Social grants spent on booze, debt
Over N$1bn allocated for 2024/25
Official statistics indicate that about 373 017 orphans and vulnerable children benefit from the monthly grant.
Some guardians of orphans and vulnerable children use state grants to buy alcohol and settle their debt, often leaving the children even worse off.
Official statistics indicate that about 373 017 orphans and vulnerable children benefit from the N$350 monthly child support grant, with over N$1.7 billion allocated for childcare and protection for the 2024/25 financial year.
But despite efforts by government to improve the living standards of orphans and vulnerable children, a recent Namibian Sun probe into the usage of social grants unearthed a growing trend of misuse.
Felixia Hamutenya, a social worker in the Ncuncuni constituency in the Kavango West Region, said guardians often misuse the grants intended to improve the lives of vulnerable children.
According to her, the ministry of gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare has identified individuals who are in serious need of the grant, only to later discover that the funds were used to pay off debts or to buy alcohol.
“We try our best to assist vulnerable individuals, especially single mothers with more than three kids who are unable to raise money to feed their families. However, we have realised that after the funds have been provided to the recipients, some children come back to our office two days later to seek assistance again, raising the question as to what happened to the money intended to provide relief during that specific time," she said.
“The mismanagement of the grants has now raised questions on the effectiveness of this well-intended effort. It is also worth mentioning that some recipients do utilise the grant for its intended purpose, for instance buying food for the family.”
Drug abuse
Hamutenya noted that it’s not always the parents misusing the funds - sometimes it’s the children themselves. “Some children have a strong influence over their parents. Some children bully or manipulate their parents into giving them the funds. And since some of these children have already given up on their futures due to their parents' financial standing point, they use the funds on alcohol or drugs,” she said.
Drug abuse is also a very serious concern in the Ncuncuni constituency, she added.
Those who qualify for the grant are individuals who have been orphaned, or those whose parents are unemployed and unable to cater for their basic needs, she said. “Any child qualifies for the grants as long as their parents are unable to provide for them.”
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Official statistics indicate that about 373 017 orphans and vulnerable children benefit from the N$350 monthly child support grant, with over N$1.7 billion allocated for childcare and protection for the 2024/25 financial year.
But despite efforts by government to improve the living standards of orphans and vulnerable children, a recent Namibian Sun probe into the usage of social grants unearthed a growing trend of misuse.
Felixia Hamutenya, a social worker in the Ncuncuni constituency in the Kavango West Region, said guardians often misuse the grants intended to improve the lives of vulnerable children.
According to her, the ministry of gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare has identified individuals who are in serious need of the grant, only to later discover that the funds were used to pay off debts or to buy alcohol.
“We try our best to assist vulnerable individuals, especially single mothers with more than three kids who are unable to raise money to feed their families. However, we have realised that after the funds have been provided to the recipients, some children come back to our office two days later to seek assistance again, raising the question as to what happened to the money intended to provide relief during that specific time," she said.
“The mismanagement of the grants has now raised questions on the effectiveness of this well-intended effort. It is also worth mentioning that some recipients do utilise the grant for its intended purpose, for instance buying food for the family.”
Drug abuse
Hamutenya noted that it’s not always the parents misusing the funds - sometimes it’s the children themselves. “Some children have a strong influence over their parents. Some children bully or manipulate their parents into giving them the funds. And since some of these children have already given up on their futures due to their parents' financial standing point, they use the funds on alcohol or drugs,” she said.
Drug abuse is also a very serious concern in the Ncuncuni constituency, she added.
Those who qualify for the grant are individuals who have been orphaned, or those whose parents are unemployed and unable to cater for their basic needs, she said. “Any child qualifies for the grants as long as their parents are unable to provide for them.”
[email protected]
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