N$5 million in aid of Uis community…Compliments of Knowledge Katti Following a landmark agreement earlier this month, between the Small Miners of Uis and River Deep Resources, residents of Uis will receive N$5 million. The deal was made possible with the assistance of local businessman, Mr Knowledge Katti. The signing of an agreement between the holders of the Mining License over the Uis Tin Mine (Small Miners of Uis) and River Deep Resources (Pty) Ltd. will breathe new life into exploration activities at the mine, according to a press statement. It has been decided that an amount of N$4 million will be managed by the Small Miners of Uis, on behalf of the Uis Community. N$550 000 of the remaining N$1 million were used to provide food hampers, worth N$1 000 each, to approximately 550 households at the town. The other N$450 000 will be used to relieve the plight of about 500 residents, who currently share their water points with livestock and wild animals. Water pipelines and water points will be set up closer to the homes. The food hampers were handed over last week Thursday. In the press release Mr Katti is described as an “ardent anti-poverty advocate” and is quoted in saying that community empowerment is very close to his heart. Katti also shared his believe that community development and social assistance should be about the day-to-day bread and butter issues and emphasised the necessity of practical assistance that can help households directly. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the deputy Director in the Directorate of Energy and also chairperson of Small Miners of Uis, Mrs Helena Intamba, expressed appreciation regarding the fact that community members were enabled to benefit from natural resources in their localities. “We must do everything that is necessary, in order to ensure that communities derive benefits, when transactions of this nature are clinched,” she concluded. Katti urged other investors in Namibia, including the Government and public institutions, to implement what he referred to as “Impact Investments” and also to become part of the Namibia Against Poverty Campaign, an initiative of the Knowledge Foundation. Mr Katti wrote: Behind The Knowledge Foundation’s approach to assist poor communities is the recognition that poverty is a complex problem that cannot be addressed effectively by just one foundation or sector working on its own. It involves a wide array of interrelated factors, such as childcare, training, housing and employment that need to be addressed in a strategic and coordinated way. Tackling this complexity can only be done successfully when a wide range of community partners, who are each involved with different aspects of poverty, come together in pursuit of a common vision... hence my strong belief that a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy is the only solution under the National Poverty Reduction Partnership. However - lets continue to make an impact in a small way on a regular basis while out governments and big business buys into such a strategy - it will change our communities all over Namibia, Africa and the rest of the world. Photo credit: Knowledge Foundation on Instagram.
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 08:13:40 +0000
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