12 Aug 2013

An officer from National Food Technology Research Center (NFTRC), Ms Annah Mosele, has encouraged  the needy members of the community to liaise with Social and Community Development officers to be engaged in training and acquiring skills and knowledge to start viable projects.

Ms Mosele said her organisation works hand in hand with government departments to teach the community about health and food safety.

She said her organisation provides training on producing food stuff such as jam among other things. She explained that jam can be made from natural or wild fruits such as morula.

She said beneficiaries are trained to make jam from pumpkins and water melons, among other field crop products.

In addition, she said NFTRC trains beneficiaries under the poverty eradication programme on how to make dry food products such as dried fruits and leaf vegetables for conservation and storage.

“People living in poverty can sustain their lives by making such food stuff for sale to gain income and sustain their lives,” she said. Ms Mosele indicated that NFTRC also provides training on packaging of food.

She said people can measure and package food like peanuts and sell them to chain stores to gain income.

She said NFTRC also trains food caterers on food safety and health so that people use correct measures to cook and cater food in a safe and healthy manner.

Meanwhile, Ms Thobogang Malibala representing the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, has said that the ministry provides out -of -school training to beneficiaries under poverty eradication programme to empower them.

She said they train people to be literate so that they can run their businesses accordingly and improve their livelihoods.

She said they have four manuals under the programme aimed at empowering people that include business for start-up, business for existing businesses, marketing-costing and pricing as well as money management and record keeping.

She said her ministry’s role in the poverty eradication programme is to equip beneficiaries with training prescribed under the manuals so that they can be able to run their businesses or project properly.

“So far we have participated in four Education Pitso’s and have trained close to 4 000 beneficiaries on business for start –up,” she said adding that after the beneficiaries have commenced their projects, they will also be engaged in the next step which will be business for existing businesses until they complete training in money management and record keeping.

She encouraged all beneficiaries under the poverty eradication programme to learn how to read and write and be engaged in training manuals provided by her ministry if they are to prosper in their businesses or projects.

Meanwhile, an official of the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Mr Peter Olekantse said his ministry’s poverty eradication programme provides training for beneficiaries to pursue tree planting projects. He said people can learn how to grow a variety of trees or plants for sale to gain income.

He also noted that mophane worms can also serve as a source of income for the needy where they can harvest the commodity for sale. However, he noted that his ministry has procedures and schedules in place on when to harvest the mophane worms.

He called on beneficiaries to liaise with his ministry departments to gain full information about the mophane worm harvesting schedules and procedures and to apply for tools that can be used when going to harvest the worm.

He also noted that his ministry has a programme that promotes fishery projects.

He said training is availed by officers in the ministry responsible for fishery project portfolios.

Mr Olekantse said people can be trained on how to farm fish.

The initiative, he said has high potential to make money from selling fresh water fish.

He also said the ministry has a programme for training people on how to market and sell fish. Ends