Council approves two refuge homes for children The Swakopmund Town Council has granted official approval for the establishment of two new places of refuge for vulnerable children and orphans. At its last meeting the municipality approved the applications by two organisations concerned with the welfare of children, Tears of Hope and Ndatitangi Day Care, to set up the places of safety for children in Mondesa. No objections to the proposals were received from the public and approval was thus granted to operate places of instruction at Erf 3703 and Erf 368 in Daniel Kamho Street, Mondesa. Tears of Hope will be allowed to operate as a place of safety while the rezoning of the property from residential use to institutional is ongoing. FACT: 8.1% of the population aged 18 years and below in the Erongo Region have lost one parent, while another 1.5 had no parents Throughout the Erongo Region, the highest level of orphanhood was recorded in Arandis with 9.1% of the population who have lost one of their parents. The proportion of those children who have lost both of their parents was however comparatively higher in Omaruru constituency (10.9%). Compared to other towns and villages in the region, the levels of orphan hood in Swakopmund were comparatively lower,” according to the latest statistics released by the National Statistics Agency in March. The latest figures indicate that there are 13 938 people under the age of 18 living in Swakopmund, and of these 1 013 children (7.3%) have lost one parent, while 180 (1.3%) have lost both parents. UNICEF estimated in 2007 that around 11 000 primary caregivers die in Namibia every year, adding to the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in need of assistance. The growing number of orphans and vulnerable children is also linked to the HIV scourge and extreme poverty. It is estimated that 28% of all children in the country are either orphaned or vulnerable. Around 150 000 orphans and vulnerable children are said to currently receive the social grant of N$250 per month. Council noted that both Tears of Hope and Ndatitangi Day Care would still need to register with the municipality’s health services department and adhere to all standard health regulations. Council further reserved the right to cancel its consent to using the properties as places of instruction should there be any valid complaints.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 07:16:23 +0000
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