Your Excellency Mme. Monica Geingos, 

First Lady of the Republic of Namibia,

Hon. Minister Yvonne Dausab,

Hon. Minister Utoni Nujoma,

Hon. Deputy Minister Alexia Manombe-Ncube,

Hon. Joseph Uapingene,

All the senior officials of the Namibian Government,

Principal Helen Siamwanda and the staff and dear children of Namibia Children’s Home,

Professor Huang Shuwei and all the Medical Experts from China,

Representatives of the Chinese Community,

Friends from the Media,

Distinguished guests,Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning!

I have the great honor to welcome all of you to attend this loving event for the Namibian children which is co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy and the First Lady’s Office of the Republic of Namibia.

This event is an important part of the program of “For the Health of Orphans in Africa” themed “Warm Children’s Hearts, a China-Africa joint action” which was jointly initiated by Professor Peng Liyuan, wife to the President of the People’s Republic of China and the Organization of African First Ladies for Development, with the strong support of Her Excellency Mme. Monica Geingos, First Lady of the Republic of Namibia and President of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development.

According to this program, Chinese Embassies and the First Lady’s Offices in over 50 African countries will jointly host free medical checks and gift presentation for the children in local charity institutions on the occasion of the International Children’s Day so as to bring warmth and love to the children and contribute to their health and happiness.

 This event here in Namibia is of special significance because of the profound traditional friendship between our two countries. I am deeply grateful to Her Excellency Mme. Geingos for her important guidance and personal devotion in making this event a reality. Her Excellency is so kind to make herself available with us today out of her busy schedule and will honor us with her keynote speech later. I wish to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to Her Excellency for all the valuable support she has rendered us.

 It’s also my great honor that Hon. Yvonne Dausab, Hon. Utoni Nujoma, Hon. Alexia Manombe-Ncube and Hon. Joseph Uapingene can kindly join us today. I wish to thank all the Honorable Ministers, Deputy Ministers and other senior Government officials for their gracious presence as well as thank the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, and Namibian Embassy in China for their support and contribution. 

 I am highly appreciative of the help given by the Principal and staff of the Namibia Children’s Home. My thanks also go to all the children for their participation and to their custodians for their support. I thank all the distinguished guests and the friends from the media who are here to witness this event.

  Distinguished guests, Professor Peng Liyuan cares deeply about the healthy growth of children. Not only Chinese children are in her thoughts, but also children in other parts of the world including Africa. Professor Peng has a special attachment to Africa and the Organization of African First Ladies for Development. In 2020, it was with the initiative of Professor Peng that the Chinese government had donated anti-COVID-19 supplies through the Organization of African First Ladies for Development to the women, children and adolescents in Africa.

 This program of “Warm Children’s Hearts, a China-Africa joint action” has shown once again Professor Peng’s deep care for the health and well-being of African children. She particularly asked us to prepare love parcels for the children in addition to the free medical check. Professor Peng’s love for African children is a vivid demonstration of the Chinese people’s fraternal friendship to the African People.

 To ensure the success of the event, with the support of relevant Ministries of the Chinese government and Zhejiang provincial government, the Chinese Embassy has invited a medical team of 10 doctors respectively from Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine to visit Namibia specifically for the purpose of carrying out the medical checks. The medical experts are experienced in cardiology, paediatrics, stomatology, ophthalmology and dermatology, and they will perform medical checks for over 100 kids in Namibia Children’s Home this afternoon and evening.

 I am very happy to tell all distinguished guests that the head of the Chinese medical team Professor Huang Shuwei is also my high school classmate. It is indeed a happy coincidence. We haven’t seen each other for many years. I wish to thank Namibia for bringing us together again.

 Distinguished guests, this year marks the 60th anniversary for the Chinese government to dispatch medical teams to Africa. Over the past six decades, Chinese medical teams have not only provided a rich variety of medical services for people of African countries which got a wide acclaim, but also promoted the friendship between China and African countries.

 His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, pays great personal attention to China’s international medical aid missions. Earlier this year, he replied to a letter from the Chinese medical team in the Central African Republic and encouraged them to serve local people with high proficiency.

 Here in Namibia, since 1996, with the support of the Namibian government and the Ministry of Health and Social Services in particular, a total of 15 Chinese medical teams from Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine have come to work in Katutura State Hospital to provide the general public with traditional Chinese medical services such as acupuncture and massage, with around 9,000 patients treated in 2022 alone.

 I wish to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the visiting Chinese medical team headed by Professor Huang Shuwei and the Chinese medical team based in Katutura State Hospital.

 Distinguished guests, this event will last only one day and the number of kids to be benefited is limited. However, our commitment to the health and well-being of the Namibian children will be long and firm. I hope and believe that China-Namibia cooperation in the area of health and children’s well-being will continue to expand. Starting from here, the Chinese Embassy will further strengthen its cooperation with Namibia Children’s Home and other local charity institutions in future.

 In conclusion, I wish this event a complete success, and good health to Her Excellency Mme. Geingos and everyone present here today.

 Thank you.