A soup kitchen in the Otjinene Constituency in the Omaheke Region is feeding more than 300 inhabitants in that area.
This was revealed by the regional councillor of the constituency Erwin Katjizeu in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday, where he indicated that the soup kitchen that is run by his office has helped many of those who are impoverished in that area.
‘As a constituency office we have decided to start a soup kitchen to fight the malnutrition cases reported in the region recently, the fact that young ones were diagnosed with malnutrition even from Otjinene. Our target was with the little ones at first, that is the three, four and five-year-olds. But we ended up feeding from four to 14-years old, because we found those between those ages are not in schools and roaming around our streets,’ he highlighted.
The Otjinene Soup Kitchen was established late in September this year and currently give two meals per day.
‘We started with around 50 kids, but that number has dramatically risen to more than 3
00. On 21 November precisely we fed 300 people including pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding. The number is rising rapidly due to many circumstances in our constituency,’ he further said.
‘We have asked for donations from non-governmental organisations and corporate institutions who are helping here and there, our farmers from the area are also trying their level best, as we speak we got a little beef for the kitchen. The Otjinene community is really helping us with this initiative,’ he said.
According to the constituency leader the soup kitchen not only feeds the previously disadvantaged community but tries to feed every needy resident of Otjinene and the surrounding areas.
Katjizeu indicated that the kitchen is run by the constituency’s office with a few volunteers, and urged those who want to help to come on board and improve the livelihood of their neighbours.
‘We are closing on 07 December as the schools close for the festive season, but then we will need assistance in making sure that the
people that we are feeding have something to put on their tables during the December holiday,’ he appealed.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency