Select Page

US emergency food relief project starts in Kavango East, eventually to reach 350,000 Namibians

US emergency food relief project starts in Kavango East, eventually to reach 350,000 Namibians

Likwaterera in the Kavango East region was chosen as the first village where the US Embassy started distributing food to the local population as part of the first tranche of the US Government’s N$130 million drought relief assistance to Namibia.

This financial assistance is relayed to Namibia via USAID and the project is executed by the UN World Food programme. The first consignment of emergency food was delivered by the US Ambassador to Namibia, HE Lisa Johnson to the Governor of Kavango East, Hon Samuel Mbambo. The responsible ministry in Namibia is the Office of the Prime Minister.

Several tonnes of maize meal, beans, vegetable oil and salt will be distributed throughout the region to those households hit worst by the drought.

At the handover ceremony, Ambassador Johnson said “This food assistance will alleviate hardship for tens of thousands of Namibians in Kavango East and West. The United States is delivering on its promise to help Namibia through the drought. In the next six months, US food assistance will help more than 350,000 Namibians.”

The Ambassador, accompanied by the UN World Food Programme Country Director, BaiMankay Sankoh, the Governor, Hon Mbambo, and the Executive Director of the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben Nashandi distributed an initial tranche of food assistance to residents in Likwaterera and Neyuva villages.

The US Embassy said this assistance constitutes the largest commitment for drought relief by a foreign government to the people of Namibia. The funding is provided by PEPFAR and the USAID Food for Peace programme.


Caption: Attending the start of the US Government’s food assistance project for drought relief, are from the left, the acting USAID Country Representative, Siana Tacket, the World Food Program Country Representative, BaiMankay Sankoh, the US Ambassador, HE Lisa Johnson, the Governor of Kavango East, Hon Samuel Mbambo, Headwoman Agnes Foromani Tjangano, and the Executive Director in the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben Nashandi.


 

About The Author

Intern

The Economist accommodates two interns every year, one per semester. They are given less demanding, softer issues to hone their skills, often with a specific leaning to social issues. Today, many of our interns are respected journalists or career professionals at economic and financial institutions. - Ed.