SWAKOPUND – Close to 15 000 orphans and vulnerable children do not qualify for the N$200 state grant due to the untraced death certificates of their parents.
The fact that the children do not have these documents makes it impossible for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare to assist them. The Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Rosalia Nghidinwa requested traditional leaders to avail themselves to the cause by providing testimonies for the orphans in need of such testimonies to facilitate the issuance of birth certificates, as well as the death and birth certificates of their parents. The minister made the call yesterday when she addressed traditional leaders during the 16th Annual Meeting of the Council of Traditional Leaders that ends today in Swakopmund. The minister also urged officials to distribute lists of all the children who applied to the traditional leaders, but are currently unable to receive the grant so that they can assist these children.
“My ministry supports orphans and vulnerable children with an amount of N$200 a month in order to access basic goods and services and reduce the effects of poverty at household level. All orphans and vulnerable children need to benefit from this. Let us assist where we can so that they can qualify,” Nghidinwa said. She went on to say that the ministry has registered 146 870 children who receive grants on a monthly basis. She also appealed to the traditional leaders to assist the ministry in monitoring the use of the grants. “Please let us report cases of misuse of the children’s grants by those who are supposed to take care of them. Let us report them to our social workers in your respective regions, you are the eyes and ears of the nation at community level,” she said.
By Eveline de Klerk