A Beacon of Hope

In the wake of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, communities worldwide found themselves grappling with unforeseen challenges. Walvis Bay, declared the epicenter at the time, felt the brunt of the pandemic and its restrictions. Yet, within the heart of this turmoil, a beacon of hope emerged in the form of a humble initiative – a soup kitchen – driven by compassion and fueled by the desire to make a tangible difference in the lives of those most affected."When faced with adversity, the human spirit often finds its most profound expression," shares Toya Louw, the visionary behind this endeavor. As lockdowns shuttered livelihoods and left many without means of sustenance, the dire need for food became glaringly evident. Witnessing the struggle of countless individuals, especially children, Toya knew that action was imperative.“We started off by receiving donations to purchase food and offer the children a hearty and nutritious soup that was handed out one to three times per week.”Now, almost four years later, this soup kitchen – Twaloloka Aid Support and Kindness (TASK) – still stands strong, feeding about 1,000 children every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Narraville and Kuisebmond. REACTION Louw shares that the initiative was started among a group of friends who stepped in to volunteer and donate time, as well as money.“A lot of people recognized the critical need for food. Some people were worried about the COVID issues and rather believed that the public sector should step in and we shouldn’t get involved at all. There’s also a misconception that we feed the entire community that could now, otherwise, be gainfully employed and support themselves. This is not the case, and we specifically only feed the children, who are not able to and should not have to worry about money for food.” PERSONAL EXPERIENCE “Having worked with children previously, I’ve witnessed first hand that it is vital for growing kids to receive the nutrition that they need. A lack of this leads to learning difficulties as well as health-related issues. One can’t expect a hungry child to focus on anything more than just that. We felt a duty of care towards future generations and wanted - needed - to help. Fighting hunger was the first and most logical step.” She added that running the soup kitchen has been incredibly fulfilling.“It has given me a deeper sense of purpose and connection to the community. I don’t have any children; I have many.” CHALLENGES Louw shares that one of the biggest challenges was securing enough funding and managing logistics under pandemic restrictions.“We overcame these by being consistent with the project and building trust and showing up doing what we do without interruptions. With the increase in the number of kids we were feeding, we started making more soup. With more donations coming in, we could then afford to rent a kitchen, buy bigger gas cookers and bigger pots, and get more cooks in to cook. It definitely involves a dedicated team with a lot of shopping and planning.”At the start of the initiative, there was a challenge with the police and army during the pandemic restrictions.“We managed to overcome that as they realized we were feeding hungry kids, so they kind of left us alone after a while. After the fire in Twaloloka in July 2020, we fed the kids every day, and the authorities were lenient in allowing us to do so. We found it very challenging to try and keep a few hundred children at social distance and to wear masks, which we had made for the children, but we all adapted well by adhering to the strict measures.” SOURCES She added that the organization sources food and supplies through a few local chandleries and does most of their shopping at Food Lovers Market and Checkers, as well as Charlie’s Meat Market. “We rely on contributions made by community members.”“Our key supporters have been The Round Table of Walvis Bay, Claire Crook from the UK, a sailor friend of mine who often helps us to raise money through funding initiatives overseas. We have a GoGetFunding account in order to raise money, and for the past few years, the Gondwana Care Trust has purchased all our bread for us. Their contributions have all been invaluable to us so far. We would like to see more corporate companies in Walvis Bay and Namibia get involved and help us. It’s a Namibian project; we are NGO registered, and we do need consistent help. The price of food and fuel has gone up drastically, and with this come additional costs to cover.”“Some local businesses do help in the form of funding; however, we do not receive government support, which we are hoping for down the line. We received a food voucher from our Walvis Bay Municipality last month, and we are hoping that this could happen on a more regular basis.”CHANGES Aside from providing these children with a nutritious meal, the TASK organization has brought cohesion and support networks to these children and their families.“All the mothers told us that our meals were the highlight of their days, and of course, all the smiles and gratitude from these children kept us going as they do to this day. I spend a lot of time with the children playing football, doing yoga poses, and giving them attention. They love attention so much; they are children who really need it. Many of them have no parents or only one parent and live in poverty without means to overcome such.”VOLUNTEERS Louw said that in terms of volunteerism, they engage volunteers from schools.“Some are doing projects on what we do, and they spend a certain number of hours helping us in the kitchen and then hand out food to all the children. I have permanent volunteers in Kuisebmond, and some kids help after school where there is a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued.”FUTURE “We would love to expand in the future, but for now, we can only just manage to cope with feeding 1,000 children per week. We feed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We endeavor to be able to feed daily, but such expansion comes with a dire need for funding. There’s a lot that goes into it, from paying staff to cook, logistical planning, as well as time management.”In terms of ensuring sustainability, Louw added that they are a team of strong women who run the project.“Consistency is key, and we constantly try to raise money so that our operation can continue for as long as possible. It’s been vital for us to get the youth engaged and see the value they give back by ensuring the well-being of their immediate community and the long-term benefits thereof. We’ve stood together, and even when we’re sick, someone stands in and makes sure the job gets done.”ADVICE For others who have similar ideas, Louw advises starting small.“Build up trust, believe in yourself, and be passionate and persistent about it. You can’t go half in or half out. Realize that there’s a bigger goal, a bigger picture, and never forget the reason why you’re doing it.”What she has learned thus far is that “even in the toughest times, people can come together and make a difference. These children never asked to be here, and people forget what the long-term devastation of hunger actually does and what the pandemic caused in our town of Walvis Bay.”CONTINUE “The project started due to a need. I wish this had been addressed earlier if anything. I’ve kept the project small and uncomplicated; the hardest part is to continuously raise money so that things can keep going, and sometimes it makes the months ahead a challenge, wondering and hoping we’ll receive enough donations to be able to buy the food we need to continue at the pace we are. There’s no way we can downscale.”MOTIVATION The love and gratitude from the children are what make Toya and her team continue with TASK, despite the challenges.“Their beautiful faces and the positive changes we have seen in the community have kept us all motivated. I cannot fathom children relying on us for sustenance and not being able to provide.”“Together, we can overcome any challenge. Every bit of support that TASK can get, whether through volunteering or donations or sharing posts on social media, makes a significant difference. People can support our soup kitchen by donating funds, food that we use for our delicious soups, and sharing our mission with others also helps us grow our support network.”“If we don’t feed our children, we will be raising another generation of people who cannot contribute to the social and economic growth of Namibia. Can we afford such a legacy?”Follow the TASK team on Facebook at Twaloloka Aid Support & Kindness, on Instagram at task.toya as well check out their website at http://task-namibia.org/

A Beacon of Hope

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Republikein 2025-06-16

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A Beacon of Hope

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