Shoki Kandjimi
SHIGHURU - The Chinese embassy in Namibia last week has donated food parcels and household items to 230 families at Shighuru village.
This is after officials from the Chinese embassy visited the village and observed the deplorable state the people in the area were living in. The officials were informed that the community was experiencing food shortage. It is against this background, that the embassy rallied the Chinese business community in the Kavango East region that agreed to jointly donate essential items to this community.
The village where the needy families live is located in Mashare constituency.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chinese embassy representative Charlene Chan said the embassy saw the need to assist the community after a community leader from Shighuru wrote to Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Zhang Yiming to request for food assistance and he
responded.
“We really feel honoured and privileged to be here to give this donation to the Shighuru village people. When we see people struggling, we always want to submit their needs by giving back to the community,” Chan said.
Chan also assured the villagers that the Chinese community in Namibia will continue to assist in whatever way possible, as they are willing to give back, especially now that the community is faced with the Covid-19 pandemic effects.
Accepting the donation on behalf of the community, Kavango East governor Bonifatius Wakudumo acknowledged and expressed gratitude to the Chinese community in Namibia for its donation while referring to Namibia’s close diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic of China.
“We value and appreciate your generous donation, keep up the good work,” Wakudumo said.
The governor also used the occasion to educate and inform the beneficiaries of the donation about Stage 2 of the state of emergency regulations. He encouraged them to adhere to the preventative measures as advised by health officials. He furthermore urged the community to wear masks at all times when gathering in public areas.
A member of the Village Development Committee (VDC), Augustinus Shifwaku also lauded the donation. Shifwaku used the same platform to request for more support while citing the challenges the village is faced with. He said the village is in need of assistance towards its fishing, rice and horticulture projects.