these children. Often up to ten of them sleep on thin mattresses in a corrugated iron hut without water and electricity. The soup kitchen is very important to them.
And when I asked if she will stop working in the soup kitchen when she retires, she said that that is definitely not going to happen. Taking care of all these children, that is the life she chooses, it brings her a lot of happiness and she gets energy and life force from it. She wants to continue doing this for years to come....
