Food Bank rolled out in Keetmanshoop

KEETMANSHOOP, 27 JUL – Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Zephania Kameeta says fighting poverty is fundamentally about promoting human rights, human dignity and social justice, thereby ensuring that people have access to food, water, shelter, clothing and other basic services.
Speaking at the official launch of the Food Bank roll-out at Keetmanshoop on Thursday, Kameeta said the initiative is an intervention to address household food insecurity. The focus is on urban setups, where the poor and vulnerable do not have access to land to produce their own food.
Kameeta said concepts such as food provision and other social assistance programmes are often criticised as creating dependency – he urged the critics to give constructive ideas to eradicate poverty and change the lives of those who live in poverty.
He called on those at the launch to join efforts and hands with the government in rooting out abject poverty from the nation.
“Let us use the conducive socio-economic environment provided by President Hage Geingob and his administration, not to fight each other, but to improve our living conditions and that of our fellow citizens.”
A total of 246 households in Keetmanshoop will benefit from the Food Bank programme. Each month, the beneficiaries will receive food parcels consisting of items like maize meal, sugar, cooking oil and soap.
The beneficiaries, all unemployed people with no fixed income, were registered earlier this year by a street committee that was established and trained by the ministry.
Speaking to Nampa after receiving her parcel, Cecilia Bezuidenhoudt, 44, said she is grateful towards the Namibian government for initiating the Food Bank idea.
“I am very thankful for what the government has done, I do not work and I have six children and we really suffer so much, this will help so much,” she said.
(NAMPA)