Drought relief gathers steam
18 December 2019 | Disasters
Likwaterera village in Kavango East received food assistance from government's drought relief programme recently.
Handing over of the food items, executive director in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) I-Ben Nashandi said since the commencement of the programme, government has received donations of about N$181 million from individuals, corporates, international organisations and foreign governments.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also gave an additional N$15 million.
Nashandi said comprehensive drought relief programme not only includes food assistance for drought-affected and vulnerable persons, but also livestock support for affected farmers in the form of free fodder and subsidies.
“Giving importance to resilience, government also directly provided water to communities, by funding the drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes and the extension of water pipes,” he said.
Nashandi said N$249 million has been paid to regional councils to speedily implement identified water projects in various communities.
“I wish to underscore that the main purpose of this programme is to save the lives of the most vulnerable. As such, only those meeting the set criteria of the income threshold of N$2 600 at household level, and who are drought-affected, would be registered,” he added.
Wrong people benefiting must be reported, in order for them to be removed, he stressed.
The responsibility for the identification of beneficiaries and the distribution of the food items has been placed under the regional councils, Nashandi said before saying that the World Food Programme, together with the OPM will continue to assist them.
“We want to appeal to all stakeholders in the process to be dedicated, so that the food reaches the beneficiaries on time, and is not be kept in warehouses,” he said.
Nashandi said although rainfall has already been experienced in some parts of the country, the drought relief programme is envisaged to continue until 7 March 2020.
NAMPA
Handing over of the food items, executive director in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) I-Ben Nashandi said since the commencement of the programme, government has received donations of about N$181 million from individuals, corporates, international organisations and foreign governments.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also gave an additional N$15 million.
Nashandi said comprehensive drought relief programme not only includes food assistance for drought-affected and vulnerable persons, but also livestock support for affected farmers in the form of free fodder and subsidies.
“Giving importance to resilience, government also directly provided water to communities, by funding the drilling and rehabilitation of boreholes and the extension of water pipes,” he said.
Nashandi said N$249 million has been paid to regional councils to speedily implement identified water projects in various communities.
“I wish to underscore that the main purpose of this programme is to save the lives of the most vulnerable. As such, only those meeting the set criteria of the income threshold of N$2 600 at household level, and who are drought-affected, would be registered,” he added.
Wrong people benefiting must be reported, in order for them to be removed, he stressed.
The responsibility for the identification of beneficiaries and the distribution of the food items has been placed under the regional councils, Nashandi said before saying that the World Food Programme, together with the OPM will continue to assist them.
“We want to appeal to all stakeholders in the process to be dedicated, so that the food reaches the beneficiaries on time, and is not be kept in warehouses,” he said.
Nashandi said although rainfall has already been experienced in some parts of the country, the drought relief programme is envisaged to continue until 7 March 2020.
NAMPA
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