Through the Capricorn Foundation's investment, Imago Dei will continue and strengthen its support to 12 projects, impacting 3,440 children, 85 women who are mothers or expecting mothers, 662 elderly retired persons and 1,850 individuals, addressing their basic needs, supporting education and training programmes, job creation opportunities, and psychosocial intervention. In its previous financial year, the Capricorn Foundation also committed N$400,000 to Imago Dei to acquire a new vehicle, enabling the project to reach its beneficiaries in communities and informal settlements on the outskirts of Windhoek and other regions.
The projects funded by the Capricorn Foundation through Imago Dei are:
- Hope for Life Foundation (Windhoek) is a Christian non-profit organisation in Namibia that provides counselling and support to individuals facing unplanned pregnancies. It also offers economic upliftment opportunities for women through Business Starter Packs and mentoring.
- Burgershoek Children Community Project addresses the needs of vulnerable children in an informal settlement in Rehoboth. The project provides holistic support to 140 children, including psychosocial, physical, emotional, spiritual, mental health, educational, and social needs.
- Family of Hope Services provides empowering programs for children, youth, and families, including remedial school and afterschool programs, food and nutrition services, and psychosocial support. These programs aim to restore hope, joy, and dignity to children and young people.
- The Light for the Children Foundation in Gobabis provides educational and care programs for children, including meals for 300 kids daily. The centre has eight classrooms, a playground, and a vegetable garden.
- A.K. Katangolo Pre-Primary and Day Care is a centre in Havana, Windhoek, accommodating 55 children aged six months to 6 years. It has two classrooms and a feeding scheme operating three times a week. The school provides foundational education before Grade 1.
- New Harvest Time for Christ Mission Church in Klein Aub operates a soup kitchen that addresses hunger and neglect within the community, specifically focusing on children, disabled individuals, and the elderly.
- The Grace Welfare Project is a non-profit organisation that supports marginalised communities by addressing their basic needs. It distributes food parcels to pensioners at the Khomas Community Church in Khomasdal, providing a church service, a cooked meal, clothing, and blankets.
- Lighthouse Ministry is a centre in Rehoboth, Namibia, committed to supporting children and teenagers from vulnerable backgrounds. Its programmes include afterschool classes, meals, and skills training for unemployed parents and youth.
- The Namibia Christian Women Aid Society was established in 1976 as a welfare organisation for the elderly. Its members work voluntarily and receive no remuneration. It relies on donations to provide monthly food parcels to 450 pensioners.
- The URC Mariental Soup Kitchen provides meals to around 600 school learners and pensioners every Monday and Friday in Mariental.
- Charmy's Heart of Hope supports impoverished children in the Omdel settlement in Henties Bay. They run a soup kitchen to provide meals to roughly 250 children.
- Response Action Based Organisation is the first responder to address domestic violence, neglect, and abuse by providing mediation, rescuing victims, offering transport to hospitals, and conducting campaigns against violence in the community and at schools.
The Capricorn Foundation pledged N$2.6 million to Vulnerability Initiatives in the last fiscal year, from July 2023 to June 2024. These initiatives aim to address poverty and malnutrition in Namibia, showing the Foundation's commitment to positively impacting the Namibian communities and providing financial assistance to those who need it most.
"The Foundation has been dedicated to bringing about positive change through a portfolio of over 40 projects and programmes across Namibia. Our support for Vulnerability Initiatives is focused on addressing the basic needs of vulnerable groups, specifically children (hunger and poverty) and providing counselling for victims of gender-based violence. The Capricorn Foundation is grateful for our partnership with Imago Dei, which helps us reach those in dire need.," said Marlize Horn, Capricorn Foundation Executive Officer.
