COVID-19 awareness in Kunene Region

The Kunene Region of Namibia is in the far north-west corner of the country, and widely covered with a rough mountainous landscape. This type of geography makes it hard to access and develop. Tourism is the key development sector for the Region, due to its pristine environment, wildlife, and rich culture.

Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) pioneered the African approach to community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Kunene Region, for the rural communities to benefit from their rich, untouched natural resources. For close to 40 years, IRDNC helped establish and continue to support 30 gazetted conservancies, close to reaching 50,000 people out of the 88,300 inhabitants in the region.

When Namibia reported its first COVID-19 case in March 2020, IRDNC immediately teamed up with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS), the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) and Regional local government to fight against the spread of the virus in rural communities. This was done whilst taking maximum precautionary measures for both our staff and the partners we engage with.

Throughout 2020, IRDNC’s Kunene team distributed 6,463 sanitary detergents and 369 tippy taps to 147 villages with approximately 7,770 people reached. This year, the COVID-19 awareness work continues to ensure that all corners of the region are covered, and that information is passed to all households including the most remote Ovahimba villages in the region.

During the week of 25 – 30 January 2021, a COVID-19 awareness trip was completed in Puros, Anabeb and Sesfontein conservancies, with a team made up of the MHSS officials, IRDNC staff and the Namibian Police Force. This was done to sensitize communities about the COVID-19 pandemic in the remote western part of the Kunene Region. The target audience was the community at large, especially women, and schools.

The campaign team emphasized the importance of wearing masks, washing of hands and using sanitizers. The police officers clarified the national COVID-19 regulations to the public and responded to questions that they had.

The community further received support from the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN) in forms of sanitizers, sanitizer stands and reusable mask which are yet to be distributed to individual households.

This was a successful COVID-19 campaign which managed to reach rural communities with very limited radio and cell phone coverage.