LifeLine/Childline Namibia will be celebrating 25 years of
existence from 4 to 8 July. According to Sarette Strauss, LifeLine/Childline
Namibia ’s public relations officer, ?not only is this an incredible achievement
for an NGO that relies on funding to be able to sustain itself, but it implies a
momentous triumph of volunteerism?. The NGO officially opened its newly
renovated headquarters [...]

First Lady Penexupifo Pohamba spoke out strongly against
the practice of evicting widows and their children from the land and stripping
them of their property. Pohamba said this week that the practice should not be
allowed in the country. ?In fact it goes contrary to our constitution, which
guarantees equal rights to all Namibian citizens irrespective of race, sex [...]

South Africa is hosting a preparatory consultation for the
United Nations (UN) Secretary General?s Study on Violence against Children. The
event is being organised at the request of study expert Professor Paulo
Pinheiro. The UN’s Study on Violence against Children is a landmark effort to
provide a global picture of the nature, extent and causes of violence against
children and [...]

There was a need of
people to reach out for help over the telephone, to hear the voice of a
counsellor on the other side, someone they could trust with whatever they needed
to share,? said Webster Gonzo, chairperson of LifeLine/Childline. He was
speaking on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of
Lifeline/Childline and the opening of the Community [...]

A
multi-purpose centre named after Founding President Sam Nujoma was opened this
week in Ongwediva. The centre was developed with the assistance of the US
embassy and was officially opened by US ambassador Ms Joyce Barr. She said “It
is a great pleasure for the United States to support the people of Ongwediva and
the Oshana Region in expanding this [...]

The Ministry
of Health and Social Services is now providing anti-retroviral therapy (ART) at
25 public hospitals all over the country. The number of patients under ART
reached the 11000 mark by the end of June. Such successes are due to the
availability of the Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres which have been
opened in Namibia, said Richard Kamwi, Minister [...]

The Christina
Swart-Opperman (CSO) Aids Orphan Foundation Trust this week published the
organisation’s first annual report since its inception in 2003. The CSO Trust
sets an example of transparency ? ? as a symbol of showing their appreciation
for the support they received during the 2003/2004 financial year.? The CSO
Trust was founded to uplift and improve the quality of [...]

The German government
announced last week it has made more funds available, through the German Embassy
in Windhoek, for the HIV/AIDS Integrated Services Centre at Oshikuku. “Under the
auspices of the Catholic Health Services, the PMTCT/VCT project group provides
support to voluntary HIV/AIDS counselling and testing centres and to hospitals.
Within the framework of German/Namibian co-operation the amount of N$100 [...]

The government?s
Poverty Monitoring Strategy (PMS) was launched to identify and propose the need
for Poverty Reduction Programmes and projects for inclusion in the budget. ?One
of the challenges facing the world today is the extreme levels of poverty amidst
abundance of wealth and Namibia is no exception. Poverty is not only about
consumption of goods and services but includes [...]