The Ministry of Health and Social Services, UNDP Namibia and UNICEF Namibia had an Exchange of Notes with the Embassy of Japan in Namibia on 20 February 2019. UNDP and UNICEF received USD 500,000 each from the government of Japan to support the Government of Namibia in strengthening of Health systems in the country. The partnership between the Government of Namibia, Government of Japan, UNDP Namibia and UNICEF on health & nutrition sector was solidified today through the exchange and signing of notes by Hon. Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, H.E. Hideaki Harada, Ambassador of Japan to Namibia; Ms. Izumi Morota-Alakija, UNDP Namibia Resident Representative a.i. and Ms. Rachel Odede, UNICEF Representative.

The grant is timely because of the drought that Namibia faces. The partnership between UNDP Namibia and the Governments of Namibia and Japan respectively aims to deepen interventions to support vulnerable people with nutrition and sanitation in dealing with Hepatitis E. This financial support from the Government of Japan, is earmarked to develop and strengthen in-country capacity to better respond to food insecurity and nutrition, programme for, and respond to infectious disease outbreak caused by droughts and flooding in the 4 northern regions of Namibia i.e. Omusati, Oshana, Kunene and Zambezi.

This will be done through implementing low cost - high impact interventions such as counselling on the best child feeding practices; training of health workers to better manage and document Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). Furthermore, interventions on Hepatitis E, which is planned to reach about 120,000 people, will assist in supporting the scaling up of innovative sanitation solutions in informal settlements to benefit the most vulnerable, especially pregnant and post-partum women and children. Continue to advocate for community led processes that will equip them with knowledge and action towards locally owned and sustainable solutions to sanitation.