Poverty eradication high on consultative meeting agenda

OTJIWARONGO, 20 JUN  – Chairperson of the National Council, Margaret Mensah-Williams on Monday expressed concern with the increasing levels of poverty among children and vulnerable groups despite Government’s mitigating efforts.
Mensah-Williams was speaking at the official opening of a joint five-day consultative meeting between Government officials and National Council Standing Committees on Poverty Alleviation, Gender, Youth as well as Information and Communication Technology underway at Otjiwarongo.
Mensah-Williams said the Members of the National Council, as elected to represent regional masses, remain highly concerned by the significant levels of poverty affecting people in the regions.
She said the segments hardest hit by poverty are persons living with disabilities, orphans, street children, victims of human trafficking as well as the victims of gender-based violence.
The politician said the unemployed, marginalised communities and those who cannot work due to chronic health conditions are severely affected by this poverty.
Mensah-Williams said at many occasions, President Hage Geingob was heard expressing the similar worries with this increasing poverty among people despite the concentrated efforts by Government to eradicate it with its social programmes.
Mensah-Williams and the members of the committees will embark upon site-visits to different community sponsored projects aimed at alleviating poverty among people in the Kavango East, Otjozondjupa, Oshikoto, Oshana and Kunene regions.
“However, we did not want to go out there before meeting you as implementing Government ministries in order to get feedback and gain a better understanding beforehand,” she said.
The Government ministries tasked to implement these projects in rural areas and present at the meeting include the poverty eradication directorate, gender and child welfare, home affairs and immigration, health and social services as well as information and communication technology.
Ministries of education, arts and culture; youth, sport and national services; the office of the prime minister and members of the national disability council are also attending the meeting.

NAMPA