Red Cross responds to allegations

The Namibian Red Cross Society secretary Ms Dorkas Kapembe-Haiduwa has refuted allegations levelled against the organisation that it has failed to distribute food parcels for the past three years from its headquarters in Windhoek, which ended up rotting in the warehouse. Responding to an article published by Nambian Sun on August 27, Kapembe-Haiduwa the Red Cross does not distribute food and only does so during drought when food is distributed to soup kitchens in drought stricken areas. “The Red Cross does not distribute food. We have different warehouses in different regions and we also offer warehouse facilities to other organisations. “We do not have a single programme that distributes food and we only do so during drought”,” she said. Kapembe-Haiduwa further said her organisation stores non-food items adding that the only food kept at the premises is food donated two weeks ago by individuals for communities that they identified. Donor Withdrawal Responsing to allegations that donors such as the European Union (EU) and Belgium have stopped funding programmes under the Namibia Red Cross Society (NRCS), she said the EU funding that the organisation received was for a water and sanitation programme for Kunene, Ohangwena and Kavango regions which came to an end at the end of April. “This was a heavy and labour intensive one and it’s 80% complete. We are being audited right now for and the donors are the ones who appoint their own auditors. We are waiting for the appointment of new auditors to start for 2014 operations. For now all our audits are complete and clean and I don’t know where the non-compliance is coming from,” ridiculed Kapembe-Haiduwa. She said when there is an open call for proposals for programmes in Namibia, the Red Cross partners and works with the Swedish, German and Belgium and Spanish sister organisations to carry out the programmes. Vehicles Kapembe-Haiduwa also refuted allegations that there are vehicles parked at the premises and gathering dust, saying that the few cars that are parked there were recalled from completed projects in the regions. “We have lots of vehicles for different projects. The water and sanitation project was huge and the first phase started in 2007 and ended in May 2011. This project, especially in Kunene, had more than five cars because of the bad terrain. The programme was extended to Kavango and Ohangwena. The vehicles are from completed projects and there are no vehicles gathering dust. Currently there are five vehicles in the yard. This fleet is not here when there are projects running and we replace our fleet regularly.” Laimi Dessa Onesmus On the alleged appointment of Ms Laimi Dessa Onesmus as acting programme director without the knowledge of the governing board, Kapembe-Haiduwa said nothing illegal surrounded her appointment and allegations of her alleged bulldozing by the newspaper’s source can only be proven by the source. “I don’t know here if the issue is Laimi or the project. Laimi is in charge of health.” She said the HIV programme is continuing as well as the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and First Aid Programmes. “Belgium Red Cross used to fund the OVC project but the funding ended in 2013 after three years. We were in discussion with them to continue with funding but we did not agree with certain conditions of the withdrawal,” Kapembe-Haiduwa said. She described as irrelevant the allegations levelled against her saying the health projects have nothing to do with her. “The programme is continuing with the Ministry of Health and the Namibia Networks of AIDS Service Organisations (NANASO),” she added. On Onesmus’s apparent bull-dozing she said: “This is very subjective. If there was anything that person (source) can provide proof. At the moment I am head of the organisation.” She continued: “The issue of governance is the one questioned here. The secretary-general has duties and our constitution (Red Cross), outlines those. The appointment of staff is my responsibility, not that of the board. Whatever this source of yours is talking about, I don’t know.” She said the Red Cross has not started responding to the drought but appeals through the International Federation of the Red Crescent Societies have started. She said the organisation has programmes under hygiene promotion, soup kitchens, distribution of seed to farmers and imminent is the introduction of conservation farming training to the farmers. “The importance of conservation farming is we need to change our culture of cultivation because of climate change and we must emulate others who have successfully yielded fruits of conservation farming,” further said Kapembe-Haiduwa. She said the existence of the Red Cross Society in each country is by an Act of Parliament and added that the each country needs an independent organisation like to Red Cross to carry out humanitarian programmes responsible for assisting the Namibian Government to carry out humanitarian work in times of peace or conflict, including times of natural disasters such as drought, famine and floods. “It is a membership organisation and it belongs to Namibian people. To have made reference to the South Africa Red Cross is puzzling. The EU connection is only through the Swedish Red Cross linkage.” Kapembe-Haiduwa said since Namibia was categorised as a middle income country, the Canadian International Development Agency (Cida) has pulled out of Namibia and in 2012, Sweden indicated that Namibia is no longer a priority to them. She said as much as the Red Cross would like to help in dire humanitarian situations that are exposed by the media, its involvement is often prohibited by limited resources. WINDHOEK Dorcas Mhungu and Kenya Kambowe