From crisis to recovery: Drought-affected communities in Kavango West rebuilt with UN support

MUPINI VILLAGE, Kavango West – Ms. Anna Elias, affectionately known as Nya Kasiku in her community, is an unemployed single mother in Mupini Village, Kapako Constituency, Kavango West. She shoulders the significant responsibility of caring for a household of 13 members, comprising adolescents and children, with four under the age of five. Nine of these children are not her biological offspring but the children of her sisters, who have entrusted them to Anna's care after migrating to urban areas in search of employment.

For Ms. Anna, these 13 children are simply “her children.” The family unit she has built is not defined by biology alone, but by the years she has spent raising them since they were small. The term “extended family” doesn’t fully capture the depth of the connection she has with them. Among them is her one-year-old daugther, Rauna Chakwiza, who has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition.

Little Raunawas sitting on Ms. Anna’s lap under the shade of a tree when, on 17 April 2025, their homestead received a visit from the UN Namibia Resident Coordinator, Ms. Hopolang Phororo, together with heads of agencies from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Ms. Anna’s family, along with other community members impacted by the prolonged drought, has received critical support provided by the UN. This includes food assistance through commodity vouchers provided by WFP, and six of the children in her household are enrolled in the local soup kitchen supported under WFP’s emergency response and health services through the UNFPA supported mobile outreach clinic. Through outreach services led by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, with support from UNICEF, Rauna was put on treatment to address her malnutrition.

The visit was part of an assessment to evaluate the impact of the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (UN CERF) project. The objective was to explore ways communities such as Anna’s could sustain themselves after the project ends in May 2025, ensuring that progress made during the intervention continues to support their long-term resilience.

Collaboration for long-term resilience

In October 2024, the UN mobilized US$ 3 million through the UN CERF to support Namibia’s response to the ongoing drought crisis, worsened by the El Niño phenomenon. The UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Phororo and the Assistant Secretary-General/Climate Crisis Coordinator for the El Niño/La Niña Response, Ms. Reena Ghelani, advocated for support at regional, global and partner levels.

With over 1.4 million people affected by food insecurity, the Namibian government declared a State of Emergency on 22 May 2024. The UN funding complemented the government’s drought response plan, scaling up lifesaving interventions in the most severely affected regions, particularly Kavango West, Kavango East and Omaheke, which were facing emergency-level food insecurity.

Through this support, UNFPA, WFP and UNICEF have been working together to assist vulnerable communities. In Kavango West, the UN intervention has reached thousands of families, such as Ms. Anna’s, ensuring access to food, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and protection from gender-based violence (GBV).

The tangible difference this support has made is evident in Ms. Anna's words: “The food support we’ve received has made a real difference for us. Thanks to the assistance, baby Rauna has gained weight and is doing better,” said Ms. Anna. “We are very grateful to the UN for helping us during this tough time. Without your support, it would have been much harder for us to cope with the drought.” 

Engagement with regional leadership

During the two-day visit, the UN team met with the regional leadership, led by the Governor of Kavango West, Hon. Verna Sinimbo, and visited communities to understand the impact of the drought and discuss strategies for sustaining the gains made through the UN interventions.

Ms. Phororo stressed the importance of building resilience in vulnerable communities, stating, “There is a need to see what we can do together – communities, government, and other stakeholders – to make sure the gains are sustained after the conclusion of the project.”

Hon. Sinimbo echoed this sentiment, highlighting the region’s agricultural potential. She noted that Kavango West is fertile and, with the right support, could become a food basket for Namibia.”With the right investment and dedication from communities, the region could grow food to support itself and other regions,” she said. “We are especially grateful for the collaborative spirit demonstrated in your work [UN] – not only with national government structures but also at regional and community levels,” she added. “The support has restored hope and dignity to the affected communities.”

Impact of UNCERF Project

UNFPA provided life-saving assistance to vulnerable groups, including survivors, persons with disabilities, and those affected by malnutrition in Kavango West, Kavango East, and Omaheke. This resulted in 19,872 people receiving integrated sexual and reproductive health and GBV services through mobile outreach. Nutritional needs were met with food parcel distributions to 2,129 people. Three women-and girl-friendly safe spaces were equipped with essential tools, food, and supplies to support GBV survivors. Additionally, 6,085 people received GBV psycho-social support, and 6,112 people received menstrual hygiene management kits.

UNICEF enhanced integrated maternal, child health, and nutrition services through the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ outreaches to hard-to-reach populations across these regions. This resulted in screening 28,386 children (6-59 months) and pregnant and breastfeeding women, surpassing the 21,228 target for malnutrition, wasting, and other illnesses. The services included administering Albendazole, Vitamin A, immunizations, Tetanus Toxoid to women, and family planning. This was achieved by deploying eight outreach teams and nine community health workers and rehabilitating four boreholes.

WFP provided life-saving commodity vouchers to over 13,596 people across Kavango West, Kavango East, and Omaheke, enabling vulnerable households to access staple foods while stimulating local markets.

To support child nutrition, 22,063 children benefited from community soup kitchens in the three  regions. WFP also trained 492 community cooks in nutrition, hygiene, and kitchen management, equipping them with skills that extend beyond the emergency.

The programme further strengthened government capacity at subnational levels and is now serving as a practical model to inform the transition of government-led drought relief efforts into structured, shock-responsive social protection systems.