Diamonds for drought relief

Three companies in the diamond industry this week donated almost N$44,000 of groceries and utility items to communities affected by the raging drought. The employees of the three diamond companies:  Debmarine Namibia, the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) and Namdeb, have donated a combined total of N$43,950 for drought relief. The diamond company employees responded to the call by President Pohamba and decided to embark on an in-house month-long drought relief collection drive. A very large amount of non-perishable food items, blankets and clothing was collected. Employees of the three diamond companies come from all over the country. As a result they have been directly or indirectly affected as individuals and have seen the harsh effects of the drought in their respective communities and families, hence their urge to assist their fellow citizens. “Teamwork and care towards our communities have always been our values which are entrenched in our core business philosophy and the hearts and minds of our employees” said Debmarine acting as spokesperson for the collaborative effort, when the donation was presented to the Red Cross Society in Windhoek this week. Debmarine Namibia further matched their employee’s contribution with an added amount in cash to the value of N$25,000. The cash also goes to the Red Cross to buy more food from local shops in the affected areas, to ensure that this money is spent directly in the affected communities. “We commend the Office of the Prime Minister for embarking on a joint Emergency Food Security Assessment, assisted by the Namibia Red Cross Society and various other stakeholders, in all the regions of the country which resulted in 40 constituencies identified as being in dire need of drought relief aid.”
The Namibia Red Cross Society Secretary General, Dorkas Kapembe-Haiduwa, said “Humanity is one of the Red Cross fundamental principles. That is why it is very heart-warming when individuals contribute to such a worthy cause.”