By; Mupiri Matthias
MARIENTAL, June 30 – The Capricorn Foundation has been actively committed in attaining food and nutrition security in Namibia, and it has recently contributed N$100,000 to purchase ten tons of butternut from the Mariental Horticulture Pilot Project and transport it to ten regions and eighty organizations.
The Namibian government and Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) initiated a pilot project in 2022 to construct a horticulture production site in Mariental in conjunction with the World Food Program (WFP), IFARMS, and the Lithon Group.
This Mariental Horticulture Pilot Project exceeded expectations by producing 43 tons of butternut and pumpkin to support healthy and nutritious diets while also addressing rural transformation, food production, offender skill development, social cohesion, and environmental restoration. The Namibian Correctional Services in Mariental received 10 tons of the butternut and pumpkin, with the balance (33 tons) being shipped to Windhoek.
The World Food Programme supplied 13 tons of butternuts and pumpkins to communities in the Omaheke, Kunene, and Oshikoto regions, and approached the Capricorn Foundation to collaborate in ensuring that the remaining butternuts and pumpkins in storage reach disadvantaged populations and do not go to waste.
The Capricorn Foundation purchased 10 tons of butternut valued at N$100,000 as part of their commitment to addressing food insecurity through the reduction of food waste. The Capricorn Foundation provided 2.7 tons of butternut this week to needy orphans and communities suffering from food poverty and malnutrition, as determined by the Foundation with the assistance of their CSR partner, Imago Dei. ei Project Coordination, Millinda Coffee; Executive Officer of the Capricorn Foundation, Marlize Horn; and Founder of Response Action Based Organisation Zackary Itodo geared up to distribute butternuts.
Dei Project Coordination, Millinda Coffee; Executive Officer of the Capricorn Foundation, Marlize Horn; and Founder of Response Action Based Organisation Zackary Itodo geared up to distribute butternuts.
The Lithon Foundation, another Capricorn Foundation partner and WFP project partner, coordinated the distribution of the remaining butternuts (just over 7 tons) to various towns and regions in Namibia, including Karas (Rosh Pinah, Noordoewer, Aussenkher, Keetmanshoop), Hardap (Mariental, Stampriet, Rehoboth, Hoachanas), Omaheke (Gobabis, Talismanus, Donkerhoek), Khomas (Windhoek), Erongo (Rooibank, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay, Arandis), Otjozondjupa (Okahandja, Otjiwarongo, Otavi, Grootfontein, Osire), Kunene (Opuwo, Okanguati), Oshana (Ongwediva, Ondangwa), Oshikoto (Tsumeb), Kavango (Rundu).
Imago Dei, Gondwana (from Rosh Pinah to Opuwo), On Time Couriers (Gobabis), Hardap Couriers (Coast and North), and other individuals all made significant contributions to the well-being of Namibia’s vulnerable people by providing transportation.
In recent months, the Foundation has cooperated with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to conduct a workshop to debate methods for transforming Namibia’s food systems. To address the issue of food waste in Namibia, the Foundation just started its annual Food Waste Challenge.8
Butternuts ready for distribution.
“As Connectors of Positive Change, we find it critical to collaborate with like-minded organizations to engage and seek various pathways toward transforming food insecurity in Namibia, and this is another opportunity for us to do so,” said Marlize Horn, Executive Officer of the Capricorn Foundation. We are proud of our collaboration with WFP and the Lithon Foundation in ensuring that these butternuts do not go to waste and reach Namibia’s most disadvantaged populations.”
“Since the inception of Lithon in 2002, there has been a clear vision to make a positive and significant impact in people’s lives by creating platforms for collaboration and networking with valuable partners like NCS, Capricorn Foundation, and the WFP, as well as investors who believe in our Namibian Dream.” Marsia Reed, CEO of the Lithon Foundation, nodded. ~Namibia Daily News
