WINDHOEK – The Spanish Ambassador to Namibia, Carmen Diez and delegates from the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement (MLR) recently visited the Drimiopsis resettlement in Omaheke.
Other officials that accompanied the Spanish Ambassador were delegated from the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN).
The aim of the visit was to verify the good results of the Livelihood Support Programme (LISUP) and to hand over the corporation project to the community.
LISUP being implemented at the resettlement farms in Drimiopsis, Skoonheid and Donkerbos-Sonneblom in the Omaheke, concerns an integrated rural development programme aimed at improving the living conditions among the beneficiary farms. The programme targets both San and non-San households living in the group settlement projects and ultimately aims to contribute to food security in the resettlement projects through capacity building skills development.
LISUP is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement and the Omaheke Regional Council, whereas the Spanish NGO Foundation CEAR is the direct donor and implementing partners of DRFN.
The Ambassador was pleased to see the water infrastructure, the dry sanitation units, the craft project, and the fields of irrigated crops, the output of which, is allowing the community, composed of around 1 000 people to be food self-sufficient and she mentioned the importance of the community’s commitment to the success of the project.
She noted commitment is crucial to guarantee the sustainability of what has been achieved.
LISUP was co-funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and the MLR and was launched in October 2010. The organisation’s programme focuses on contributing to poverty reduction and ensuring food security by strengthening the capacity of local farmers.
To this end, the programme enhanced capacity in agricultural development, community organisation and local leadership.
By Patricia Heitha