The heart behind the help

The Nangula Mbako Foundation recently held a charity drive at the Mix settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek.
Seeing the suffering of people in informal settlements drove this young woman to establishing an outreach programme to help those in need.
Wilma Iita
  • 6 Days Ago
The Nangula Mbako Foundation recently hosted a charity outreach to the Mix informal settlement located north of Windhoek, where over 30 families received bags of food, clothing, toiletries and blankets.

The foundation was established in 2021 by Dr Nangula Mbako, a passionate humanitarian raised between Namibia and California, USA. After the passing of her father, Lt. Col. Nandus Mbako in 2019, she felt a deep calling to honour his legacy of service.

“This foundation was born from grief, but also from love,” Nangula said. “Seeing the suffering of people in informal settlements, especially mothers who’ve lost everything in shack fires or children going to bed hungry, moved something in me. My father believed in Ubuntu, and now I do this work to carry that flame forward.”

Since its inception, the foundation has been at the forefront of community outreaches in Windhoek’s most vulnerable areas. From responding to shack fires and floods with emergency relief to hosting school talks that steer young people away from drugs and alcohol, the team has made it their mission to restore dignity, hope and opportunity.

Their school-based chess mentorship programme, launched in the John Pandeni constituency, is just one example of how they empower youth through strategy and leadership.

The outreach brought together volunteers, community leaders, young people from local churches and members of the media. The outreach not only aimed to give the affected residents a helping hand but to remind each of the affected residents - man, woman and child - that they matter, that they are seen and that someone believes in their tomorrow.

The Nangula Mbako Foundation calls on partners, investors, donors and dreamers for additional support. "We believe that with your support, we can scale up our impact by building mentorship hubs, creating feeding schemes, launching skills development workshops, and ultimately, restoring dignity to every Namibian. Join us!"

For more information or to get involved, contact Nangula at 081 281 2147 or 085 797 1556, or via @nangulambakofoundation on Instagram to help make waves of change together.