November 3, 2004 - (New Era) Findings of the first ever-regional poverty profile indicate that poor people resort to various survival tactics, some of which have negative implications for their health, the sustainability of their livelihood sources and their children's health and education.

The poverty assessment conducted in the Ohangwena Region from the viewpoint of poor people themselves, found that poor people resort to crime, including prostitu-tion, when their livelihoods become desperate.

The assessment was car-ried out in seven of the eleven constituencies of the region.

At the Tulipamwe infor-mal settlement in the Eenhana Constituency, it was found that the highest coping and survival strategy was crime.

"They sleep throughout the day and work throughout the night, stealing what others spend their time and money on gathering," said a re-spondent.

The assessment also re-ported that respondents in the Ohameva Constituency deli-berately commit petty crimes to go to prison for free food.

In town and rural areas, the poverty assessment found that women provided sexual services during desperate situations in return for com-modities, food or cash, espe-cially at month-end and during festive seasons, ris-king unwanted pregnancies and contracting HIV.

Children are asked by parents to skip classes or even drop out of school to help their parents at home.

Dropping out of school early results in a population that lacks skills and know-ledge to compete in an already narrow job market.

Children in remote areas were more likely to drop out early from school, because of schools being too far away.

These two findings, the report states, perpetuates the poverty among the rural population.

To cope with their situ-ations, the poor and the extremely poor resort to alcohol for relief from the hardship associated with poverty.

The study reveals that in the Etomba Constituency, 50 percent of money spent on alcohol was spent by the very poor, and 30 percent by the poor.

The very poor and poor are described as those who rely heavily on pensions and odd jobs, particularly the San-speaking people.

The poor produce fewer crops and own fewer live-stock than the better off.

"We do not have livestock, land or fields or even chickens to sell in order to survive. When we get money from hired labour (about N$ 5 - N$10) we buy tombo (home-brewed beer), tobacco and vetkoek (pancakes). If the money is too little for that we just buy a glass of tombo or some tobacco. We even work while we are sick", said a San woman from Oshingudu.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200411030594.html