In response to a question from the MP for Okavango, Bagalatia Arone, Siele said the ministry is putting up some measures to address the needs of women."In the short-term, deliberate measures that have been put in place to address this gap include grants to women's groups to start income generating projects that are administered through the Women's Affairs Department in my ministry," said Siele. He explained that the proposed income generation projects can receive up to P250,000 each and they are monitored closely for three years following funding.
"Currently 75 projects throughout the country aged zero to three years are being closely monitored to support their firm establishment and profitable operation," Siele said, adding that the total estimated initial value of these projects is P12,425,000.He noted that lenders and administrators need to ensure that their programmes are sufficiently informed by the realities surrounding women's lives because research has shown that while women may not have collateral or acknowledged means such as property to secure credit, once granted the opportunity, they tend to be more credible borrowers and dependable entrepreneurs.
