GOBABIS – The United States food assistance programme has enabled more than 4 000 Namibian HIV patients who had stopped taking their antiretroviral medication to resume treatment by providing them with food to aid their treatment.
The programme, intended to meet the nutritional gap of food insecure families affected by Namibia’s recent drought, is funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
A media statement, issued by the US Embassy in Namibia on Friday, said following President Hage Geingob’s declaration of a drought emergency in May 2019, the embassy committed US$8.6 million (around N$150 million) in food assistance to the most affected and vulnerable Namibians, including HIV patients.
The food assistance distribution began in December 2019 in Kavango East and Kavango West, and it was then extended to several other regions of the country.
According to the statement, using the funds from PEPFAR and USAID, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed 10 000 metric tons of food in total to 350 000 Namibians over the course of nine months.
A 59-year-old resident of Otjinene, as quoted by the statement, said she stopped taking her medication, as she could not take the antiretroviral drugs on an empty stomach because of the side effects.
She is one of 147 patients in the Omaheke region who returned to their antiretroviral care since she started receiving maize meal, beans and oil through the programme. “I truly appreciate the food assistance, which not only helped me feed my family but also allowed me to take my pills again,” she said. WFP distributed the last of the USD$8.6 million worth of food this month, as the programme comes to an end in August.
Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate expressed appreciation for the food assistance from PEPFAR and USAID, saying: “It has gone a long way and it will be remembered by our people.”
The Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health and Social Services partnered with the US Embassy and WFP to provide this food assistance.
– Nampa