Khorixas in dire need of food

The survival threshold of the community is very much affected by unemployment. – Charlton Richter, Officer: Khorixas constituency office

Khorixas residents are faced with serious food insecurity and stakeholders are needed to come on board in assisting the regional council to provide food to the needy.

The control administrative officer at the Khorixas constituency sub-office, Charlton Richter, said although residents receive food parcels from the government’s food bank programme, not every household in the town qualifies to be beneficiaries due to the selection criteria of the programme.

The programme is unable to sustain every poor and vulnerable resident and only caters for the most vulnerable and most needy.

“The survival threshold of the community is very much affected by unemployment. The livelihood of the community is also poor. I would like to call upon the business community to start donating some items that can be distributed through the regional council to the needy residents,” said Richter.

Selling parcels

Approximately 180 households are registered under the local authority boundary of Khorixas as food bank beneficiaries.

Richter added that many people of the community are living below the poverty line, hence the need for more food to address food insecurity.

Richter said the constituency office is also aware of complaints that some of the food bank beneficiaries are selling their food parcels in order to buy alcohol.

“We are aware of the complaints but there is still no proof. However, I would like to urge the community to refrain from such illegal practices. If any of the beneficiaries are found selling these parcels their names will be removed from the programme with immediate effect,” he warned. - Nampa