Tackling social issues in Hardap

Bettering the livelihoods of young people
Monique Adams
In April, a joint ministry meeting took place to discuss the ways to tackle social issues within the Hardap Region.

The meeting was attended by the acting chief regional officer, regional management of the Namibian police and regional management of the directorate of education, arts and culture as well as social workers from the ministry of gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare.

It was aimed at deliberating on various issues to approach the high numbers of children living and working on the region’s streets.

After its success, a regional inter-ministerial committee was established and several meetings commenced to engage key stakeholders - regional and local authorities as well as the Hardap regional taskforce.

On 6 July, an engagement in Mariental resulted in a joint operation to gather children living in poor conditions.

“Considering that Namibia is a co-signatory to the Convention on the Right of the Child and by virtue of article 144 of the Namibian Constitution, it is important to give equal opportunities to make primary education compulsory, available and free to all, and to also give financial assistance in case in need,” Hardap governor Salomon April said.

About 44 children were taken off the streets of Mariental and will later be moved to other towns.

These children were accommodated at the Empelheim Secondary School hostel from 16 to 29 July.

Assessment, profiling, counselling, rehabilitation and coordination of reintegration was completed in this time period.

The programme successfully reintegrated children into boarding schools on the outskirts of the Mariental such as St Patrick, Nabasib, J&W Mouton and Klein Aub primary schools and the Klein Aub Resource School.

April said he is in full support of the project and would like to help protect and ensure the safety of these children.

“If resources are available, the operation will continue to all towns and villages in the Hardap Region until most if not all these children return to school in 2023,” he said.