Introduction

A society is judged by how it takes care of its most vulnerable members. Equity is achieved by upholding dignity, social justice and equal access to opportunity for all. We rely on a healthy and skilled workforce, to deliver on our sustainable development agenda. In this regard, HPPI has made inroads in the war against poverty by increasing the coverage of social safety nets and improving access to neo and post-natal care, and effecting quality improvements to the TVET sector. The climate change crisis, the COVID-19 public health emergency and the economic downturn threaten to reverse the gains made in reducing unemployment, poverty and inequalities in income and wealth, during the HPPI period.

This Pillar comprises of five Goals, namely, arresting hunger poverty; urban land, housing & sanitation delivery; improved access to healthcare, and improved access to quality education & sports. HPPII will redouble efforts to strengthen the foundations of the Namibian House by ensuring a dignified standard of living and continued access to health services and education, with a strong foundation in the early years. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the need to intensify investments into specific areas and to reprioritise and elevate emerging priorities, such as Gender-Based Violence and Violence Against Children and e-Learning.

Bridging the gap

The implementation of social progression programmes under HPPI achieved a 90% performance rating, with nine out of ten desired outcomes achieved. No Namibian was reported to have died from hunger during HPPI, despite the country enduring one of the worst droughts in recent history. This is attributable to the extensive drought relief programme and Food Bank initiative rolled out in the peri-urban and rural areas of the country. The Food Bank assisted the most vulnerable households, while rural agricultural extension services intended to secure household food security for subsistence farmers. The set targets for new residential erven and new housing units were achieved by 89% and 82% respectively. The use of the bucket toilet system has been significantly reduced by 74% countrywide. Infant and maternal mortality and morbidity declined substantially during the period. The number of TVET trainees exceeded the set target of 16,000 intakes by 99.8% to 34,920, while the quality of training and data collection also improved.