Oshikoto governor donates water tank to vulnerable family

**Max Henrich **

ONGWEDIVA – The Office of the Governor of Oshikoto has donated a 10 000-litre water tank to a family in Ashipepe village, Eengodi constituency, whose four children are living with a rare medical condition that requires regular access to water.

Oshikoto Governor Sacky Kathindi earlier this week visited the homestead of Indileni Haidula, a mother of eight, after learning about the challenges faced by the family. Four of Haidula’s children live with ectodermal dysplasia, a group of disorders affecting the skin, sweat glands, hair, teeth and nails.

The condition makes the children particularly vulnerable to heat and requires them to be cooled and moisturised regularly. However, the family has been experiencing difficulties accessing sufficient water to meet the children’s needs.

Haidula said that she is raising the children without support from their fathers and has also experienced stigma in the community.

“Some people in the community mock me and my children because of how we look,” she said.

Haidula said that she wants her children to attend school, particularly boarding school, where they could have more reliable access to water.

“I also want my children to go to school. As for now, they do not attend any school. I am pleading for them to go to boarding school where they will have access to water every day,” she said.

Following his visit, Kathindi consulted relevant institutions and stakeholders on ways to assist the family. The resulting intervention included the donation of the heavy-duty water tank, which was filled with tap water and is expected to provide the household with water for more than a month.

The governor said that the intervention was necessary despite ongoing government efforts to drill boreholes and improve water access in the region.

“As we know, the government is busy drilling boreholes to supply Oshikoto with water, but in this situation, this is critical and hence the donation of the heavy-duty water tank,” Kathindi said.

He urged the family to take good care of the tank and use the water responsibly and strictly for its intended purpose.

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