By Henry Chibulu WINDHOEK The First Lady Penehupifo Pohamba has called on the private sector and civil society to continue to assist Government and charity organisations to address the problems of vulnerable groups such as widows, orphans and street children. She says there is need for the private sector and civil society to invest in the future of vulnerable groups if problems of poverty and unemployment are to be addressed. The First Lady was speaking at State House where members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry donated 400 blankets to the Organisation for the Empowerment of Widows/Widowers and Orphans of HIV/AIDS in Namibia (OEWONA). She said the gesture deserves to be commended because it came at a critical time when widows, orphans and other vulnerable children are in dire need of such basic necessities. She observed that China and Namibia share a common vision and objective of uplifting the living standards of its nationals, adding that to realise this, there is need for the creation of conditions for direct participation of citizens in gainful economic activities through the promotion of social and economic development. “This donation demonstrates the generosity of the Chinese who have been our friends for many years. We can still recall during the struggle for the independence of our country, the Chinese people rendered material, diplomatic and military assistance to our people. Therefore the ties of solidarity between the people of china and Namibia come a long way,” she said. The donation, she said, should not be measured in quantity but in a quality of solidarity existing between the two friendly countries. Speaking at the same function, Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Liang Yinzhu said Oryx Textiles Manufacturing and Trading and Meiluo Trading Company made the donation to OEWONA. Yinzhu said the gesture was an expression of sympathy and friendship from the Chinese community living in Namibia.