Windhoek — More than 90 126 orphans and vulnerable children now benefit from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare's social grant programme, Minister Marlene Mungunda told the National Assembly on Friday.

Mungunda said the programme included maintenance grants, foster parents' grants and special maintenance grants for children under 16 with disabilities.

By March last year, only 60 930 children were benefiting from grants, she said.

She made these remarks when she introduced her Ministry's budget vote. The Ministry will receive just under N$265 million this financial year. Of this amount, the Ministry needs N$193 million for children's grants. Mungunda said with assistance from Unicef, the Ministry had developed information brochures on State services for children in need, which were distributed countrywide.

The Directorate of Child Welfare had appointed more staff to deal with the escalating number of orphans and vulnerable children, she said.