BIG Pilot Project - Assessment Report - BIG Coalition Namibia

2.9 Hunger and malnutritionholds indicated that they did not always have sufficientfood. Thirty percent reported a lack of sufficient food ona daily basis, and 39% said this happened at least oncea week. Only 20% reported that they never experiencedfood shortages.When asked how they coped, almost half (48%) of therespondents indicated that in times of food shortagesthey went to friends and relatives in Otjivero-Omitaraasking for food, while 18% went to friends and relativesoutside Otjivero-Omitara. The nurse at the clinic observed:“People borrow from each other to survive. Everyoneborrows from everybody else. That’s how it is.When people see that someone bought sugar, theothers come to ask for some of it. That’s why itdoes not last, because it has to be shared with theother houses in the neighbourhood.”Another resident of Otjivero-Omitara described the dayto-daystruggle for food:I live with my aunt and her family and we are 15 inone household and no one earns a decent income,we “zula” ['struggle'] to get food. We have nothing toeat at all.Good nutrition is essential for human well-being – especiallyfor children. When describing the situation inNovember 2007, the local clinic nurse, Ms Mbangu,highlighted their suffering:“I have one case where a baby who is HIV positivereceived sugar water instead of food. This baby isjust one month old. The mother can’t breastfeed butshe also does not have food. This morning shewalked to the farm where her sister stays, just toget some maize meal. Such a baby will have a lowweight and then we must send the baby to Gobabis…Low weight is especially a problem with childrenwho are HIV positive although some othersare also under-weight. Some have relatives whowork elsewhere and send them some money ormaize meal. Many others go to sleep without eating51