Govt to roll out food bank in //Karas, Hardap

THE poverty eradication ministry will roll out the second phase of the food bank in mid-2018 in the //Karas and Hardap regions.

The first phase was rolled out in Windhoek in July 2016, and cost N$60 million.

The food bank is meant for peri-urban areas, while drought and emergency relief caters for rural areas.

Speaking during a food donation at an orphanage yesterday in Katutura, food bank consultant Angel Dalmau Fernandez said the programme’s next stops were the //Karas and Hardap regions.

“We are already creating the conditions to start moving there,” he said.

Fernandez said despite financial constraints, government has done a great deal of work. Initiatives like the rolling out the food bank could not be perfect because it involved extreme poverty, he stated.

Fernandez said they have received great feedback on the social impact of the project.

Poverty eradication deputy minister Aino Kapewangolo, who also spoke at the handover ceremony, encouraged orphanages to create vegetable gardens to produce fresh and nutritious vegetables for the children.

The Megameno orphanage has 26 children, and was started in 1998 by Maria Shalukeni in her own house with only five children. She registered it in 2002.

Kapewangolo also took the opportunity to thank Shalukeni for her unwavering dedication.

“We encourage you to keep building relationships with the relatives of these children,” the politician said.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.