Dad raises abandoned baby alone
Oshakati resident Lainoto Nuyoma has pleaded with Good Samaritans to assist him to care for his 15-month-old baby after the mother abandoned them almost a year ago.
The 42-year-old Nuyoma told New Era he lost his job due to Covid-19, said life has become increasingly difficult, as he has no means of income to take care of his daughter and he fears the uncertainty the future holds for him but more so for his baby. Nuyoma currently resides at Ondapandula, a centre reserved for expecting mothers near Oshakati Hospital, as a direct result of his job loss.
Paying as little as N$5 per day to stay at the centre, Nuyoma says he is grateful, but given his financial situation, even that is difficult to pay. “Life is very hard for me, it’s not easy to have someone leave you with a five-month-old baby, especially when you do not have a job,” he added. “I used to rent a shack in Okandjengedi location in Oshakati, but now I left because I don’t have money to pay rent since I lost my job due to Covid-19 last year,” he said.
He said the police have been trying to look for the mother but she was nowhere to be found and added that until today, he does not know where she is. “I am grateful to the women at the centre as they help me care for my baby and at times, I leave her with them when I go out to look for work. It has not been easy but, now more than ever in these tough times I need to pull through for my little one,” he said.
“I am stressed. I don’t sleep in the night because of this situation of my baby who does not have a birth certificate. All I want is my baby to get a birth certificate so that she will start getting social grants from the government.”
He further said he is unable to get a birth certificate for his daughter. Having gone to home affairs and the ministry of gender and social welfare, the issue that keeps reoccurring is the absence of the birth mother, thus making it difficult to attain the necessary documentation for his child.
“It was last year in August when the mother of my daughter disappeared. It was around 16h00 in the afternoon, so she told me to hold the baby while she is going to use the toilet, which was a bit far from our shack. The whole night the baby was crying,” he said.
“I did not argue with her, we always have peace in the house. I just do not know what went wrong.” He said his baby still wears nappies.
However, the nappies are expensive for an unemployed parent like him. He said he would remain committed to ensure that his baby has food to eat although he is an unemployed father. He is seeking assistance from any Good Samaritan to help him with food and clothes for his baby. One can drop assistance at the office of Oshana governor. “I love my daughter, despite the challenges I am going through, I will be there always for my baby,” he said.