Windhoek
The Deputy Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Reverend Aino Kapewangolo, yesterday explained that the ministry’s role is to ensure poverty reduction initiatives and programmes are well coordinated and synchronised to effectively eradicate poverty.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Bishop Zephania Kameeta, at the University of Namibia’s seventh annual research conference, Kapewangolo said it is at such platforms where ideas are shared on how best to coordinate and implement programmes to make meaningful and tangible differences in the lives of the poor. “The Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare also takes cognisance of the intermediate needs to be addressed along the continuum of poverty eradication,” she said.
“One such need is the abolishment of hunger and improvement of nutritional levels in the country,” added Kapewangolo.
“Hunger is the lowest level of poverty, therefore we cannot talk of poverty eradication if we cannot root out hunger from our society,” she commented.
With this, she informed those in attendance that the construction of the country’s first ever food bank will start by the end of this year.
“Although some critics might refer to these efforts as instilling laziness among the poor, I strongly believe that while working on sustainable solutions no one should go hungry or worse, let to die from hunger,” Kapewangolo remarked.