Baby Haven Reno Project

Thanks to everyone for donations and good will

New Net Shading

Here is the last improvement at Baby Haven. New Net Shading that will allow the children to play outside without getting burned or sunstroked. We are now entering Namibia's hottest time of the year when the sun is unrelenting and very hot.

Project Playground

Before: It used to be just dirt. Above is the scene last year, of kids trying to make things neat in the backyard.

After: In full colour! Below is the after picture, now that renovations have been completed on the yard. What a difference some Canadian and U.S. dollars can make:

Here's another before/after view:



The picture with me and the children from last year (above) shows the side of the house where the kids would play. It was a dirt area. Very hot and dusty.


Look at this side of the house today, from another view, with the one of the interlocking pavers. It has made the place look so much cleaner and the kids can ride their push toys on the bricks.

It also has kept the inside of the house cleaner as dirt is not being brought in from the outside anymore.

Two more shots:

The tire swings, swing boat and the crawl-through metal apparatus.

Swing: the kids sit on the swing to eat their breakfast in the morning.

The baby haven staff have commented on how much the children play in the backyard and love their new playground equipment. The staff love the swing chair as it gives them a place to relax when watching the little ones.

Mission Accomplished

Can you believe the transformation of this bathroom? WOW!!

Pat yourselves on the back, you're all wonderful.

Above is the "after" pic of the firs completed bathroom. (At the right is the "before")

The work looks amazing thanks to all of you.

Next big renovation will be the back yard and that will happen in May.

The Second Bathroom, after & before

Here's a picture of the second bathroom before the work began. It wasn't functional -- at all -- and was just used for storage. Good work everyone!

Extra improvements to plumbing

These pictures are from before -- showing how the washing machine needed to be loaded with water and drained.

The women would have to fill up the tubs and pour the water into the machine and then drain the dirty water into the bucket. A very long labourous process and many times wet as the bucket would overflow if not properly watched.


As you can see from the following 3 pictures, new taps have been added above the washer. There will be an adapter put on (today) so the women can fill up the washer by turning on the taps. Their is also a new drainage pipe which will connect to the hose of the washer to conveniently drain it. A huge improvement for the shelter when it comes to doing the laundry.

The new plumbing:

Renovation Update

Hi everyone. I am back in Windhoek Namibia and am happy to report that the renovations at Baby Haven started this week. I will be posting pictures very soon to show the progress. Phase 1, 2 and 3 should be completed by April.

Fundraising Update

The fundraising for Baby Haven is off to a wonderful start. We have collected over $5,000 dollars which translates into $30.000 Namibian Dollars. I will be leaving for Namibia on Feb. 11th and the renovations will commence soon after my arrival. I have been in contact with the contractor and he is excited to begin as soon as possible.
I'm happy to report that both bathrooms and the extra plumbing needed in the building will be completed because of your wonderful donations.

Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for everyone's support and kindness with this project.

More exciting updates to follow including pictures of the renovations.

cheers,
joan beare ")

Welcome to Baby Haven

Here are some of the lovely little ones living at the shelter. The shelter is run by one family whose members work hard, 24/7, with very little financial assistance.

The children at the shelter are mostly orphans whose parents have died from the AIDS epidemic. I am working at the university in Windhoek, and I volunteer on weekends with this shelter and love my time there.



I am hoping to raise money to assist in renovations to the shelter itself. In recent months, I was successful in hiring a contractor who is willing to do the work in phases. I have one year left in Africa and this is what I hope to accomplish:

Phase 1 will be the bathrooms and extra plumbing jobs. Phase 2 will be a play area in the backyard. And Phase 3 will be to fix up things needing repair. If there is money left over (let's hope!) then new cribs, mattresses, food etc. will be purchased.

I hope to raise a total of $12,000 Canadian to complete the above renovations. I will oversee all aspects of this job and handle all monies. All donations will go directly to the repairs. Photos of the completed work will be posted on my blog as soon as the project rolls along.

I am aware that this project is something that I have committed to but I cannot do it alone.

If you would like to help with this project please send cheques to:

• Bank of Montreal
  1-823 Coquitlam Town Centre
  #1 1161 The High Street
  Coquitlam, B.C.
  V3B 7W3
  Account is in the names of:
  Jan Beare/Joan Beare (Baby Haven)
  

(Jan is my sister, a law enforcement officer in Vancouver, who is just one of the many angels in Canada helping with the fundraising.)

Please look on the right side of this blog if you want direct deposit banking info.

I can't issue tax receipts for donations, but I guarantee you that every penny you contribute will go directly to the work at the shelter. I have no overhead, a free website, and have done some good bargaining with the contractors.


Why I'm doing this privately, and not setting up a charity, applying to foundations for grants: Too much bureaucracy! It would take forever!

So, these are some of the cute pictures. Read on in this blog, and see the other pictures, to understand why this reno work is so desperately needed.

Top Concern: Child Safety!

These photos show some of the safety concerns we have at Baby Haven. Most of the cribs lack proper mattresses, and have missing safety bars, as you can see in the picture on the left.

The space between the slats on some of the cribs present a danger. North American standards are for slats no more than 6 cm apart, to prevent infants from getting their heads stuck between them.




And ... Look at this picture of the kitchen. On the wall you will see the cockroaches that are a constant visitor in the home. They are everywhere! They must be exterminated!





My final photo, with the kids and staff in the living room shows, the lack of furniture in the home. (This is why most of my "cute kids" photos show them sitting on the floor.)

Plumbing Problems, Basic Sanitation

There are two bathrooms in the house. This one isn't functional -- at all -- and is currently used for storage.

The working bathroom suffers from serious problems: Mold, leaking pipes, and no cold water.

It has hot water for both the sink and the tub, but there is no cold water available so they fill up buckets with cold water from the kitchen when drawing a bath for the little ones. Lots of work!

The bathrooms will be the first thing to be renovated. The smaller bathroom will have a shower added to it so that the wonderful women working at the shelter will have a place to get ready in the morning.

Having this completed will improve the morning routine with the children tremendously.

The playground could use some help

These pictures show the current state of the children's play area.

Dirt!

That's all there is.







Once the plumbing and safety renos are completed, the backyard will be transformed into a safe play area using interlocking blocks. That is, if we raise enough in donations.

The staff at Katutura's Baby Haven

Lulu (above), Andiswa and Zanele. The three young women who keep Baby Haven running 24/7. I think the three of them deserve to see some improvements.


Also... The girls take a much needed break between the ongoing work. Oprah, if you see this post ... these girls need a well deserved holiday!

The children

A few of the children at Baby Haven.

Zorland is clapping his hands to some African music.









As you can see we have no high chairs so the kids eat on the ground outside or inside on the floor.











Meme is showing off the new baby carrier that was donated to the shelter from Yvonne, a staff member at the university I work at.

Who I am and why I'm doing this

I'm a single mom, age 48, and have raised 3 children in Vancouver, B.C. Presently living in Namibia on a two-year program.

Highlights:
- A former pediatric nurse now working with deaf and blind children in the school system
- Love the outdoors and am very active with sports both individual and on teams
- Volunteer with CCF (Christian Children's Fund) for the past 28 years
- Have sponsored children in Uganda and Ethiopia (see the picture of me with Tsehay and her family in Ethiopia earlier this year)
- Volunteered within the community (Heart & Stroke Foundation, School Pac, union at work)
- In Africa volunteering for 2 years with VSO Canada (Volunteer Services Overseas)
- Am now working with university students who have a disability. Work at the University of Namibia as a Disability Coordinator
- Volunteer on weekends at the shelter with orphaned and HIV infected children, 'Baby Haven'
- Looking into adoption through the shelter
- Have a strong belief system in helping ones that need it the most. Africa needs help!