Motovac reaches out to the marginalised

AS a way of giving back to the community, Motovac country manager Sajith Nair handed over Christmas food parcels to 17 families at their branch at Ongwediva on Monday.

The company worked with local newspapers to identify beneficiaries through stories on the plight of the most marginalised families which appeared in the media. They also used the local authority councillors to identify those on the government’s drought relief programme list.

The initiative, which has been running for five years now, catered for over 35 families this year. Seventeen families are in northern Namibia, and 18 are in Windhoek. The company spent about N$1 200 per family on the food parcels.

Some of those who benefited told that they were grateful for the gesture.

Asteria Martin (59) said she lives with her three grandchildren aged 14, five and four at Oshipumbu village in the Oshana region, but they do not receive the government’s social grant because they do not have birth certificates. She is not yet a pensioner, and does not qualify to earn the N$1 300 grant pensioners receive from the government.

Martin said her grandchildren do not know their fathers, nor has she met them. The school-going child used a health passport to enrol at the school. The family thus lives off the little money she makes from weaving baskets or making clay pots, which she sells at the open market at Oshakati.

Another beneficiary, Cecilia Iipumbu (36), said she lives with her five brothers at Oshakati West, who all do odd jobs to make ends meet as none of them is formally employed. IIpumbu said it was their councillor who recommended them as beneficiaries to Motovac, as they are on the list of those who would like to receive drought relief from the government. Since they submitted their names in March this year, they have not received a single handout. Iipumbu added that she is a 2013 graduate in electrical installation from the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre, but has not secured a job.

“I am really grateful to Motovac that my siblings and I can have a decent Christmas,” she said, explaining that they lost both parents, and only have each other to depend on. In the same vein, and as its way of giving back to the community, Kuku Agric Trading hosted its annual Christmas lunch at Oshakati in the Oshana region on Saturday. The initiative, which started in 2017, catered for close to 200 elders and people living with disabilities and orphans from Oshakati and the surrounding areas.

Founding president Sam Nujoma, who officiated at the event, thanked Kuku Agric Trading for coming up with the initiative to host elders at Oshakati for a special Christmas lunch.

Nujoma applauded Kuku Agric Trading managing director Vinod Kumar for what he termed a good initiative. He also reminded Namibians that peace and unity should inspire people, especially during the festive season.

Kumar said hosting the luncheon is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility, aimed at giving back to the community. The beneficiaries are aged 70 and older.

Kumar noted that they also plan to open an old age home at Oshakati with the aim of catering for elders in need. Kuku Agric Trading specialises in manufacturing water pipes and agricultural implements.