By: Laban Rasalus
The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibian has received a donation of N$2 million from Pupkewitz Foundation, FNB Namibia and Ohorongo Cement.
The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibiais a community based network of housing saving schemes, aiming to improve the living conditions of urban and rural people.
The donation was made through the FirstRand Foundation Trust which was established in 1998. This donation will be used to build 12 houses in Rupara, 11 in Gobabis and 22 in Divundu.
Ohorongo Cement and FNB Namibia donated a total of N$500 000 each while the Pupkewitz Foundation donated N$1 million.
According to statistics, Shack Dwellers have constructed over 395 houses since 2016 with funding from their partners.
At the handing over of the donation, the FNB Home Loans National Sales Manager, Rozina Jacobs said that this kind of projects and initiatives are very important as they do contribute to the provision of affordable housing in the country, which is already a challenging issue in Namibia.
“This partnership ensures that our people have access to the most basic human right. By providing housing, the partnership has helped to reduce homelessness, improve health and safety, and support economic development. The success of this project ultimately demonstrates that it is possible to make a difference through collaboration and innovation,” Jacobs said.
Pupkewitz Foundation representative Gert Burger said access to quality housing has the ability to transform neighbourhoods and also connect residents to critical amenities.He said it does build stronger social cohesion in communities and create pathways to education and economic opportunity as well.
“Each dollar invested in affordable housing boosts local economies by leveraging public and private resources to generate income, adequate job creation and retention, financial stability, security, improves the quality of life of residents by leading to better health and population diversity” Burger said.
Ohorongo Cement CSI representative Alina Nelenge said with the combined resources there is a high possibility of achieving a lot together. This partnership makes an impact on building affordable houses for those who cannot afford to build themselves.
“We believe that, with combined resources we can achieve more, and by partnering with the FirstRand Foundation and the Pupkewitz Foundation we are doing exactly that. We make a difference where it matters the most and instead of trying to run independent initiatives, we remain committed to this valuable partnership, as we trust that through the partnership contribution, many Namibians will be supplied with decent and affordable housing,” Nelenge added.
Corporates Pump N$2Million Into Housing Development
