20 Apr 2020

The COVID-19 Food Relief Coordinator, Mr Gabriel Seeletso has said it is government’s intention to assess every family in the country during the lockdown period. 

Speaking during a press briefing in Gaborone, April20, Mr Seeletso said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had since engaged more social workers to help assist with assessment. 

Mr Seeletso said COVID-19 had affected every individual somehow, saying because of lockdown, even the able bodied individuals had been affected and therefore the intention was that every household be assessed. 

He mentioned that the government would not let people perish because of hunger, and therefore the social workers were on the ground to assess and assist. 

Furthermore, he stated that the first groups of people already assessed and given food hampers were from the poverty stricken families, the orphans and vulnerable people, adding that the under-five distribution remained as it was. 

Mr Seeletso also mentioned that they had distributed to the Kgalagadi, Gantsi, North West and the Chobe areas because the people in the areas were not only hit by COVID-19, but by other natural disasters such as floods, malaria and locust. 

He said the rest of the country would follow suit as assessment was an on-going process and encouraged those that could have been omitted to seek help through Village Development Committee (VDC), area councilor and any other.
 
Mr Seeletso thanked individuals, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), companies as well as institutions that made contributions towards efforts to respond to the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for the prevention, control and treatment of the disease and its after effects. Ends