Harnas Caring Hands Project

Cheeky Cheetah day-care centre

The San people – once a semi nomadic people living off hunting and the gathering of honey and the roots and fruits of plants.  Now, as their hunting grounds are encroached upon, many San live at the bottom of the social scale having no choice but to adapt to modern society – a concept foreign to all they  hold dear.
Harnas, situated in the Omaheke Region, an area that lies in the Kalahari Basin have a community of San living and working here.  Assisting with the feeding of animals and general maintenance they play a crucial part in the vision and mission of Harnas.  Not so long ago, the Kalahari Basin was their home…   On Harnas, Marieta, Schalk and Jo van der Merwe have a dream to uplift and assist the San people living here in their struggle to survive within their changed environment.  Here The Cheeky Cheetah Day Care Centre was born – a Pre-School filled with colour and buzzing activities.  Our vision is to stimulate a love for learning, instilling moral values and life-skills and preparing the whole child emotionally, physically and academically for formal schooling.

Adoption program

After the little ones attending Cheeky Cheetah’s are prepared and ready to go, the next BIG step is taken: going to Grade 1.  Currently we work at finding placements for our kids in two local schools, Gqaina and Good Hope Primary School.  Given the distance, our kids must board at these schools.  It is here where you can play a vital role too.  ‘Adopting’ a school-going child means support for the San family and child through assisting them in the payment and purchase of school fees, school uniform, stationary and toiletries. Most of the kids attending these schools in this rural area come from a poor background.  So often, our kids attending there have to share their belongings with multiple others who don’t have anything.  One segment of the boarding school alone has approximately 100 kids.
Your donation and support means a lot to us and more so – to each San kid and their family!
Unfortunately, due to their nomadic nature, their own future is threatened which makes it incredibly difficult for them to persist in achieving end results to any educational grade or a schooling career.  In some situations, although unfortunate, there are some cases where an adopted child may leave Harnas to an unknown destination.  We do believe however that even if a child spends a few weeks or months either in our day care or in the local schools, a seed of hope is planted and there is a better chance that a child dares to dream, daring to follow their dream.  The money spent on an adopted child will make a huge difference in his life.  Intertwined with time and effort invested in each child, every kid in the program benefits from your investment

Find out about the children you can adopt here.

San development program

Because of past marginalization the San lack the skills required to integrate successfully into a modern, evolving society. It is important at this point to acknowledge that even as these people develop, they still need to maintain their cultural identity. As far as possible Harnas supports this notion by supplying them with means to do so and allowing interested individuals to express themselves through their traditional art and craft.

Harnas has created a place to acquire basic life skills and practical training. Further guidance and encouragement is given for their children to complete their schooling, thereby inspiring future generations to new possibilities. Establishing a training venue for up to twelve people with courses lasting up to six months in basic literacy, mechanics, building, fencing, welding and electrics is paramount to the program.

Ideally, trainees receive a sponsored salary during this time period, after which they receive a certificate of their achievements and are assisted in finding permanent employment.

Donations are used to maintain the training facility and require the employment of teachers and trainers, the purchase of machinery and material and to supply trainees with accommodation.

Although Harnas began with an overwhelming passion for the welfare of animals the need for compassion extends much further. The less fortunate native people need be protected and supported until such a time as they would want to fend for themselves in a modern environment.

Ostrich shell beading, a well established San craft, is promoted on Harnas. The beads and jewellery is sold in the Harnas curios shop to provide the San with additional income and to gain some business experience.