Good morning everybody my name is Richard the founder of Timely Kids kindergarten. Basicly what we’re going to talk about today is about how the kindergarten, was formed in how how have change lives of many kids. In the informal settlement in Namibia Havanna especially. Basicly I introduced myself. Timely Kids is an vision that I got to the late passing of my unborn baby. Well, it was born, due to medical complications it died. So I took up to myself to a how to that from now I will make sure that every Namibia child should not go through what my child went through. So it was in 2017 when we started to work on the preschool. So the preschool was actually initially started because in the church the few members that need to keep there kids at home while there were looking for jobs. So we started that preschool with four kids. But at first we lacked methodology, we didn't know how to go about things. Little by little, we searched the internet and informed ourselves through self-study, we networked with other institutions in the neighbourhood and other organisations that worked with children. This is how we came to develop the kindergarten: In the beginning we had no benches, no chairs, no tables, no blackboards, not even the wall displays you see on my background, we had nothing at all. And this has make it in that way, that we had to resolve to the resources we have. So we got the boxes, and these boxes we used them as tables, and then the children were sitting on top of the boxes or under the boxes and there were writing. Gradually we got to be connected to Rainbow Village volunteer programming through networking, we met Stephanie, a very good hearted woman, very prone to send volunteers from an organisation through Germany: Volunteer programming. And we had our first volunteers where by that time our kids were 19/15 there. Our first volunteers were like Emily, Elaine, and others. So basically when they came they brought a new colour. Because most of the time our parents were unemployed, there were single parents, they did not have much to contribute towards the program. Sometimes month end they can't pay – and we can't send the kids home, because we tend to love the kids so much. So in the process the volunteers help us with our first tables and twenty chairs. That was like heaven on earth, it's like wow - we got these things - now we can do these! And then we started now getting to go on internet downloading alphabets, we started with letterings, alphabets, they had letters, we had to teach our teachers, and as the teachers getting to know and know as me now as administrator has to go for training, so at night 2:00 o'clock in the night I'll wake up, there were youtube tutorials that were doing about preschool. And what we do is we started to say okay, let’s first equip our staff members to be child ready first. What I mean by child ready is, that they will able to love this children conditionally unconditionally, regardless to the tribes cultures they come from. And especially in Namibia there is always this stereotype type of tribes. People walk within the tribes, people do things between the tribes, everything they doing is more related to tribes, you support your tribe, but we had to decend decise now the teachers not to feel that this is of the tribe. But now we had to get the teachers not to feel part of this tribe, but to understand the children as they are. So for our teachers it was a struggle because many at times people are resistant to change. We had to fight, we had to let go some other staff members who were resistant to change, we had to agree with those who compromise the change and thats how we started. And the volunteer program started coming. By that time, we did not even at the moment have the playground, and we actually initiated the activities by creating materials from recycled things. So we started collecting bottle tops, plastic bottles and also items that were discussed. Theses were now things were using. But eventually we time to understand that there are some toys that are educational twist and others are not. So we had to differentiate by removing the guns, disarming the kids, talking about peace, talking about reconciliation, and also talking about how they can become the agents of change. So from 2017, 2019, 2020 we are on a different plattform. Our volunteers are coming once in a while, some are coming for 6 months, some are coming for 1 year, some are coming for two months, we started accepting them. And also brought in what was there for from Germany. We told them that we don't feel that we know all, but we are here to learn. So whatever you have seen perhaps in your country that works and then they started helping us on the discipline. You know in Africa a beating is a form of discipline. But in Europe according to our interactions with the volunteers, we started to do timeouts, naughty corners and other stuff, and to us also it was a bit strange to try to get to those concepts. Because you know how we were raised and how we were told to discipline and say "no I was beaten here I' m fine" but that was not the case, but eventually we started to implement non-disciplinary non- phyical disciplinary, we use other approach to discipline our kids. And then our kids kids also started to responding. As you can talk right now is 2014 we have graduated four batches of kids. This is the fifths year that we are in school. Most of our kids are strong performers. They are really good. Today we got some report cards from their schools I mean it is just As and this program is also made custom made with an Indian educational system because I happen to study in India and I saw what the Indian were in that grading and our kids we get to be challenged in many ways to able to think outside the box and that is what we anticipated and this is the fruits. Right now I am standing recording with one of the volunteers from rainbow village, Sebastian, and he is very good with the technology which we did not have. We wanted to send this message forward to anybody that is out there perhaps that is interested in building. Yes the venue in which we are operating is my late uncles place. It has contention you know when other people say see that you are progressing at the moment they want to chant it away. So we are having this issue of getting a space for timely kids. Timely kids is well known in Windhoek by now. People are calling from the north, they are calling from the south, they want to reenroll their to be part of our program. At schools also especially most of the schools nearby, school Principals are really recommending, because our kids are finishing their preprimary already reading and writing. So that is what the most of the center tone parents when they come to us we get a child either from the northeast or south speaking vacular but by the end of the year their are actually prone in English and they can speak they can have dialogues. One day we will do we will do casting with them so we can understand where we are doing. This was just an introduction. I want everybody that is interested in partnering up with us working together with us to change education. Because I believe education is the equaliser it's the standard. You know, when you educate a person you educate a Generation. And we want to change. Changing Namibia from informal settlements. Informal settlements is where is no water, there is no electricity and there those sewage things they everything is done in a communal point. You collect water from the communal, you us a toilet and you can see one toilet is shared by almost 40000 people are sharing one toilet. Imagine the type of condition in which it is. So but we built our own toilets here, pit latrin, but they are not 100% perfect but it's doable. And it's also health free. So we want you do not just to hear me speaking. You want you to see in your heart and to see if there is any contribution you want to meet. If you don't have any con you can talk to our volunteers you can talk to them, they will also send the message. we have a lot of volunteers down in who went back from Germany. We had volunteers from Germany, we have from Austria, we have from Italy, we do not have from France yet, but these are the volunteers that comes through Rainbow Village. If you are going get involved with Rainbow Village and then get connected and come. They are not only my center can benefit , if you want to work on an different center that they work at there's another center called "Beautyful kids", there's another center called "Childrens home" there is ongunganda, there are different center this volunteers work and they do a massive change. Their presence is a change. It is to bring the culture into the melting point where culturally they will be able to work together with the rest of the other volunteers and us with me, Richard, the founder of Timely Kids. I am happy and I am pleased to talk to you. And the way I am smiling is an indication that I am really happy for our recording session that has so far succeeded to this level. And I believe you get in contact with us. We will put our E-Mails and stuff in the video link, so you can meet us. Thank you very much.