Terminally Ill Woman Assists Other Women

Alvine Kapitako

19 May 2011

Windhoek — A terminally ill Polish woman has donated all her personal savings of N$130 000 to the Women’s Action For Development (WAD), possibly her last noble gesture to the poor.

Marianna Gaj (55) suffers from breast and ovarian cancer. Gaj regards herself as an ordinary woman with a strong desire to reach out to the poor, who may not have had the opportunity to attend school.

The generous Polish woman is a Home Economics teacher and Missionary by profession.

Even though she maintained strong ties with her family in Poland, her introduction to Caprivi and its people by a Polish Catholic nun during 1989-when she first came to Namibia, opened up the realization of the unquenchable desire to reach out to those in need.

“What I feel in my heart and what is in my heart, I’m saying Namibia is my country,” said Gaj who has worked as a volunteer for over 30 years.

Gaj’s background in Home Economics and missionary work placed her in a good position to be the first among equals to assist the people of Caprivi to train them in sewing, cooking and baking and to assist in establishing income-generating activities among the poor.

“Not even the distance from home and family could in any way dampen that drive to relocate to be close to the people I learned to love, to work with them and to be one of them,” said the soft spoken Gaj on Tuesday.

She said the measure of acceptance and trust she has enjoyed from the people of Namibia, albeit being a foreigner, will always be an endearing experience, as she puts it “which will evoke fond memories till the end of my days”.

She narrated that her joyful remembrances of the ‘River people’ of Caprivi was unfortunately and unexpectedly cut short when she was diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer, already in advanced stages.

This compelled her to leave Namibia in 2004 to travel to Belfast-in northern Ireland, where she would spend her last days. ” although my sincere desire is to die in Namibia and to be buried in this beautiful country,” she said emotionally. Gaj traveled to Namibia, despite warnings from doctors that she should not travel because of her condition.

Gaj’s donation to WAD would be used for that organisation’s training programmes that aim at reducing poverty and unemployment among the poor. This is Gaj’s reason for choosing WAD as the organisation to give her last personal savings.

” I have selected WAD because I am fully aware of the commendable broad-based development work which this organisation has been performing across the country. I am confident that it will be put to good use for the benefit of the poor”.

Last year, Gaj donated 14 000 British pounds (about N$ 158.760 at current exchange rate) towards a building the ‘Blessing Child centre’ in Katima Mulilo. The centre is now used as a pre-school for orphans and vulnerable children, a skills training centre for women and the youth and a drop-in centre for abused children.

WAD Executive Director, Veronica De Klerk expressed gratitude for the goodwill gesture accorded to her organisation.

“As this wonderful woman leaves Namibia to return to Northern Ireland for ongoing treatment, she is leaving a legacy behind of caring and sharing, which we as a nation can learn from,” said De Klerk.

Gaj returns to Ireland next week on Monday.

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