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Elderly Woman Left in Lurch
A 93-year-old widow in the Oshana Region, Meekulu Laina Severen, was left without food for several days after her relatives apparently abandoned her. Last week The Namibian found Meekulu Severen suffering from hunger at Ehenye village near Oshakati. She said her great grandchildren had left because there was no food in the house. Meekulu Severen told The Namibian that while she is entitled to a pension she has been unable to collect it as she can no longer walk to the collection point. "Because I can no longer walk and have problems seeing, I can do nothing and I have been left for days and days without food," Meekulu Severen said. She added that her relatives did not care for her "I cannot plough and there was no mahangu (millet) in my field this year, because the rain was not enough." She said her husband, Amesho Ankama, who was a headman, died many years ago. All her children and grandchildren are dead. Several great grandchildren are alive but do nothing to help her. She said that four great grandchildren who stayed with her left because there is no food and she could not pay their school fees. She believes they are now living in squatter settlements at Oshakati and fears that they may turn to crime to survive. However, some hope is on the horizon. Officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services visited Meekulu Severen at the end of last week. The officials told The Namibian they will make sure she receives her pension every month and will trace her great grandchildren, Lovisa Kandenge, Deputy Chief Social Worker at Oshakati, said there may be other cases like Meekulu Severen. She said regional committees dealing with orphans and drought relief should ensure that all vulnerable people are recorded properly so they can receive assistance. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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