By: Annakleta Haikera – Nkurenkuru
Kulivere landscape received a donation worth N$145 000 from Nilaleg, a project implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, funded by the Global Environmental Facilities through the United States. These donations consist of seedlings and gardening material that has benefited 10 schools within the Kavango West Region. Himarwa Ithete SS, Mpungu Combined School, Katope Gomugoro, Hausiku Selma Nangura, Nepara, Kasara, Nkulivera, Ndandigwa, Runda and Ponto Mukukutu are the schools that have benefitted from the Nilaleg Project.
The items were given to maintain the integrated land management in Kulivere Landscape in the Mpungu Constituency, Kavango West. This is to help schools bring in an anti-deforestation approach dealing with giving learners and educating aspects to learners at school on how they can start taking care of the trees. The Nilaleg fund project is being implemented in 5 landscapes in the country in different regions. These regions include Kunene, Omusati, Ohagwena, Zambezi and the Kavango West region being part of the beneficiaries of this project of the Namibia Nature Foundation.
Senior public relations officer Tenga Solomon, who received the donation on behalf of the Kavango West regional council, said the project is giving hope to many learners “to know about the disadvantage of deforestation and to plant more trees in our environment, and how they can start taking care of trees and its surroundings.”
She further said, “the importance of having trees after being cut down, and how we as a country can ensure that the trees cut down are replaced and soon injected this kind of notion or an idea in the learners at schools.”
Technical Advisor and Project Coordinator of Nilaleg Project, Aina Andreas, said that the project depends on the needs of the area, but the aim is to eradicate poverty.
“The project will exist for five years in our areas, and we will do quite a lot of tree planting and other activities. I encourage people in landscape in government institutions and individuals that are beneficiaries to this landscape to take this project seriously and make use of it which we are here to give our maximum support.”
Mpungu circuit, education inspector Japhet Siteketa received the donation promised that the project will yield the expected results.
The receiving schools will be assessed at the end of the year on the implementation rate. The well-performing schools will be awarded a nursery of indigenous plants as a business for profitable purposes.
