Food bank rollout stalls

Food bank rollout stallsNo expansion of programme outside Khomas The ministry of poverty alleviation hopes to open six additional food banks across the country, starting this year. Tight budgets have led to delays in expanding the government's food bank programme to other regions since mid-2016 when it was launched in the Khomas Region.

Figures provided by the poverty eradication and social welfare ministry this week showed that nearly N$34.5 million was spent on food parcels handed out in the Khomas Region between April and October 2017.

Additional costs for street committee allowances added a further N$2.7 million to the bill over those seven months, plus nearly N$350 000 for consultants assisting the programme.

While initial beneficiary numbers have dropped since March 2017, thousands have still benefitted from the monthly food parcels handed to households.

In July and in August last year a total of 17 879 households, totalling 76 818 persons, received food parcels from the programme.

In September and October, the number of households dropped to 17 107, benefitting a total of 73 903 persons.





In March 2017, the number of households topped 22 354 households totalling 94 536 persons, the ministry confirmed.

About 300 young people form part of the street committees.

The food bank programme is currently operational in seven Khomas Region constituencies: Tobias Hainyeko Constituency, Moses Garoeb Constituency, Samora Machel Constituency, John Pandeni Constituency, Katutura East Constituency, Katutura Central Constituency, and Khomasdal.

Lot Ndamanomhata, spokesperson for the poverty alleviation ministry, told Namibian Sun this week that “due to the economic downturn and financial constraints during 2016/2018 financial year, no food bank programme was rolled out to the other regions.”

The ministry is however hoping to open six additional food banks across the country and in line with this initial stakeholder consultations were conducted in the //Karas Region at Keetmanshoop and Lüderitz in February 2017, he said.

“The ministry anticipates starting with the process in 2018 by utilising the savings after the Khomas Region beneficiaries list have been reviewed,” he said.

Ndamanomhata added that the University of Namibia was brought on board in August 2017 to conduct an assessment to determine the viability, sustainability and impact of the food bank programme.

The final report is expected to be released early this year, and is hoped to provide insight into the challenges and successes of the programme to date.

“The results of the assessment will provide the ministry with lessons and provide a valuable guide to the further expansion of the programme to other regions.”

Ndamanomhata further explained that the “cost of food parcels also reduced due to the removal of some beneficiaries and the excess of food not distributed in the previous months because of non-collection by beneficiaries, who sent someone else to collect their parcels when the rules state they should come in person.”

The current criteria for the identification of the poor and vulnerable persons during the pilot phase to benefit from the Food Bank are households whose total per capita monthly income is below N$400.

The ministry emphasised that the food bank is one of many interventions in the war against poverty and should be seen as one of many initiatives aimed at empowering the most vulnerable in society.

“The provision of food to the needy is not aimed to create dependency, but to assist the vulnerable and the needy. With the provision of these items, such persons would be empowered to actively participate in the life activities and be able to sustainably feed their families and send them to school.”

JANA-MARI SMITH