Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, Doreen Sioka, has said that 88% of the ministry’s budget will be absorbed by social grants for the poorest, neediest, and most vulnerable members of society.
The Ministry of Gender for the 2024/25 Financial Year received an amount of N$7.9 billion, while a total of N$12 million is allocated to the Development Budget for the same period.
Sioka explained that the Development Budget of the Ministry will cater for the construction of a Community Empowerment Centre in Keetmanshoop, renovation of Farm Kaukurus in the Omaheke Region, Homes of Safety and Shelters, renovation, and maintenance of the Namibia Children’s Home in the Khomas Region.
“Approval of the allocated budget of N$7,990,776,000.00 (Seven Billion, Nine Hundred and Ninety Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Six Thousand Namibia Dollars) will be utilized towards the execution of the Ministerial mandate, which is to ensure gender equality, poverty eradication, and socio-economic development of targeted categories, especially the poorest, the neediest, and the most vulnerable members of our society, including women, men, boys, and girls, marginalized communities, and people with disabilities,” Sioka said.
She added that Social Grants (for the poorest, neediest, and most vulnerable members of our society) will take up 88% of the ministry’s budget, while 3% will be allocated to Marginalized Communities programs (Ovatue, Ovatjimba, and San Communities), and 4% will go to Personnel Expenditure. A total of 5% is dedicated to Other Programs (Gender Equality, Child Welfare, Early Childhood Development, and Community Development). Of the budgeted amount of N$7.9 billion for grants, a total of N$1.7 billion is dedicated to the Childcare and protection division for the 2024/25 financial year.
Reflecting on what has been done in the past year in this division, Sioka said Social grants were provided to 373,017 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) who are currently on the grant system as of 31 March 2024.
In addition to this, the gender minister said that in 2023/2024 social workers in the Ministry attended to a total of 1,753 children who experience Violence and abuse.
Sioka said that a total number of 18 Victims were accommodated at the shelters during the period from April to December 2023. In addition to this, the minister added that Private and Non-Governmental Organizations, Residential Child Care Facilities (RCCF), were subsidized by the Ministry, such as Children’s Homes, Places of Care, and Shelters for GBV, VAC, and TiP victims. A total number of 524 children were accommodated in the Residential Child Care Facilities. Psychosocial support services (PSS) were provided to 603 children at the Namibia Children’s Home (NCH) and the After School Centre. The Psychosocial Support Services (PSS) were provided by the social workers to 11,704 children at the Regional level, which includes counseling of children with behavioural problems, emergency support, and HIV/AIDS. International and national days were commemorated and celebrated.
