Katima Mulilo:The Africa Hope Development Foundation has announced its commitment to forming a lasting partnership with a vulnerable, female-headed community in Choto. This initiative aims to transition residents from immediate relief efforts to achieving long-term self-reliance.
According to NAMPA, the announcement was made during an outreach event where food and clothing were donated to 35 families in Choto Extension 8. Shamiso Machiwana, director of the foundation's Katima Mulilo branch, emphasized that this effort represents the start of a continuous developmental framework rather than a temporary aid.
The foundation's intervention comes after conducting extensive community surveys that identified significant infrastructural and socio-economic challenges within the informal settlement. Residents have reported severe hardships, including a lack of clean water, electricity, proper sanitation, insecure shelter, and financial strain on single mothers.
Machiwana highlighted the foundation's commitment to addressing these issues, stating, "You opened your doors and hearts to us. You shared your painful stories... It is our mandate to answer a cry for help." The Africa Hope Development Foundation, a registered non-profit organization, focuses on education, health, livelihoods, and environmental stewardship.
The donation event, valued at over N$35,000, builds on recent regional initiatives by the foundation, including sponsoring the Breast Cancer Awareness Half Marathon on October 24, 2026. Machiwana stressed that while the immediate focus is on alleviating short-term hunger and deprivation, the broader strategy aims at systemic poverty reduction and community independence from external aid.
Machiwana concluded by urging public and private stakeholders to join the foundation in its mission to eradicate dependency and foster local ownership of developmental projects. Beneficiaries Charles Ndubano and Gloria Mwanamwali expressed gratitude, with Mwanamwali noting that the donation provided relief for her and her children.