11 March 2008
By Martina Schwikowski, International Federation
The hardship of having lost her home is constantly on her mind, particularly when Victoria Nghono looks at her little grandchild playing in the dirt in front of her tent. It has been one month now that the heavy rains and floods have destroyed her house in the nearby village Onaminda in the North-West of Namibia. First the water had risen up to her knees in her house, then the entire structure broke down. Her family became homeless.
Normally 20 people are living in her house, that time only ten were still at home and the rest had already gone to relatives to safer grounds. 'My main concern is, that most likely we won't have crops for the whole year,' says the 60-year-old woman. 'That is our source of food, but also our income. We are selling crops to pay school fees.' Six children in her family have to go to school, and she is worried. 'I can not sleep at night and can't explain from where all this water is coming.'
Victoria Nghono has been living in that area for 40 years, but she had never seen any floods. 'It is a test from God,' she believes. But the real reason for the damage done to the entire region around Oshakati in the North-West is rather that the flood water from heavy rains in neighbouring Angola flew further down to Namibia and overflooded the flat landscape across the border.
In an emergency response the government has relocated people in a camp called Oshikango, where Victoria Nghono found shelter. Another 28 families (127 people) are in a similar situation. The Namibian Red Cross Society (NRCS) is distributing blankets, mosquito nets, water purification tablets and other emergency items. Seven volunteers are also helping in the camp.
Paulus Ngolombe, National Food Security Coordinator of NRCS, is concerned about what might happen in the coming months in case the harvest is poor. 'That is most likely to happen, unless the rains decrease. We have to assess the situation again shortly before harvest time to find out how many more people are in need of food and shelter,' he explains.
'Some 5022 people are affected by floods in the area,' says Daniel Kashikola, Chief Regional Officer, during a visit to the community. They are farmers, relying on their crops which they usually harvest in May or June. 'Now their crops are under water and also in many cases the storage has been destroyed.' Even if they are still able to harvest, the quality will be bad. 'We need serious food relief to assist affected people. We have to provide them with food at least for six months, because the water will be staying until then.'
Water points are flooded and many more water purification tablets are needed as well as 40 more tents and mosquito nets as the number of affected households grows. With only two latrines at the moment and no showers, sanitation is very poor. Transport is important in order to take children to the class rooms in their previous neighbourhood, if their school has not been cut off by floods.