Young go-karter donates winnings
It was somewhat out of the ordinary when a Dutch boy took part in the 5th leg of the National Go-karting Championships at the Tony Rust track outside Windhoek last weekend.Daan van Dam (9) was on holiday in Namibia with his parents, Maarten and Esther. As he is a keen karter in the Netherlands, they contacted the local go-karting community in advance to see if Daan could also ride a bit here. Then, while they were here, a race was held in Windhoek and arrangements were immediately made for Daan to participate.
The eager young man performed brilliantly, taking the second spot in his class. However, it was precisely the way he spent his winnings that showed what kind of blood runs in his veins.
Seventeen years ago, his grandparents, Gideon and Tineke van Dam, were also in Namibia. Gideon is a church minister who worked closely with the care of other ministers. He was busy with a series of workshops in this regard when they were involved in a serious car accident outside Rehoboth.
Gideon suffered serious injuries to his face which nearly cost him his sight. Thankfully he was able to retain some sight thanks to the skilful intervention of doctors Egeria Olivier, Jannes Brand and Werner Koepp, among others.
To show his gratitude, Gideon decided to arrange that his payout from the Road Accident Fund be used as an emergency fund to help especially children who would otherwise not be able to undergo eye surgery. He asked the Dutch Reformed Church Namibia to manage the administration of the Bright Sight Namibia (BSN) fund.
Several young patients have already benefited from BSN.
Gideon’s same servitude lives forth in his grandson, with Daan deciding that his prize money of N$750 be transferred to BSN.
Donors who want to contribute to BSN, or those who need help from the fund, can contact the church's synod office in Windhoek at [email protected].