Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Banner Left
Banner Right

Unsavoury dive transformed into ‘a piece of heaven’

Unsavoury dive transformed into ‘a piece of heaven’

THE ‘Ou Kroeg’ (old bar) in Katutura’s Damara location was well known for less socially conscious activities in the past, but today it is seen as ‘a piece of heaven that fell into Katutura’.

In 2003 Pat and Brian Kingston were driving around Katutura trying to find a place where their help and generosity is needed most. They got lost and came upon this dilapidated building where people were drinking cheap wine from plastic drums.They requested a meeting with the owner and agreed to lease the place for three years and buy it thereafter. Soon they started renovating and extending the building, and the Beautiful Kidz Centre was opened in 2006 with 34 children. Today 74 children attend the pre-school where they not only receive breakfast, snack breaks, lunch and education, but are also taught the importance of personal hygiene – they have to brush their teeth after every meal or snack.On the last Friday of every month, all the children who had birthdays that month receive presents and a birthday party is held for all the children. ‘This is normally the highlight of the month, as most children do not know their birth dates and are very surprised by the present and the attention,’ says Pam Kinghorn.The centre caters for older children too – every Friday afternoon its doors are open to those between the ages of eight and 14.The children come to sing, play board games, go on bike rides and generally to have some good, clean and safe fun off the streets.Every Saturday the centre is open to the youth of the area, who enjoy the pool and fussball tables and board games. They also put on some music and dance. The centre is also a place where children of all ages can talk to volunteer counsellors and youth leaders about their problems at home or school. Children who visit the centre regularly are also taken on adventure camps once a year to the ‘Youth with a Mission’ site near Brakwater. There they go on nature walks and bike rides. Beautiful Kidz also offers computer classes and homework assistance. ‘We realised very early that for us to be able to eradicate poverty or make a difference we need to do something about education in the community,’ says Brian Kinghorn.Maths, science and English are the three subjects on offer during the Holiday School for Grade 10 pupils offered by the centre.A new library is being set up and the Grade 2 and 3 children are in reading classes where a teacher reads them stories to get them interested in reading.’We have to establish a reading culture and get the children interested in reading and the library,’ says Kinghorn.Every Saturday morning the centre offers art classes where children, mostly girls, make jewellery, fruit baskets, kites and many other beautiful creations out of recycled material found in the area. Beautiful Kidz does not only educate and feed the poorest of the poor children in the community, it also teaches them about reading, art and teamwork. It offers them a safe place off the street where they can play, learn and relax.It also offers them a second home where they can discuss their problems and celebrate their birthdays.

Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!

Latest News