Absalom Shigwedha
15 May 2008
Windhoek — A NUMBER of Swapo MPs in the National Council claim that money paid to orphans from State grants is not reaching these children and is misused by their guardians.
Barkias Namwandi, the councillor for the Mariental-Urban constituency in the Hardap Region, told the House yesterday that he had seen some of these children going hungry while some did not even have school uniforms.
Namwandi said the grants were meant for buying food and other necessities for these children, as well as to pay school fees.
"These grants, are they really reaching the beneficiaries or are they going into somebody's pocket?" he asked.
Namwandi called on the Ministry to put up a monitoring mechanism to make sure that the money benefits the children.
Like Namwandi, Swapo MP Leevi Katoma said he had a feeling that some guardians or caretakers were pocketing the children's money.
He said some of these children were being turned away from school because they didn't have school uniforms or had not paid school fees.
DTA MP Lydia Kavetu applauded the Ministry for the "smooth" registration of orphans for the maintenance grants.
However, Kavetu said there were still many unregistered orphans in her Kunene Region, especially in remote rural areas.
"They are not benefiting from the grants entitled to them, because there are few social workers in the region," said Kavetu.
Swapo MP Bartholomeus Shangheta called on the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare to speed up the process of appointing record clerks for the registration of orphans and vulnerable children.
Shangheta said it was also high time that the ministry considered increasing the children's grants to keep up with increasing food prices.
He also called on the Ministry to regulate the establishment of kindergartens to avoid the mushrooming of such centres.
"At least one must meet the requirements for him or her to establish a kindergarten, for example having a Grade 10," he suggested.
Shangheta said at the moment anybody could start a kindergarten without proving that he or she was qualified to educate children.
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