For many children, a home is more than just a place to live – it is where they find love, belonging and hope.

An orphan who formerly lived in Hope Village, an orphanage in Windhoek, has returned to give the same love that once changed his own life. Boma Nanyemba is now carrying forward the legacy of the late founder, Maritjie de Klerk, dedicating his life to giving vulnerable children a family and a future.

This is the Hope Village, situated in the Goreangab area of Katutura.

Today, the orphanage is run by a former resident, Boma Nanyemba, whose story is deeply intertwined with Hope Village itself.

Once an orphan living within these very walls, he was raised with unwavering love and guidance by the late founder, Maritjie de Klerk. 

Before her death on 14 March 2025, De Klerk recognised the compassion, strength, and leadership within him. 

Believing he would continue her life's mission, she entrusted him with the future of Hope Village. Inspired by her faith in him.

Despite achieving professional success, he made the extraordinary decision to leave his career behind to answer a greater calling to return home and become a father figure to the very children who now walk the same path he once did. 

"So when I found myself being asked to contribute to the fairness or in the administration of Hope Village, this sparked that light of mind of restorative justice to restore that justice that has been taken away from people. So I always felt like, Wow, I think I should take this course because it speaks rightly to what I want to do or what I always wanted to do in society. So that's when I really decided to take this choice. Not me, I know, you know, you are not guaranteed in terms of salary and so on, but the fact that I could be a change in society. I, you know, I love listening to societal problems."

Nanyemba now runs the home with daily operations, community outreach programmes and fundraising to provide children with a stable family-like environment.

Some of the children were raised in the village from a very young age, growing up there through their childhood and into their teenage years. 

17-year-old Christophine Martin came to Hope Village in 2017. 

"I see Boma as my hero because Boma is a loving person. He taught us always to love others and to help. Boma always tries to help people whenever he can. And he always makes sure that whenever we need opportunities or we need something, he will always try his best to search and find it for us. Boma gives the best advice. Sometimes he's a friend. Sometimes he's a father. And sometimes it's just Boma the manager's trick. And yeah."

At Hope Village, love is more than a word; it is a home, a family, and a promise that no child should ever feel alone.

From one generation to the next, De Klerk's legacy of love continues to live on through Boma Nanyemba and the hearts of those she touched.