Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Friday visited several soup kitchens in Omaheke, where she handed over food items as part of her visit to the region to assess efforts in mitigating malnutrition.

In her remarks, the deputy prime minister urged women to take care of their children and ensure that they are protected, and to also avoid bars and shebeens.

“As a woman, I am appealing to my constituency of women, God has given us that noble task of carrying a human being for nine months, and it is our responsibility to make sure that these human beings are taken care of until the last day of their lives,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

During her visit, issues such as the lack of sufficient food and facilities and the lack of services such as electricity and proper sanitation were raised by the different representatives of the centres.

Johana Nakale of the Tuerijandjera Soup Kitchen in Gobabis said she takes care of children mainly from poor families, those who do not have parents and children from marginalised communities.

The centre accommodates children aged up to 16 years and has volunteer teachers.

“We have a lot of challenges, even the land we are operating on belongs to the municipality. This is not my land, it belongs to the Gobabis Municipality,” Nakale said.

The deputy prime minister was joined by the parliamentary committee on gender equality, social development and family affairs.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency