Rauna Kalola
Christmas came early for the less privileged residents of Walvis Bay recently following a generous donation of fish from local horse mackerel giant Cavema Fishing. The donation, which comprised one ton of horse mackerel, was received by Erongo governor Neville Andre. The governor expressed gratitude for the donation, and applauded Cavema for reaching out to the less privileged through their corporate social responsibility leg.
“Let us keep the cooperation, where you are assisting us, working with us, and hearing the cries of the community so that we make a better community for everyone without discriminating and excluding anyone. The thought of giving to the less privileged will change their lives as they experience some sort of social exclusion in services and activities,” he said.
The major challenges that the less privileged face, especially the elderly and people with disabilities in the region, are a lack of infrastructure to support their needs, issues of access to services, lack of love and care, and discrimination in society. The donation will thus go a long way in complementing the government’s efforts to help and reach out to the less fortunate in society, Andre added. Speaking at the same occasion, Sony Ndalumbumo, human resources manager at Cavema, stated that the donation was prompted by the economic hardship caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “
As we all know, the year 2021 was not an easy year as the economic downturn did not spare anyone, and we hope the elderly and people living with disabilities will enjoy the nurturance of our fish,” Ndalumbumo said. Florian Donatus, councillor of Walvis Bay Rural, said there is a lack of care for people with disabilities as they are hidden in the homes by family members for fear of discrimination.
“We want to take them out, bring them to the open for them to sit and get comfortable, talk about their problems and we listen to them, hand them something to eat, something to go with at home to prepare for Christmas, and then a box of fish”, he noted.
Donatus had approached the office of the governor to help and solicit support from the fishing industry to assist in this initiative. The governor also stressed his call for assistance and an appreciation of the less privileged, as other parts of the region continue to solicit support through his office.