Omusati: The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare's Income-Generating Activities Support Programme is helping transform small businesses in the Omusati Region by providing essential equipment to small-scale entrepreneurs. According to Namibia Press Agency, since 2016, the programme has supported 37 projects at a cost of N.dollars 495,628, with 25 of those projects still operational. The ministry's regional Chief Community Liaison Officer, Japhet Iilonga, told Nampa the programme forms part of the ministry's efforts to empower vulnerable communities through small business development by providing equipment rather than cash grants. Speaking in an interview with Nampa, Iilonga said the programme supports a wide range of community-based enterprises, including gardening, tailoring, sewing, welding, poultry, pottery, piggery, and brick-making projects. "What we do is an annual activity whereby, through the regional council, we invite people involved in small businesses to apply for this grant. We are not giving them money, but we are supporting them with materials," he said. He explained that application forms are distributed through constituency offices at the beginning of each financial year. Applicants are required to submit completed forms together with quotations for the equipment they need. Applications are first shortlisted at constituency level before being assessed by a regional committee, which approves successful applicants based on the available budget. During the 2024/25 financial year, the programme received N.dollars 115,000, benefiting 10 projects across the region. Although funding remains limited, Iilonga said the ministry regularly monitors supported projects to assess their progress and the impact of the assistance. "The programme is really making an impact. We don't just give the materials and end there. We visit the beneficiaries and compare how the project was before the support and afterwards. From our observations, you can see many of the projects are making progress," he said. Amo ng the successful initiatives are poultry and welding projects, which received an incubator and an electric generator, respectively. Despite these successes, Iilonga acknowledged that some beneficiaries continue to face operational challenges. He said water shortages remain a major obstacle for gardening projects, while rising feed costs have affected the viability of piggery enterprises. "When you want to run a garden project, the key resource is water. Sometimes beneficiaries later say water has become a problem, yet that should have been considered before starting the project," he said. Iilonga added that some beneficiaries also struggle because they do not conduct proper feasibility studies before starting their businesses. One of the programme's beneficiaries, Eliphas Iyambo, said the support had significantly improved his welding business after the ministry provided him with an electric generator. "I am really grateful for the assistance. Before that, I used to borrow generators for my welding busines s, which was really not conducive and also expensive," Iyambo said. Operating from his workshop near Onesi, Iyambo manufactures brick-making machines and provides a range of welding services, including roofing and custom steelwork. He said the business training provided alongside the equipment had been equally valuable. "The most important thing that I am grateful for is the training that is given to the beneficiaries of the programme. It really opened my eyes about how to run a business, including bookkeeping," said Iyambo, whose business currently employs five people.