NAMIBIA / DROUGHT
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STORY: NAMIBIA / DROUGHT
TRT: 2.59
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / OTJIHIMBA / ZEMBA
DATELINE: 28 JULY TO 2 AUGUST 2013, OPUWO, KUNENE REGION, NAMIBIA
1. Close up, Kariamakuju Kauta in the field
2. Wide shot, Kariamakuju Kauta in the field
3. Med shot, Kariamakuju Kauta grinding maize
4. Close up, Kariamakuju Kauta grinding maize
5. SOUNDBITE (Zemba) Kariamakuju Kauta, 55 years old:
“We are hungry, that is the impact of the drought. That is what we can see. People are hungry. People are dying.”
6. Wide shot, Kariamakuju Kauta’s home
7. Close up, Kariamakuju Kauta
8. Various shots, Zemba children
9. Wide shot, prime minister’s office sign
10. Wide shot, rural home
11. Wide shot, informal settlement
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Hellen Likanda, Deputy Director, Directorate Disaster Risk Management:
“All the thirteen regions have been affected with this drought. There is a shortage of water for animals and humans. There is a shortage of food- people did not harvest enough food in all the regions.”
13. Wide shot, health worker and patient
14. Close up, health worker doing upper to mid arm measurement
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Micaela Marques de Sousa, UNICEF Namibia Representative:
“We already know that Namibia is in a vulnerable situation in terms of nutrition. 29 percent in the country are stunted and stunting is irreversible it means 29 percent of these children do not do well in schools, it means 29% of these children fall out of the system and even out of the so called potential citizens of the country so children and women are bearing the brunt of the drought.”
16. Close up, Himba woman grinding ochre
17. Wide shot, health extension worker with Himba woman conducting screening of malnutrition
18. Med shot, health extension worker with Himba woman conducting screening of malnutrition
19. Close up, health extension Worker conducting upper-mid arm measurement
20. Wide shot, Himba woman walking in desolate location
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Myo-Zin Nyunt, Chief of Health and Nutrition, Namibia, UNICEF:
“Namibia has been experiencing the cyclical challenges of a drought and floods. So the government as well as the international community should really work hands in hands to really prevent the further deterioration of the climate change problem resulting in natural disasters.”
22. Wide shot, Mbete cooking
23. Close up, Mbete
24. Wide shot, Himba woman walking in desolate location
25. Wide shot, cattle
26. SOUNDBITE (Otjihimba) Mbete Tjiposa:
“From previous years, we never suffered from drought because we used to drink milk and eat whatever we wanted to. Now the drought is really affecting us.”
27. Close shot, maize porridge
28. Wide shot, Mbete cooking
29. Close shot, two toddlers
30. Wide shot, Ovahimba homestead
This dry and dusty sand is all that remains of Kariamakuju Kauta’s maize and vegetable field. She now has just one week’s supply of maize remaining.
After that she’s not sure how she will find food to feed her family.
SOUNDBITE (Zemba)Kariamakuju Kauta 55 years old:
“We are hungry, that is the impact of the drought. That is what we can see. People are hungry. People are dying.”
Kariamakuju’s dire situation is the result of the worst drought Namibia has experienced in 30 years. An estimated 780 000 Namibians or a third of the population are now severely or moderately food insecure.
In May, the government declared an emergency committing around 20 million USD to provide food and water to affected people.
SOUNDBITE (English) Hellen Likanda, Deputy Director, Directorate Disaster Risk Management:
“All the thirteen regions have been affected with this drought. There is a shortage of water for animals and humans. There is a shortage of food - people did not harvest enough food in all the regions.”
Aid agencies have also stepped in to help. But as numbers of affected communities continue to rise funding gaps are widening. UNICEF needs 7.4 million USD to help the estimated 109,000 children at risk of malnutrition.
SOUNDBITE (English) Micaela Marques de Sousa, UNICEF Namibia Representative:
“We already know that Namibia is in a vulnerable situation in terms of nutrition, for example. 29 percent in the country are stunted and stunting is irreversible it means 29 percent of these children do not do well in school, it means 29% of these children fall out of the system and even out of the so-called potential citizens of the country so children and women are bearing the brunt of the drought.”
In response, UNICEF is scaling up water, sanitation and hygiene facilities as well as nutrition education and infant feeding activities.
Early detection of malnutrition is critical during an emergency and already health extension workers based in remote communities are monitoring children and working with health centres to get affected children the treatment they need.
Despite immediate drought response plans underway – it is becoming clear that this region which is prone to erratic weather conditions must consider the long-term impact of climate change.
SOUNDBITE (English) Myo-Zin Nyunt, Chief of Health and Nutrition, Namibia, UNICEF:
“Namibia has been experiencing the cyclical challenges of a drought and floods. So the government as well as the international community should really work hands in hands to really prevent the further deterioration of the climate change problem resulting in natural disasters.”
Mbete Tjiposa, an elder in her Ovahimba community has seen her fair share of droughts.
But two consecutive years of no rain in her village in Kunene region is taking its toll.
Livestock has died, cattle prices have dropped and the men in the village have had walked far to find grazing for what herds they have left.
SOUNDBITE (Otjihimba) Mbete Tjiposa:
“From previous years, we never suffered from drought because we used to drink milk and eat whatever we wanted to. Now the drought is really affecting us.”
She boils a watery maize porridge – her only meal for the day.
The government food rations have not yet arrived and she must support several families on her meager pension.
As in years before, the community is willing to wait out the drought.
But it remains to be seen if they will have the strength to do so if help doesn’t come soon.