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Namibia: Food Handouts Begin
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New Era (Windhoek)
8 August 2008
Posted to the web 8 August 2008
Petronella Sibeene
Windhoek
Distribution of food to regions severely affected by floods this year starts today targeting 250000 people believed to be in dire need of food.
Deputy Director of the Emergency Management Unit (EMU) in the Office of the Prime Minister, Gabriel Kangowa, told New Era yesterday that the Government has identified key companies that will deliver cooking oil, maize meal and fish to affected households.
Regions grossly affected by this year's floods include Oshana, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Omusati and Caprivi.
Kavango Mills, Namib Mills and Bokomo Mills will deliver 250 metric tons of maize meal to the Government.
It is expected that 2720 bags of maize meal will be delivered today in Oshana while 5120 bags of maize with 615 boxes of fish are expected in Oshikoto.
Omusati Region expects 2720 bags of maize meal with 611 boxes of fish, while Katima Mulilo will also receive 500 boxes of fish today.
So far, Ohangwena has received 6424 bags of maize meal with distribution to the people expected to start on Monday. The Office of the Prime Minister has already delivered 550 boxes of fish.
According to Kangowa, Etosha Fishing Company is expected to deliver 17 metric tons of fish to each of the affected regions.
On Monday, Caprivi and Oshikoto will each receive 12.5 tonnes of fish while Oshana, Omusati and Ohangwena will receive their rations on Tuesday.
In Katima Mulilo, Kamunu supermarket has been contracted to deliver 15 metric tons of oil to each region. Ndinihafo business will supply the northern regions.
"We are targeting 10000 households per region, we are targeting about 250000 people during the month of August," Kangowa said.
He added, "We hope next week the programme will be in full swing and EMU can start with the monitoring exercise."
Kangowa said yesterday that the Government has already set aside N$30 million that is being used to procure foodstuffs during the month of August only.
He emphasised that actually, the distribution of food to the identified areas does not mean the Government will not render support to others that are faced with hunger across the country.
Prime Minister Nahas Angula a few weeks ago announced that Cabinet approved N$30 million that the Government will immediately use to acquire food items to be distributed to households displaced by floods in the Cuvelai flood system and the eastern parts of the Caprivi Region.
He confirmed there is an urgent need to help households that are food insecure.
Thus, government further created a Comprehensive Emergency Food Scheme with N$228753940 set aside to benefit thousands of families faced with hunger countrywide.
The programme starts next month, Kangowa said.
The scheme is expected to benefit 523633 Namibians with those targeted for support being the elderly, female-headed households, pregnant women and lactating mothers, people living with disabilities and children.
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"The idea really is to ensure that nobody starves in Namibia. We want to promote nutrition because there is widespread malnutrition especially in the Caprivi Region," the Prime Minister said.
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