Commonwealth, UN agencies partner to support learners in Kavango West
Learners and families in drought-stricken Kavango West are set to benefit from a new six-month initiative aimed at improving nutrition, health and protection in the region.The “Building Brighter Tomorrows” project was launched this week by the Commonwealth Heads of Mission (CHoM) in Namibia, alongside the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
Mpungu Constituency, one of the areas hardest hit by Namibia’s prolonged drought, will be the focus of the intervention, which builds on earlier UN relief efforts in Kavango West, Kavango East, and Omaheke.
The N$188 000 project is jointly funded by the Commonwealth Heads of Mission (N$100 000) and UNFPA and WFP (N$88 000). Implementation will be carried out in partnership with government ministries, local authorities, and community stakeholders.
Around 400 learners at Gava Combined School and 100 community members and service providers will directly benefit between August 2025 and January 2026.
Key areas
Nutrition: School meals will be strengthened and a vegetable garden revived under the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, ensuring more diverse and nutritious food while promoting local production.
Dignity and hygiene: Dignity kits will be distributed to learners, with a focus on addressing menstrual health barriers to education.
Health and protection: Mobile outreach services will provide child health care, sexual and reproductive health support, and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response.
Resilience: Local livelihoods and sustainable food systems will be supported to strengthen long-term community resilience.
Leaders speak out
“The Commonwealth Heads of Mission in Namibia are proud to support this initiative, bringing vital nutrition, health and protection to Mpungu’s drought-affected communities. Together, we are working to ensure no child is left behind in building a healthier, more resilient Namibia,” said H.E. Yakubu Alhassan, High Commissioner for Ghana and Dean of the CHoM.
UN Namibia Resident Coordinator, Hopolang Phororo, stressed the importance of long-term solutions: “Projects like this allow us to build on existing opportunities and address key challenges, ensuring that no child or community is left behind.”
UNFPA Namibia Representative, Erika Goldson, said the initiative goes beyond basic relief: “By integrating sexual and reproductive health, GBV prevention, and nutrition, we are giving learners the tools to build lives free from violence, stigma, and poor health.”
WFP Country Director Naouar Labidi highlighted the link between food and education: “When children are nourished, healthy, and protected, they can focus on learning. Strengthening school meals and local food systems means no child should go hungry.”
Building resilience
The initiative follows a recent UN drought relief operation that provided food, nutrition services, and GBV prevention to tens of thousands of Namibians across three regions between October 2024 and March 2025.
By tackling malnutrition, poor health, and protection risks together, “Building Brighter Tomorrows” aims to improve school attendance, well-being, and resilience for some of Namibia’s most vulnerable learners and communities.