The Gondwana Care Trust recently procured five sensory activity boxes from Dream Team Sensory Boxes in Walvis Bay for distribution to community partners across Namibia. And it did not take long for the sensory boxes to attract attention.
The first handovers in Windhoek took place at two schools that are already part of the Care Trust’s Back-to-School Bag project.
During visits to Etuhole Kindergarten and Day Care in Havana and Pinkenolsie School in Suiderhof on Friday 7 August, the children immediately began investigating the different activities on all five sides of the custom-made boxes. For the Gondwana Care Trust team, seeing that immediate response was a fitting introduction to what the boxes are intended to do: encourage children to learn through play and exploration.
Gondwana Care Trust
Handmade and designed for children who learn particularly well through touching, feeling and exploring, the boxes contain activities that help develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, concentration and problem-solving. They also encourage independent play, curiosity and creativity.
At Pinkelnosie School, the visit provided an opportunity to learn more about how a sensory box can be incorporated into the children’s existing routines. Founded in 2010, the pre-primary school cares for children living with disabilities and works closely with therapists to support their individual development.
Many of the children at the school have autism or other neurodevelopmental challenges like cerebral palsy. During the visit, the school’s head caretaker Sharon Putter spoke about some of their individual needs and the importance of creating opportunities for learning and development that take these differences into account.
Gondwana Care Trust
The sensory box will become part of the play and learning activities scheduled for the children, and the school’s occupational therapist also welcomed it as a useful resource for their work.
The reception at Etuhole Kindergarten and Day Care was a little louder.
The Care Trust team arrived to songs, hugs and high fives from the children before handing over the school’s sensory box. Owner and founder Eunike Iiyambo also shared updates on Etuhole and reflected on the support the kindergarten has received from the Gondwana Care Trust over the years.
Etuhole has been a longstanding Care Trust partner through both the Back-to-School and MealForTwo projects. At the end of 2025, the Trust was also able to support
improvements to the kindergarten’s infrastructure as it worked towards meeting the requirements for registration with the Ministry of Education.
Gondwana Care Trust
Visits such as these also give the Gondwana Care Trust an opportunity to hear directly from the people working with children every day. At both schools, the sensory boxes were received not simply as new toys, but as practical resources that can become part of the work already being done to help each child learn and develop in their own way.
And judging by the children’s reaction, the exploring has already begun.
The Care Trust will also be handing over sensory boxes at YAHWEH Pre-Primary School in Walvis Bay, The Cheshire Care Home in Katima Mulilo and Môreson Special School for the Cognitively Impaired in Windhoek.
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