Staff Reporter
Windhoek-The Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) has partnered the Ministry of Land Reform (MLR) to support San communities on resettlement farms in Omaheke.
This partnership has been made possible with the financial support of N$100 000 from the FNB Namibia Holdings Foundation Trust. This is for strengthening entrepreneurial skills and training of Namibia’s most vulnerable communities as well as supporting various income generating initiatives.
“FNB intends to continuously join hands with the government to create a country where no one dies of hunger, where citizens have access to decent shelter and to basic amenities, such as safe drinking water, quality education, basic health services and a sustainable income to afford the necessities of life,” says Clara Bohitile, chairperson of the FNB Namibia Foundation Trust.
Therefore, supporting the traditional San livelihoods is important because cultural diversity and market access of products contribute towards improved living conditions in remote parts of Namibia, Bohitile adds.
Michael Kandovaza, a Local Development Committee member of the Drimiopsis Farmers’ Association, says the training is important to the beneficiaries of the community hoping it would bring change and improve their gardens.
“We can attest to the benefit the training has already brought to our community throughout last week and it has been very effective, especially for the gardeners who participated,” he says.