The Otjombinde community has expressed renewed hope following the establishment of a 16-hectare community garden in the area. 

Eight hectares of the garden are already under cultivation.

The garden is an initiative of the Office of the Otjombinde Constituency and the Office of the Prime Minister, aimed at improving food security and helping to reduce malnutrition in the community.

This community garden project is the first of its kind, piloted in Tallismanus, with plans to introduce similar initiatives across all 14 regions.

Otjombinde Constituency's Control Administrative Officer, Gerson Kavitjene, said the garden was an initiative of Councillor Wenzel Kavaka.

"The councillor was liaising with our honourable Prime Minister, and at least the Prime Minister bought the idea, and with the assistance of the government, they agreed to give us the assistance of starting a garden."

The financial advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister, Lineekela Hihepa, said the government has made a significant investment in the Otjombinde community garden to ensure the project gets off the ground smoothly and remains sustainable. 

"The Office of the Prime Minister to date has spent an amount of N$3.8 million on this project. That was to procure the gardening tools and pay the volunteers and the National Youth Services that are here to safeguard the assets; we also drilled the boreholes to assist with the water shortage."

Youth members in Otjombinde say the community garden has brought positive change to their lives.

They also noted that the constituency office is exploring ways to sell the produce and supports the community soup kitchen, which provides nutritious meals to those in need and helps reduce food insecurity in the area.

The Office of the Prime Minister reiterated that it is committed to making sure this project is well-equipped before handing it over to the community.