THE Ondangwa Town Council, during its recent council meetings, resolved to launch a mayoral development fund aimed at assisting the town’s needy residents.
The fund will be launched at Ondangwa this weekend, by the minister of urban and rural development, Erastus Uutoni.
On Tuesday, council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho told The Namibian the fund is an initiative by the mayor’s office responding to the need to support residents who find themselves in situations beyond their control.
“In line with the Harambee Prosperity Plan II, under the social progression pillar, the government of Namibia reaffirmed its responsibility to take care of those in need, and to create a conducive environment for all to succeed.
“It is in the same spirit that the Ondangwa Town Council recognised the existence of different economic and social classifications in town, that the mayoral fund was created to support where applicable,” Shitalangaho said.
She further explained that the aim of the fund is to improve the living conditions of needy residents through expressing compassion during unforeseen and desperate situations.
The purpose of the fund is to provide assistance to families, individuals and organisations at Ondangwa where critical need arises, as part of council’s social responsibility and to coordinate all council’s sponsorships and promote activities where necessary.
“The vision of the mayoral development fund is to portray the municipality of Ondangwa as a responsible corporate entity, committed to the mitigation of unforeseen disastrous cases, while making a meaningful contribution towards their eradication efforts, with the view of ensuring added value to the lives of the community of Ondangwa,” said Shitalangaho.
The fund will provide assistance in areas of priorities such as; sport and recreation, health and education, art and culture, environment and community, and catastrophic interventions and support.
Preference will be given to causes that benefit a wide range of stakeholders, in particular the youth, women, the elderly and physically challenged community members.