04 Sep 2016

North West District Counxil’s (NWDC) deputy chairman, Mr Latlhang Molonda recently embarked on a district-wide tour to appreciate progress on poverty eradication projects.
Mr Molonda, who was appointed overseer of poverty eradication projects in the district, said in an interview that the purpose of his tour was also to familiarise himself with the beneficiaries, appreciate their challenges and see how best they could be assisted.
He expressed happiness that generally, the projects were on track and producing positive results safe for few that were not doing well because of lack of commitment by beneficiaries.
“I was impressed with the progress especially thriving bakeries that have not only grown big, but are also able to take care of owners and their families.
That is what the programme aimed for; to see people graduating from abject poverty and living dignified lives,” he said.
He said some beneficiaries had been able to build offices, decent houses, as well as bought vehicles to transport their products.
“What concerns me is that many beneficiaries run the same projects in the same areas, like at Kareng where three of them are all operating bakeries yet the market is small,” he judged.
Mr Molonda, who started his journey in the Okavango district, where he visited Gani, Gudigwa, Seronga, Shakawe, and Gumare, among others, said some beneficiaries had been trained yet to this day they had not got all the necessary material to kick start their projects.
He promised to take the issue up with the relevant offices for assistance, adding that delays were generally caused by officers; for instance, in one incident, a council officer was said to have bought the wrong materials, which took time to replace.
The council leader said in Gumare, the beneficiaries were doing exceptionally well the way they showed commitment and love towards their projects.
 Although critics claim that backyard gardens are not doing well, Mr Molonda revealed that at Gani village, they met one beneficiary who was proud of his project as he makes P500 from selling his vegetables every month.
He was happy that agricultural officials supported the beneficiaries by always visiting their projects to give advice where necessary.
 The only challenge the beneficiary mentioned was high water bills, he said, adding that in Somelo, the lack of monitoring and supervision was highlighted.
One beneficiary who designs school uniforms in the village told of how she had stayed for two years without a market.
In any case, he said currently something was being done to address the situation, adding that he would take up the issue with the district commissioner for her support in terms of marketing.
Lastly, he urged relevant officers to double up their efforts and ensure beneficiaries got assistance on time, adding that the programme was coming to an end next year and that they wanted to see more people benefiting as expected. ENDS