Schoolchildren go hungry at Otavi

MORE than 6 000 children in rural Kaokoland, who benefit from the national School Feeding Scheme, have been left without any food since schools re-opened.

The Namibian has established that the contracted supplier, Welwitschia Rural Caterers, has yet to deliver any supplies. A desperate teacher from one of the affected schools, LE Kamati, earlier this week contacted the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation’s national call-in programme, the Chat Show, to try and bring the children’s plight to the authorities’ attention.Kamati pleaded with the authorities “to do something urgent” about the food situation.When reached by telephone at the Kaoko-Otavi Primary School, where he is a departmental head, Kamati said no food had yet been delivered to the central warehouse at Opuwo, from where the mostly maize blend is distributed throughout the region.TEACHERS DIG DEEP “The teachers here have been taking N$50 or so out of our own pockets to go and buy food from the local shops, wherever we can find food for the children,” he said.”At the other schools (outside this region), they have started teaching.But we cannot teach hungry kids… and now we just run around looking for food for them.”The Kaoko-Otavi Primary School is a so-called cluster school that serves seven other schools in the area in terms of infrastructure and support.All the schools in the area were left without food.Kamati said it involved about 6 000 children.All of the 220 children at Kaoko-Otavi Primary School live at the so-called “day hostel”, meaning that the hostel facilities are only for week days when the children are attending school.”But some children have to come very far to get to school… we have one kid who has to walk 40 kilometres to get home, so we cannot send that child home, even over weekends,” he said.So far this year, the teachers themselves have, where possible, supplied food in the hope that supplies would arrive.”But as I sit here, we have not seen anything yet,” Kamati said.Having no food at the beginning of every term or running out of food at the end of every term was a common occurrence, Kamati said.”We would order 200 bags of maize, but then we only get 80 or 100 bags….The food is always too little,” he said.The problems experienced with food had been repeatedly brought to the attention of the responsible hostel inspector and the Regional Director, Kamati said.Complaints were eventually laid with the Chief Hostel Inspector Alida Botha, but no action has so far been taken to address the problems, he said.The other schools in the region are reportedly experiencing the same problem, but in two cases, the hostel superintendents refused to talk to the media, referring all enquiries to Windhoek.”They can deny, but we are all in the same situation here,” Kamati said.”Some people are afraid to talk, but someone has to do something urgently.We cannot wait forever for food.”Contacted for comment, Permanent Secretary for Education, Culture and Sports Vitalis Ankama said he was totally shocked by the news.He was also unaware of previous complaints laid with Botha.”This is really terrible, terrible….This should not be happening.What is going on in the (catering) business? Is everything corrupt?” Ankama said.The matter would be investigated as a matter of urgency, he said.Welwitschia Caterers, which is part of the Catering Association of Namibia (CAN), did not answer their telephone at the listed Outjo offices.When a worker finally picked up, he said that the owner, Outjo entrepreneur Daan Holtzhausen, would return shortly, but all efforts later to contact Holtzhausen were unsuccessful.* John Grobler is a freelance journalist; 081 240 1587A desperate teacher from one of the affected schools, LE Kamati, earlier this week contacted the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation’s national call-in programme, the Chat Show, to try and bring the children’s plight to the authorities’ attention.Kamati pleaded with the authorities “to do something urgent” about the food situation.When reached by telephone at the Kaoko-Otavi Primary School, where he is a departmental head, Kamati said no food had yet been delivered to the central warehouse at Opuwo, from where the mostly maize blend is distributed throughout the region.TEACHERS DIG DEEP “The teachers here have been taking N$50 or so out of our own pockets to go and buy food from the local shops, wherever we can find food for the children,” he said.”At the other schools (outside this region), they have started teaching.But we cannot teach hungry kids… and now we just run around looking for food for them.”The Kaoko-Otavi Primary School is a so-called cluster school that serves seven other schools in the area in terms of infrastructure and support.All the schools in the area were left without food.Kamati said it involved about 6 000 children.All of the 220 children at Kaoko-Otavi Primary School live at the so-called “day hostel”, meaning that the hostel facilities are only for week days when the children are attending school.”But some children have to come very far to get to school… we have one kid who has to walk 40 kilometres to get home, so we cannot send that child home, even over weekends,” he said.So far this year, the teachers themselves have, where possible, supplied food in the hope that supplies would arrive.”But as I sit here, we have not seen anything yet,” Kamati said.Having no food at the beginning of every term or running out of food at the end of every term was a common occurrence, Kamati said.”We would order 200 bags of maize, but then we only get 80 or 100 bags….The food is always too little,” he said.The problems experienced with food had been repeatedly brought to the attention of the responsible hostel inspector and the Regional Director, Kamati said.Complaints were eventually laid with the Chief Hostel Inspector Alida Botha, but no action has so far been taken to address the problems, he said.The other schools in the region are reportedly experiencing the same problem, but in two cases, the hostel superintendents refused to talk to the media, referring all enquiries to Windhoek. “They can deny, but we are all in the same situation here,” Kamati said.”Some people are afraid to talk, but someone has to do something urgently.We cannot wait forever for food.”Contacted for comment, Permanent Secretary for Education, Culture and Sports Vitalis Ankama said he was totally shocked by the news.He was also unaware of previous complaints laid with Botha.”This is really terrible, terrible….This should not be happening.What is going on in the (catering) business? Is everything corrupt?” Ankama said.The matter would be investigated as a matter of urgency, he said.Welwitschia Caterers, which is part of the Catering Association of Namibia (CAN), did not answer their telephone at the listed Outjo offices.When a worker finally picked up, he said that the owner, Outjo entrepreneur Daan Holtzhausen, would return shortly, but all efforts later to contact Holtzhausen were unsuccessful. * John Grobler is a freelance journalist; 081 240 1587