From 17 to 19 August, the Gondwana Care Trust team travelled to Swakopmund and Walvis Bay to reconnect with five community partners. The trip wasn't about handing over something new. Rather, our focus was on walking through the projects, listening, and asking one simple question: how are things going?
Support given once and never followed up on can miss the mark, or miss the moment a partner's needs shift. Visits like these give a clearer picture of impact, and a chance to hear from the people doing the work every day.
Anje Rohwer with the Gondwana Care Trust team at DRC Women's Community Project
At the DRC Women's Community Project, that meant catching up with Anje Rohwer, who runs a programme supporting 175 children during the school term. The centre has lowered its monthly parent contribution from N$150 to N$50 to stay accessible, leaning on support from the Back-to-School Bag programme from the Gondwana Care Trust, retired teachers, an in-house craft workshop and a vegetable garden to stretch resources further. "It gives children an opportunity," Anje said. "That's why we're all here."
At Yahweh Pre-Primary School, under the umbrella of the Yahweh Down Syndrome Foundation, the team saw how far it has grown since starting in a wendy house in 2023 with three children. The school now accommodates 23 children, many of whom have autism or Down Syndrome, and helps parents navigate stigma around neurodivergence. "If we don't stand up for them, who will?" asked principal Janeley Antoncich. The visit also included handing over a new sensory activity box sourced from Dream Team Sensory Boxes in Walvis Bay, met with immediate delight.
The Care Trust Team during their visit to Stepping Stone
At Stepping Stone Special Education School, the team saw what one teacher for every two to three students makes possible, including new low-stimulation classrooms tailored to each child's needs. Though private, Stepping Stone offers scholarships where it can, and hosts a newer collaboration: a greenhouse sponsored by the Gondwana Care Trust and constructed by Good Food Namibia, giving the school the means to grow its own produce and, in time, supply local restaurants. This collaboration is a good example of impact spreading further when partners work together.
The ODEC team growing futures and building communities.
At Tangeni Shilongo Open Doors Education Centre (ODEC), a staff member walked the team through a feeding and medical care programme serving breakfast to 285 children daily and lunch to 350 more, plus meals for 75 TVET enrollees, with support from the Care Trust (through the MealForTwo and Back-to-School Bag initiatives), GIZ, Kleine Engel and the Australian High Commission.
The Promiseland staff in the soup kitchen (Left) The vegetables grown for the soup kitchen (Right)
The team also spent time with Promiseland in Kuisebmond, one of the Trust's longest-standing partners and the first recipient of a Back-to-School Box when the programme launched. Malnutrition remains a serious concern locally, and Promiseland's soup kitchen feeds around 500 children daily in term time, backed by donated chicken and partners like SeaPride, running on one non-negotiable rule: no child leaves hungry. Its kindergarten has grown steadily, with its 2026 graduating class more than doubling on the year before, and a new GED Finish Line project is giving older youth a path back into school.
A theme surfaced at nearly every stop: support through programmes like MealForTwo doesn't just cover a food gap. It frees up resources that partners can redirect toward staff or extra support for families in crisis. These visits help the Care Trust understand not just what's been given, but what continued support should look like. This trip was an excellent reminder that partnership, done well, is an ongoing conversation.
Author: Ndapwa Alweendo
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