PM launches orphan action plan

THE Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare yesterday launched the National Plan of Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

At the launch, Prime Minister Nahas Angula stressed that HIV-AIDS remains one of the greatest challenges for Namibia, and that programmes for AIDS orphans must be co-ordinated to increase their effectiveness. “Children are innocent and powerless but are very precious to us.Their importance to us is the fact that they represent the future of our nation.Their childhood is happening today and not somewhere in the future, therefore they need our protection right now,” Angula said.”Let us start right now in investing in their future through implementing the OVC National Plan of Action, to ensure that the children in our society are cared for and protected.”The implementation of this plan requires not only collaboration between the Ministries and NGOs, but also the commitment for more resources to make this plan a reality for Namibian children,” he added.Angula called on the private sector, civil society and all development partners to support the action plan.Speaking at the same occasion, the US Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, Eric Benjamin, commended Government for creating a Child Welfare Directorate to support the implementation of the action plan.”AIDS has taken the mother, father or both from approximately 14 million children globally, thereby designating those children as AIDS orphans.It is estimated that that number will increase to 28 million over the next ten years,” he said.Unicef representative Khin-Sandi Lwin added that one third of all Namibian children could possibly be orphaned by the year 2021.It is estimated that there are 175 000 orphans in Namibia, with 135 000 of them orphaned by HIV-AIDS.”Children are innocent and powerless but are very precious to us.Their importance to us is the fact that they represent the future of our nation.Their childhood is happening today and not somewhere in the future, therefore they need our protection right now,” Angula said.”Let us start right now in investing in their future through implementing the OVC National Plan of Action, to ensure that the children in our society are cared for and protected.”The implementation of this plan requires not only collaboration between the Ministries and NGOs, but also the commitment for more resources to make this plan a reality for Namibian children,” he added.Angula called on the private sector, civil society and all development partners to support the action plan.Speaking at the same occasion, the US Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, Eric Benjamin, commended Government for creating a Child Welfare Directorate to support the implementation of the action plan.”AIDS has taken the mother, father or both from approximately 14 million children globally, thereby designating those children as AIDS orphans.It is estimated that that number will increase to 28 million over the next ten years,” he said.Unicef representative Khin-Sandi Lwin added that one third of all Namibian children could possibly be orphaned by the year 2021.It is estimated that there are 175 000 orphans in Namibia, with 135 000 of them orphaned by HIV-AIDS.