Sixty cases of teenage pregnancy were recorded in the Okavango District between April and June this year, raising fresh concerns over the welfare of children and the need to strengthen social protection programmes in the district.
The figures, released by the Okavango District Council’s Acting Chief Social and Community Development Officer, Tebogo Letshabamang, also revealed that 15 defilement cases were reported during the same period. Letshabamang presented the statistics during a consultation meeting between district leadership and the national task force on social protection programme, chaired by Chief of Staff, Dr Oupa Tsheko in Gumare recently.
She said the district continued to grapple with social challenges that exposed children and other vulnerable groups to abuse and exploitation, adding that some long-standing cultural practices and beliefs continued to contribute to their vulnerability. According to Letshabamang, efforts to educate communities and challenge harmful cultural norms have been constrained by inadequate funding, limiting the department’s ability to conduct widespread awareness campaigns.
She said increased investment in community education and sensitisation programmes, particularly those promoting sustainable livelihoods and social welfare, would help reduce vulnerability among disadvantaged households. Letshabamang welcomed government’s plan to develop a national social protection policy and framework, saying it would allow interventions to be tailored to the unique challenges facing individual districts.
She explained that the Okavango District faced circumstances that differed from many parts of the country, including recurring outbreaks of animal diseases and limited markets for agricultural produce, both of which continued to undermine household incomes and contribute to poverty. She further revealed that the district currently has 3,848 registered destitute persons, 2,720 needy students receiving government assistance, 611 children in need of care and protection, and 755 registered orphans.
Addressing the meeting, Dr Tsheko said the consultations formed part of government’s efforts to understand why poverty remained prevalent despite the existence of several social protection programmes. He said the task force had been established by President Duma Boko to assess challenges affecting the effectiveness of existing social protection initiatives and recommend improvements that would better respond to the needs of communities.
Dr Tsheko said consultations were being conducted across the country to gather first-hand information from district leadership and development stakeholders on the realities confronting communities. He noted that evidence collected during the nationwide engagements would inform the development of a comprehensive social protection policy and implementation framework capable of addressing poverty more effectively. The task force is expected to use findings from the consultations to recommend measures aimed at strengthening existing programmes while ensuring government assistance reaches the people who need it most.
