Officials from the European Union (EU), Unicef and the government recently visited the Kunene region to assess early childhood development initiatives and health infrastructure supported through international partnerships.
The delegation’s field mission to Opuwo this week focused on early childhood education (ECD), nutrition at community centres, and health services, including improvements to water and sanitation facilities at Opuwo District Hospital.
EU ambassador Ana Beatriz Martins, during engagements with community and education leaders, said education was critical to Namibia’s future.
“We are convinced that education is absolutely critical for the future of the regions and the future of the country,” Martins said.
She said the visit allowed the EU to see first-hand how its partnership with the government was supporting ECD and making a difference in communities.
The visit comes as only 17% of children in the Kunene region have access to ECD centres, compared with the national average of 24%.
Unicef representative Samuel Ocran said expanding access to ECD centres was important because of the role the early years play in children’s development.
“We want every child wherever they are to be in a centre because the early years of the child are so critical to the child’s development; that is why we pay particular attention to that,” Ocran said.
The delegation also visited the Otuvero Community ECD Centre near Opuwo, which was constructed in 2020 with EU support. The centre has 33 children, comprising 15 boys and 18 girls.
Children at the centre receive fortified instant porridge through the national ECD feeding programme, with support from the World Food Programme (WFP) under an EU-funded initiative. The centre also has learning materials, a water tank and a playground.
The EU-funded programme is implemented in partnership with government ministries, Unicef and WFP. Unicef supports early learning, parenting programmes and ECD systems, while WFP supports nutrition at ECD centres. The mission also included attention to health infrastructure.
Unicef, with support from the EU’s humanitarian aid arm, has supported renovations to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the maternity and paediatric wards at Opuwo District Hospital.
The improvements include plumbing, the provision of sanitary pads, and handwashing stations intended to strengthen hygiene and infection prevention.
