By Mbatjiua Ngavirue
The parliamentary outreach programme on social issues to the Otjozondjupa kicked off in Otjiwarongo last week.
It started with an intensive briefing session by Regional Council officials, as well as representatives of various line ministries based in Otjiwarongo.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social and Community Development, are visiting the region to update its knowledge on the situation regarding a number of critical social issues.
Otjozondjupa Governor Theophelius Eiseb together with Otjiwarongo Constituency Councillor Ferdinand Kavetuna hosted the meeting.
Councillors Kaunakao Kaujeua, Peter Kawana, Bartholemeus Shangeta and Vetaruhe Kandorozu also attended.
The Human Resources, Social and Development Committee exercises oversight functions over the Ministries of Health and Social Services, Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Labour and the Department of Housing.
The committee also maintains oversight over all the parastatals that fall under those ministries.
Chairperson of the Committee, Elia Kaiyamo, emphasized that they had not come to criticize or lecture officials but to ensure that they all kept the interests of vulnerable children in mind.
He deplored the fact that while the government in Windhoek talked about concepts such as Vision 2030 and NDP 3, some regions did not have copies of these documents.
Kavetuna said the purpose of the meeting was to identify problems so that the members of parliament could report to the National Assembly, allowing ministers to hear about the problems and then take action. Governor Eiseb explained that the Regional Council focused mainly on supplementing and not replacing what others had already built. The council had therefore employed a Regional Aids Coordinator (RAC), overseen by a Regional Aids Coordinating Committee (RACOC), which Eiseb chairs.
Below RACOC comes the Constituency Aids Coordinating Committees (CACOC).
MP Elna Dienda (CoD) wanted to hear from local social workers about efforts to register orphans, and other vulnerable children. She also asked what government was doing to assist the OVC who cannot afford to pay School Development Funds and were therefore unable to attend school. Dr Moses Amweelo raised concern about gender-based violence at the workplace and the stigma and harassment brought about by people’s HIV/Aids status.
Social worker in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Beverley Gowases, told the parliamentarians that Otjozondjupa had established six OVC committees in the region. The ministry, however, still needed to train staff.
There was also a need to supply babies born of HIV/Aids positive mothers with formulae but, at this stage, the ministry was not in a position to give immediate assistance.
The issuing of birth certificates in Tsumkwe – where a significant portion of children fall into the OVC category, also posed major problems – preventing the ministry from registering children for social grants. She said the ministry is trying to compile a regional register by obtaining information about the OVC from schools.
Regarding School Development Fund fees, she noted that schools relied heavily on money collected through the funds.
Her ministry tried to hold meetings with schools in Tsumkwe on the question of fees. The schools did not, however, always accept recommendations from social workers requesting exemption for the OVC. In Gam, on the other hand, the schools themselves developed a system of exemption forms for parents to fill in.
Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare official. Mosioline Kasiringua, criticized the fact that people sometimes only put up kindergartens as income-generating projects for themselves.
There was however, no national curriculum for kindergartens, but the government had now approached the National Institute for Education Development (NIED) to develop a standard curriculum for all kindergartens.
She pointed out that government paid Adult Education promoters for the work they did.
“Members of the community are now asking why caregivers cannot also be paid. We train them time and again, and then they just leave.”
In her experience, the challenge of creating income-generating projects in Namibia is that most Namibians prefer to be employees and, as soon as they find paid employment, they leave income-generating projects. She proposed that since there is a high demand for accommodation in Tsumkwe, government should consider budgeting funds for building rooms in Tsumkwe.
Such a facility would generate income for the Ministry of Gender’s Centre in Tsumkwe and spur economic growth in the area.