Children without food until February

AROUND 90 000 orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia will go to school on empty stomachs for the first two weeks of the new school year after international donor assistance failed to reach the World Food Programme (WFP) in time.

John Prout, the WFP Country Director for Namibia, told The Namibian that they managed to raise enough money to give partial rations for up to three months to 90 000 needy children in the Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Kavango and Caprivi regions in the new year. In December, the WFP and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare said they faced a shortfall of US$4 million (about N$28 million) for its operations in Namibia through to April, and needed a total of US$9 million (N$63 million) until the end of 2007.However, if US$1 million were donated in cash at that time, the WFP could have resumed rations in January.Prout said they got one million euros (about N$10 million) from Ireland and a further 230 000 euros from the Luxembourg government but not in time to resume the rations in January.”We are in a much better shape than December.We have a bit of breathing space but we won’t do any distributions in January,” Prout said.He said the rations are purchased on tender and it takes time before the food arrives.”We are busy procuring the food.We will kick off with the rations in February,” Prout said.He said they hoped that more money would come in to prevent a collapse of the feeding scheme.WFP provides a monthly take-home ration to each child registered with the programme, which includes maize meal, a corn-soya blend, cooking oil and pulses.As new problems emerge in different parts of Africa and the rest of the world, donor focus has shifted away from southern Africa and all their programmes across the region have been affected by the reduced availability of resources.WFP has worked with Government for the last 20 months to establish programmes to feed children in the six northern regions.It is expected that many of the vulnerable children being assisted under this programme will apply for social welfare grants during 2007 and, if eligible, be transferred from food assistance to grant support during the course of next year.Due to a lack of donor support, since September 2006 WFP offices across the region had to reduce the level of food assistance provided to mother-and-child nutrition centres, school-feeding projects and patients receiving medication for HIV-AIDS or tuberculosis.Namibia, along with Malawi and Swaziland, faced severe cuts of between 80 and 100 per cent.Prout said the WFP had used internal untied multi-lateral donations to fund activities until December, hoping the international community would support these critically needed feeding programmes.In December, the WFP and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare said they faced a shortfall of US$4 million (about N$28 million) for its operations in Namibia through to April, and needed a total of US$9 million (N$63 million) until the end of 2007.However, if US$1 million were donated in cash at that time, the WFP could have resumed rations in January.Prout said they got one million euros (about N$10 million) from Ireland and a further 230 000 euros from the Luxembourg government but not in time to resume the rations in January.”We are in a much better shape than December.We have a bit of breathing space but we won’t do any distributions in January,” Prout said.He said the rations are purchased on tender and it takes time before the food arrives.”We are busy procuring the food.We will kick off with the rations in February,” Prout said.He said they hoped that more money would come in to prevent a collapse of the feeding scheme.WFP provides a monthly take-home ration to each child registered with the programme, which includes maize meal, a corn-soya blend, cooking oil and pulses.As new problems emerge in different parts of Africa and the rest of the world, donor focus has shifted away from southern Africa and all their programmes across the region have been affected by the reduced availability of resources.WFP has worked with Government for the last 20 months to establish programmes to feed children in the six northern regions.It is expected that many of the vulnerable children being assisted under this programme will apply for social welfare grants during 2007 and, if eligible, be transferred from food assistance to grant support during the course of next year.Due to a lack of donor support, since September 2006 WFP offices across the region had to reduce the level of food assistance provided to mother-and-child nutrition centres, school-feeding projects and patients receiving medication for HIV-AIDS or tuberculosis.Namibia, along with Malawi and Swaziland, faced severe cuts of between 80 and 100 per cent.Prout said the WFP had used internal untied multi-lateral donations to fund activities until December, hoping the international community would support these critically needed feeding programmes.