Tura boy turns headsA young boy who aims to become president one day has formed a group of like-minded children who do good deeds in their community. Young poverty fighter takes the lead A young boy who aims to become president one day has formed a group of like-minded children who do good deeds in their community. Since meeting the first family this week, a group of Katutura children, who are all friends and live in the same neighborhood, have crept into the hearts of Namibians after it became known that they do selfless work cleaning up areas in their neighbourhood during their free time. The Poverty Eradication Warriors founder, 12-year-old Armando Pieters, became an overnight sensation after telling President Hage Geingob that he is the country’s future president. Namibian Sun visited his home on Independence Avenue in Katutura yesterday.
His mother, Anna Roman, said Armando had left for the shops with an elderly street vendor, who trades nearby.
“That child is very active, he always has something to do or somewhere to go,” says Roman. She recalled how some time ago two American women arrived at her home with gifts, looking for their friend Armando.
“They were volunteers who came to Namibia and were leaving so they came to say goodbye. I always see him getting letters from people in other countries, friends that he met somewhere.”
Armando is one of five children, and a grade six learner at People’s Primary School. A few years ago, he started a vegetable garden with the aim of providing food for children.
Asked whether she fears raising her bright boy in a city riddled with crime and filled with distractions, his mother smiled and said Armando has always known what he wants from life.
“He’s very active, but also very focused. Since grade one, he joined a centre and spends after school there till 18:00 in the evening. He is always busy with something,” she said.
Soon a friend arrived, looking for Armando. Nabot Tomas introduced himself as the deputy director of Poverty Eradication Warriors, saying he joined the group after Armando had told him about his plans.
“Since we were very small Armando always had ideas of little things he wanted us to do, and then he said we are starting a clean-up crew and maybe a soup kitchen group,” Tomas said.
“We want to help the government in eradicating these problems; we want to make our community better.”
Tomas, a grade ten learner at Windhoek Technical High School, said they want to expand their programme to start a soup kitchen in order to help the needy in their community.
“And maybe someday we would have raised enough money to send everyone in our community to university. Many of them are just here in the country, not studying for different reasons, but mostly because there is no money.”
Tomas, who can’t wait to be in grade 11 next year, said he hopes to go to medical school because he wants to become a pediatrician so that he can work with children.
According to Ludyckie Vlees, who assists the young leaders, more and more young people are eager to join the group since their highly publicised meeting with Geingob and First Lady Monica Geingos.
This Friday, the group plans on cleaning the Katutura Old Age Home, where they also plan on cooking a delicious meal for the elderly. The group says September and October will be reserved for cleanup operations around Katutura. In November, they will be writing examinations.
Namibians who would like to support the group can provide them with cleaning materials and protective clothing, and can join them this Friday at the Katutura Old Age Home.
GORDON JOSEPH