An amount of N$1,600 might be someone's savings, but for 77-year-old Frans Geiseb, from Omatako Village in Otjozondjupa Region, the monthly old-age pension grant is more than a personal lifeline.

It is the only source of income sustaining a household of about 25 family members.

Unemployment has forced many residents of Omatako village in the Tsumkwe West Constituency to rely on selling firewood as their primary source of income to support their families.

Omatako is one of the villages in the constituency, pressed by unemployment.

The work is labour-intensive.

Domestic animals are said to be gaining access to medical waste, including human placentas, at the Tsumkwe Clinic because the facility has no incinerator or secure medical waste storage area.

A 20-year-old, Kaipandjarua Tjiposa from Gam, is appealing to the government to intervene and assist her in getting the necessary identification documents after spending her entire life without a birth certificate or national identity document.

Tjiposa says she was raised by her uncle, who died in 2021. 

Residents of Omatako Village in the Tsumkwe Constituency turned out in large numbers for a skills training programme on soap and perfume making.

Tsumkwe leaders have called for urgent development interventions, saying that challenges such as unemployment and limited access to government services continue to affect communities in the constituency.

Delegates from the Office of the Prime Minister have started a three-day visit to the Tsumkwe Constituency.

The visit aims to engage with the traditional authority, assess community conditions, and identify key development challenges affecting residents in the constituency.

The University of Namibia (UNAM) conducted a three-day capacity-building training in Tsumkwe.

The training aims to strengthen community resilience, promote sustainable livelihoods, and enhance the integration of human, animal, and environmental health.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services has launched a TB mass screening campaign, targeting high-risk areas in the Tsumkwe constituency.

The campaign, which started on Monday, will run until the 25th of April.

Members of the !Kung Traditional Authority has raised concerns over healthcare service delivery in their area.

Its chief, Ilony Arnold, is asking for answers after the ambulance driver of Omatako Clinic was reassigned to the Mangetti Dune Health Centre.