2016-12-15Staff Report 2 Tsintsabis Residents of Guinas should join the fight against poverty as government alone will not win the fight, says Betty Kaula the Councillor for Guinas Constituency. Kaula said Guinas residents should maximise the current rains falling by ploughing their crop fields. Kaula was addressing the people of !Gaosonhes village in the area of Tsintsabis during the belated commemoration of International Women’s Day before she handed out food parcels, which she bought with her own money, to the elderly. The food parcels that are valued at N$4 000 included packets of macaroni, sugar, cooking oil, soup sachets and tinned beef. The event was organised by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. Kaula said !Gaosonhes is isolated and nothing much takes place in the area in terms of regional and national events hence her reason for bringing the event to their area. “The fight against poverty and hunger should be intensified; therefore I am urging all of you to engage in agricultural activities instead of just depending on handouts. This is the time – come next year and you have already secured your food, thus meeting government half way,” said Kaula, while using the opportunity to update them on drought relief food, which has not been distributed for the past three months. “I have noted that you have not received drought relief food for the past three months, and I have followed this up. I can assure you today that the food is now with us, however the only challenge is transport that will need to be sorted out soon,” stressed Kaula. Meanwhile the regional head of the gender ministry in Oshikoto, Trives Shuudifonya, spoke about the importance of December 10 and why it is commemorated yearly. Shuudifonya reminded the community the focus should now be aligned to fighting social ills affecting the societies, such as gender-based violence, hunger, poverty and crime. “Women once stood up against the colonial uprising hence the reason we celebrate this day to honour our women whose bravery and sacrifice led to our freedom, even when they had no weapons. We are independent now and have the ideas and capabilities to fight the social ills affecting us, thus we should join hands and make concerted efforts to attain our objectives,” said Shuudifonya. He said government cannot cook nor cultivate for people but it should be the responsibility of each individual, because government has done its part in availing land and maintaining a stable and conducive political and economic environment. 2016-12-15Staff Report 2
