Windhoek Harriers Club handed over the proceeds of several races, amounting to N$6 800 to the Christina Swart Opperman Aids Orphan Foundation Trust at a press conference in Windhoek on November 9.
At the occasion a former chairman of Windhoek Harriers, Keith Lewins said that the club had played a big role in the development of sport in Namibia.
?Windhoek Harriers strives to provide its members with the best-managed road running and walking club with maximum member benefits in Namibia,? he said.
?Windhoek Harriers further organises a variety of event formats, ranging from fun runs to national marathon championship races for members and the Namibian sports community at large,? he added.
Windhoek Harriers celebrated its 25th anniversary during 2005 and is the oldest road running club in Namibia. The club enjoys membership of about 250 paid up members, who are scattered all over the world, from Namibia, South Africa, Sweden and New Zealand to Australia, Thailand and Germany.
The club derives its income mainly from membership fees and retained race income.
?Despite organising the bulk of road running events in Namibia, Windhoek Harriers receives no funding whatsoever from Athletics Namibia or any other government source. Our goal is to channel as much sponsorship funds to participants as possible,? Lewins said.
Sport empowers Aids orphans
Dr Swart Opperman thanked the club, saying it had set an example to other sport clubs to emulate.
?Children orphaned by Aids need assistance to cope effectively with their circumstances. We can contribute towards this by endeavouring to make their surroundings as stable and as nurturing as possible. We can empower affected children by treating them as active members of our communities, rather than just as victims,? Swart-Opperman said.
In this regard, she added, sport played an important role, since it helped make the children feel like victors and not just victims.
Swart Opperman said the situation of children orphaned by Aids was becoming progressively worse.
?In Namibia, 75 per cent of all orphans are Aids orphans and this will remain so until at least 2021. We therefore have to mobilize all possible resources in order to make a difference,? she said.
The Christina Swart Opperman Aids Orphan Foundation Trust, launched in February 2003, has as its vision to contribute to social reform in Namibia. Specific objectives are to uplift and improve the quality of life of Aids orphans by participating specifically in programmes dealing in education, care and feeding schemes, prevention and psycho-social support, she said.
?Specific values of the trust are respecting the human dignity and rights of children, applying funds with integrity and having compassion for those less privileged,? she added.