ALLOW me to express my ideas to the Namibian people and to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare about the orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia.
Namibia is one of the African countries that have a high number of orphans, simply because of the high death rate caused by HIV-AIDS, but they are not served well when they die. I remember one orphan who died and was buried on 24 April 2005 in the Omusati Region, but there was no coffin, only a blanket used to cover the poor child.And this is very painful for most of us.My question is why the Government cannot serve the orphans like the pensioners.Some of the orphans who are in the four O regions and some are in Kavango and Caprivi are just taken care of by pensioners who rely on their pension money.I know it is true that the Government and other organisations are assisting these children by providing them with food, education, clothes and other goods like health care, but if orphans die, why does the GRN not help those poor children? Does the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare know that the orphans and vulnerable children are buried in blankets? And what are we waiting for in the next ten years? The food, oil and other products that rotted the in a warehouse in Caprivi – for who were they earmarked? Please let us consider and make things right.I want the Ministry to set up a fund for the orphans and vulnerable children (funeral life policy fund) and I want each and every employee in our country to contribute N$2 from his/her salary per month, while ministries, parastatals and NGOs contribute N$100 per month.I would like to call on the Namibian nation to put our hands together to set up this fund to serve the poor children when they leave this world.Iipinge John Kapweya Walvis BayI remember one orphan who died and was buried on 24 April 2005 in the Omusati Region, but there was no coffin, only a blanket used to cover the poor child.And this is very painful for most of us.My question is why the Government cannot serve the orphans like the pensioners.Some of the orphans who are in the four O regions and some are in Kavango and Caprivi are just taken care of by pensioners who rely on their pension money.I know it is true that the Government and other organisations are assisting these children by providing them with food, education, clothes and other goods like health care, but if orphans die, why does the GRN not help those poor children? Does the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare know that the orphans and vulnerable children are buried in blankets? And what are we waiting for in the next ten years? The food, oil and other products that rotted the in a warehouse in Caprivi – for who were they earmarked? Please let us consider and make things right.I want the Ministry to set up a fund for the orphans and vulnerable children (funeral life policy fund) and I want each and every employee in our country to contribute N$2 from his/her salary per month, while ministries, parastatals and NGOs contribute N$100 per month.I would like to call on the Namibian nation to put our hands together to set up this fund to serve the poor children when they leave this world.Iipinge John Kapweya Walvis Bay
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