Female inmates showered with love
Female prisoners held at the Windhoek Correctional Facility were in for a treat on Valentine’s Day on Sunday after NBC employees donated sanitary products and gave advice on selflove and awareness on mental health issues.
NBC’s Lucy Kautwima and Sharon Malumo paid the inmates a visit as part of an initiative adopted from Refreshing Moments, a radio programme that airs on NBC National FM on Sundays, produced and presented by Kautwima.
The radio personality told New Era the show caters to all inmates around the country and is widely listened to by many Namibians – both inside and outside prison. The programme aims to educate, inform and inspire inmates serving time in correctional facilities around the country.
“The programme also speaks to former inmates who have been integrated back into society and are not shy to talk about their experience. We also speak to pastors, psychologists and motivational speakers,” added Kautwima.
“Now and then, I get opportunities to visit the inmates to talk about issues and challenges affecting them and the changes they would like to make – for those in lower units I encourage them to make use of the opportunities offered to them in the correctional facility; sometimes, they suggest topics to discuss on the radio show.”
She showed a passion for the programme and added that anyone who has struggled in life deserves a second chance to get back on their feet and realise their true potential.
“The idea that no one should be judged by their worst moment lies at the heart of my passion for criminal justice reform and many
other issues. When it comes to people with criminal convictions, we know that sometimes rehabilitation motivation and inspiration is an important factor in staying out of trouble and keeping re-offending rates low,” shared Kautwima.
“I applaud the First Lady’s office for also doing her part in
having programmes that assist offenders, and I hope to have her on the Refreshing Moments show one day. What I hope the program will achieve is to have offenders rehabilitated and can be effectively reintegrated into society, with renewed hope of a better and crime-free life.”
The duo donated sanitary pads while businesswoman and author Penehafo Endjala gave the inmates her books to read – at the same time preaching the importance of self-love.
“We should be thankful for how far we have come and survived. We should truly be patient with ourselves. Self-love may not happen overnight. But with time, it will settle itself into our hearts by practising it. Knowing something and doing it is a different thing. Let us love ourselves unconditionally,” said Endjala.
“You are here today but remember you are fully a human being like everyone else; you can change by starting today. We can learn from our mistake and grow from who we once were into who we are today. You are still alive for a reason; embrace your past and the present moment – organise your life and document the new you. You know yourself better than anyone else, so be your best supporter.”
KEETMANSHOOP - //Kharas governor Aletha Frederick says it has become challenging for health authorities in the region to accommodate patients contracting Covid-19 due to a lack of isolation facilities.
She raised this concern during a recent official handing over of medical equipment meant to help curb the further spread of the coronavirus in the region.
“We have three health districts namely Karasburg, Lüderitz and Keetmanshoop in the region who all need to be served by one Covid-19, 12-bed isolation centre in Keetmanshoop,’’ she lamented.
Frederick added this shortage makes the transportation of affected patients challenging and difficult.
“By law and health regulations, patients who pass away at the isolation centre and hail from the other two health districts cannot be buried in Keetmanshoop anymore and so they now need to be transported to their respective places of residence within Karasburg and Lüderitz health districts,” she added.
The governor also said external factors such as proper transportation in terms of health protocols and also the availability of health workers and law enforcement agencies to accompany families when transporting the remains of their loved ones are some of the challenges on the ground.
“If we as government and the other stakeholders can manage to build additional isolation facilities at the other two health districts, we can overcome this hurdle.”
The governor continued health authorities are sometimes forced to convert available rooms at the Keetmanshoop district hospital into isolation facilities due to a lack of space at the isolation centre, which at times
might be a health risk.
“It is hereby my clarion call on all members of the business fraternity and entities
to come on board, meeting government halfway in order to establish additional, critically needed isolation centres in //Kharas region,’’ she said. When approached to comment, //Kharas regional chief medical officer, Rufanus Kooper told New Era despite a lack of isolation centres, the region was coping with the situation to a certain extent. “We have managed to convert the previous TB ward on the second floor into a corona ward after relocating the TB patients,’’ he said.
He also added medical doctors at the two outside districts (Karasburg and Lüderitz) are well equipped and trained to intubate patients under quarantine.
“It is only when patients are presenting severe Covid-19 symptoms that they are referred to Keetmanshoop district hospital,’’ he added.
WITH nine years to go before the expiration of Namibia’s grand development plan, Vision 2030, the government is reviewing the plan with a view to replacing it with one that speaks to the realities of the day.
This was announced by National Planning Commission (NPC) director Obeth Kandjoze at a recent media conference meant to inform the nation about the government’s decision to liquidate the cash-strapped Air Namibia.
At this event, Kandjoze said: “We must actually craft a grandvisioning statement that will replace Vision 2030… we must review Vision 2030.
“We must review NDP5 to be able to fit into the economy postCovid-19.”
Vision 2030 stipulates that Namibia plans to be a prosperous
and industrialised nation, developed by her human resources,
enjoying peace, harmony and political stability by 2030.
“We have assembled a team of experts led by the National Planning Commission, assisted by the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Namibia and we’ve actually solicited the efforts and advice of Harvard University Growth Lab experts, led by Professor Ricardo Hausmann, a very well renowned professional in the business of helping countries identify pitfalls in their setups from an economic structural point of view,” Kandjoze said.
The growth lab works to understand the dynamics of growth and to translate those insights into more effective policymaking in developing countries.
Kandjoze also said Namibia must position itself strategically to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA). The former mines minister added: “We must have a stake in that vision. Going forward, the economy is actually put at a display as to “what is agriculture achieving?”
Back in its heyday, agriculture contributed between 12 to 15% of GDP.
“Today, agriculture is reduced to less than 4%. What are the causes of this? What are the structural policy changes that should come in to begin to help [the sector]?”
Additionally, he said agriculture is at the heart of Namibia’s development agenda going forward. Other sectors such as mining are also under review.
“The idea is to understand where the impediments are in our economic structural setup so we can do away with those impediments, review the policies, understand the future of the particular sort of market in agriculture, mining and so forth, so that we can position the economy post-Covid-19,” he noted.