More than 350 000 children are registered with the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) grant, which help and guard against dire poverty.
The number of OVCs in the country increased from 150 589 in 2011 to 153 745 in 2014, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency report titled ‘Namibia Social Statistics 2010-2014.’
The report said the majority of OVCs are girls who constitute 52.8 per cent, noting in 2014 the highest number of OVCs were in the northern regions of the country with Ohangwena registering 24 594 orphans out of a population of 245 100 and Omusati 24 594 out of 242 900 people, while Khomas recorded 9 149 out of 340 900 and Zambezi with a population of 90 100, recorded 7 786 orphans.
In an interview with Nampa recently the ministry’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Lukas Haufiku, said a total of 357 036 OVCs are registered with the ministry.
He noted that the Namibian Government has spent over N.dollars 5 billion (5 169 049 700) in the past five years towards the grant.
In 2021 the ministry reported that more than 30 000 OVCs have not received their monthly income grant payments since 2018, due to the treasury then being unable to expand its budget provision because of the economic crisis.
Meanwhile, tabling the 2023/24 national budget themed ‘Economic Revival and Caring for the Poor’, Minister of Finance Iipumbu Shiimi said an amount of N.dollars 69.8 million has been availed to expand the coverage of the Orphan and Vulnerable Children Grant by accommodating about 30 000 eligible children currently on the waiting list.
Speaking to Nampa 30-year-old Ndeshihafela David, a former beneficiary, said she lost both her parents in 2001 and was left under the care of her grandfather who could only provide for the household of more than 10 mostly orphaned grandchildren through his pension as well as the grant.
“Honestly, I salute the government for the vulnerable and orphan children grant… It assisted me and my family drastically. My grandfather would inform us after receiving his pension that we also received money and would buy us everything we needed from that money,” she said.
David attested that the government intervention in the assistance of OVCs is commendable, saying the grant equally paid for her school fees back then, which paved the way into her landing an accounting job at a local financial institution.
An unemployed guardian of two orphans aged 10 and 14, Chantel Witbooi shared similar sentiments, saying the N.dollars 250 per child is all they rely on.
Vulnerable children are those of whom one parent has died, with the remaining parent earning less than N.dollars 1 000 per month.
The (minor) children of pensioners, disabled parents and those whose parents have been in prison for more than six months are also considered vulnerable.
As per the just-tabled budget the OVC grant has increased from N.dollars 250 to N.dollars 350.
“To guard against erosion of purchasing power for the social safety nets, a provision has been made in this budget to increase the monthly Old Age Grant and the Disability Grant as well as the Orphan and Vulnerable Children Grant by N.dollars 100,” Shiimi said in his budget speech.
Haufiku said the ministry ensures that the money goes toward the intended purpose through community awareness and file review.
He further noted that currently, the ministry is facing challenges of shortage of staff members in the implementation of the grant.
Source: NAMPA