President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has highlighted how former first lady Penehupifo Pohamba helped improve access to maternal healthcare for expectant mothers from rural communities.
Speaking at Pohamba’s memorial service at Parliament Gardens in Windhoek on Saturday, Nandi-Ndaitwah recalled witnessing the construction of maternity waiting shelters while serving as minister of women affairs and child welfare.
The shelters helped address the challenges faced by expectant mothers who lived far from health facilities and needed to be closer to medical care before giving birth.
“Madame Penehupifo did not measure service by what it brought to her. She measured it by what it gave to others,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She said Pohamba’s commitment to maternal and child health was rooted in her years of service as a nurse and midwife, a profession she pursued during the colonial era, the liberation struggle and after independence.
After going into exile, Pohamba furthered her nursing and midwifery training in Tanzania and Jamaica. She cared for sick and wounded people under difficult conditions, including periods when medical supplies were scarce.
“Her service continued after Namibia gained independence. Even while serving as first lady, she continued nursing and midwifery work and provided nursing services without payment for three years,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
Pohamba also supported women and children, people with disabilities and families affected by HIV and Aids. Through organisations and community initiatives, she supported widows, widowers and orphans affected by the epidemic.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said Pohamba’s own rural upbringing influenced her commitment to improving opportunities for rural women and supporting families who were often overlooked.
“Somewhere in Namibia, there must be a mother who remembers her kindness. Somewhere in Namibia, there must be a child whose life she helped to protect,” the president said.
She added that there would also be widows who remembered how Pohamba offered comfort when grief entered their homes.
The president recalled visiting Pohamba in hospital on 7 October. During the visit, Pohamba asked her to take a photograph and send it to her husband, former president Hifikepunye Pohamba.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said she did not know at the time that it might be the last photograph the former first lady would send to her family.
Pohamba died on 17 October, aged 78.
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