Rehoboth Mommies in Need is an organization that was started by Elodine Cloete Sacco in Rehoboth’s Block B, after realizing that there were many women that needed assistance with taking care of their children.
They gather essentials such as napkins, sanitary pads, and other hygienic products, which they then distribute door-to-door all around Rehoboth.
On Friday, it was their turn to have those particular essentials and more dropped-off. A concrete partnership fostered by a spirit of giving and the desire to see communities plucked out of poverty has glued Rob Youth Foundation, Charitree, SBS Trucking and Wutow Trading together, thus identifying and delivering products to persons who are in need.
Rehoboth Mommies in Need was no different and they received a truck load of mixed products including soup, spices, and the aforementioned hygienic products.
Said Cloete Sacco: “We collect products and goods from Good Samaritans and deliver them all around Rehoboth to those in need. I use a taxi to deliver. Our beneficiaries find us online and then in turn we assist in whatever way we can at that time.”
She said currently they have no fixed location and everything is done online be it on Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp or Instagram. There are six fixed beneficiaries who constantly receive the valuables every month and among those six beneficiaries are two teenage mothers.
“The youngest are two 16 year olds who gave birth last year. The supposed fathers of their children flat out refused that they were the fathers, so there is a lack of support on that side. So we deliver to them and the positive thing is that they are enrolled back in school now doing their grade 11,” she explained.
Asked what made her start the organization, she shed light on her own personal experience.
“I was once a Rehoboth Mummy in Need and a Good Samaritan came to help me. It humbled me and inspired me to pass the baton and help other people as well. I have two children: my daughter is 6 and my son is 3.
“When my daughter was a baby, I had nothing for napkins, and so I had to wrap her around in cloths. This is what a lot of these mothers are going through every day and with this donation we hope to help more, plenty more!”
“It is a good initiative that is helping out those less fortunate and once again we are pleased to be playing a role – however small it can be – in people’s lives,” SBS Trucking’s Financial Officer Remembrance Chiremba said during the handover. SBS Trucking delivers the products and goods free of charge.
Said Natalia Augustinus, RYF Erongo Regional Manager: “I truly applaud what Elodine is doing and her help is not going unnoticed in her community, and hopefully the country and beyond.
“For us as a foundation, we find it a critical component of development for a child to be nurtured properly, with dignity. It ties into our efforts not only to help the girl-child but also contribute toward sensitizing gender imbalance in our society.”
Charitree’s Hennie Kruger highlighted that supporting mothers is a crucial component in building tomorrow’s society.
“Mothers are at the backbone of ANY family! It is crucial for us to help cement that in whatever way we can and once again our partners at Wutow Trading made it possible with this truck load of wares.
“I cannot stress it enough that women sometimes bear the wrong end of the stick and yet still find the strength to soldier on – true warriors! We can only hope that the little we can do will inspire them to be the best person they can be,” said Kruger.
Cloete Sacco said that the donations are going to be packaged and distributed to beneficiaries. When asked about her hopes and aspirations, she said her ultimate goal is to run a safe place.
“The ultimate goal is to have a safe haven, a safe place for victims of Gender-Based Violence. If a man is beating up his wife or girlfriend, where should she go if there is no other place to go?
“It is really something that needs to be looked into because she will be forced to go back to the place of abuse, and this is bad not only for her mental health but physically it can be very dangerous for her health. We know that there are killers out there and an argument can easily spiral out of control, resulting in unnecessary death. So we need safe places for victims, be it children or women.”
Rehoboth Mommies in Need also runs a soup kitchen that assist one-year old Acacia Primary School, and they also do cook-outs and then deliver them to their beneficiaries from time-to-time.
In the photo: RYF manager Natalia Augustinus poses with one of the beneficiaries of Rehoboth Mommies in Need.
