Owning a house for shack dwellers slowly becoming a reality
The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia in Havana informal settlement received N$2 million through Standard Bank 2nd annual campaign launch of Buy-a-Brick initiative.
Vetumbuavi Mugunda, Chief Executive of Standard Bank said Namibians should work together to find solutions to challenges within our home and that this initiative ensures that our children have a better home environment, by doing things differently a house becomes a home.
“Our contribution, although insufficient is relation to the scale of the shortage, is a contribution that will house families, step by stem and after 10 years, 20 years or 50 years we may look back to the many families provided with decent houses and homes through this initiative,” he added.
The federation’s members who are based in Otjinene in the Omaheke Region and Berseba in the //Karas Region will also benefit from this donation as they have also been awarded the loans to build their homes. These towns were per-selected as per the regional representation of the Shack Dwellers Federation in the country.
Sophia Shaningwa, Minister of Urban and Rural Development urged other companies to also come up wit innovative initiatives such as the Buy-a-Brick initiative that will aid in eradication poverty in the country and reassured that the government will support these endeavours wholeheartedly.
Eager to also play his part, Muesee Kazapua, Mayor of the City of Windhoek said although speedy land delivery and housing is an issue of the council, there were active steps being taken to address this issue. “This initiative is a clear testimony of the drive attached to providing houses to all Namibians,” he said.
The Bank’s flagship Buy-a-Brick fund-raising initiative was launched in October 2015 with the aim of helping in alleviating the housing shortage in the country for no or low income households who live in shacks.
