“This drought is devastating for the people of Namibia, as well as for the livestock and wildlife they rely on for livelihoods. Without rainfall, communities are facing serious water shortages, meaning that there is not enough drinking water to go around, their crops are failing, and their livestock is perishing. We recognise these realities, and hope that this food relief initiative will help to alleviate the worst of the situation, until the rains come”, said Agnes Tjirare-Kerii, Wilderness Namibia Impact Manager.

“We consulted our community leaders with this intervention plan, including the contents in each parcel for maximum nutrition. Each food parcel distributed can support up to four people for one month, and includes salt; matches; cooking oil; soup and soup mix; instant yeast; white bread flour; maize; sugar; rice; tea; and coffee. I am fortunate to have been on the road distributing the parcels to the communities on behalf of Wilderness Namibia, and have personally witnessed the relief in the eyes of the elderly, and the bright smiles on the faces of younger members of the community, when our vehicles arrive. Our team at Wilderness will reminisce on their kind expressions for some time to come”, concluded Agnes.

In addition to the support being rolled out across Namibia, Wilderness is also extending its Drought Relief Nutrition Programme to communities in need in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, delivering a total of 9,000 emergency food parcels to approximately 12,500 individuals between November 2024 and January 2025.