The Ndonga Linena Constituency Office, in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security and the Ministry of Gender, is concluding a two-week outreach programme aimed at addressing the shortage of national documents in the constituency.
Ndonga Linena Constituency Councillor Anselm Marungu stated that the outreach programme follows consultations with community members, which revealed a need for national documents.
The programme started at Mukuni Primary School, covering Shighuru and Shikenge villages, before moving to the Ndonga Linena Constituency Office in Ndonga Linena village.
The outreach also covered Makandu, Kagcuva and Shankara villages, among others.
"We held community meetings to identify their needs, and in every village we visited, people told us that they needed national documents. Based on these findings, we wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Gender, requesting them to come to the constituency and provide these services," explained Marungu.
On Tuesday, the team was at Nyangana Combined School, where it provided services to residents from Ndiyona, Mamono, Guma, Kangweru and surrounding villages.
Marungu also emphasised the importance of parents obtaining birth certificates for their children as soon as they are born, rather than waiting until they are older.
"It is very important for parents to obtain national documents for their children while they are still young because it makes the process easier. When you give birth at a hospital, you can get the birth certificate there. However, some people miss that opportunity and only start looking for documents when the child is older. The process then becomes quite difficult."
Beneficiaries expressed their appreciation.
"I came to get a birth certificate. The process was smooth, and we thank our Councillor, Marungu. We did not have documents, including some pensioners, because we did not have transport to travel to Rundu. Now, even our pensioners are able to get their documents," noted Mechtilde Kupembona.
"I came to get birth certificates for my children and myself. I will now be applying for an identity document. Our challenge was the lack of transport money to travel to Rundu. We are grateful for the outreach programme,” added Joseph Simbo.