Klein Karas gets a financial boost

THE Klein Karas Cooperative earlier received a funding boost of N$275 000 through the Karas Community Development project of the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF).

The funding is aimed at ensuring food self-sufficiency and encouraging enterprise development. Project coordinator Jonas Nghishidi said the grant would also be used in furthering support to the existing community vegetable garden for food self-sufficiency, and to sell the surplus. Furthermore, the co-operative has acquired 80 dorper sheep through the grant, and that further boosted their livestock base and enabled the co-operative to engage in livestock production.Capacity building is an integral part of this project, says Nghishidi. The community has a horticultural expert attached with project that mentors the community in food production, accessing of local markets, and packaging of vegetables. Co-operative members have received training in veld management to create awareness on the management of natural resources, animal husbandry and marketing of livestock. The Klein Karas Co-operative has a management committee that consists of nine members elected by the community at an annual general meeting (AGM) and who serves for a two-year term.The Karas Community Development Project supports three communities: Aus, Warmbad and the Klein Karas Resettlement Farm. The project is kindly supported with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) through Conservation International.