Life before electricity
The Environment Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) led the Towards an Inclusive Design of the Renewable Energy Transition (TIDRET) Project, which helped bring electricity to Fikile Simposi in Swakopmund.
EIF said this life-changing event brought unending joy to the community but more so to the family of two. “Until recently Simposi was an unemployed housewife, but everything seems to be going in her favour of late as she will be starting a new job soon,” they added.
Simposi said God has not forgotten me, she has been staying in the Federation’s house without electricity for two years now. “But now we have electricity, and I start a new job in the coming days, therefore no words can explain the joy in my heart,” she added.
She said days and nights were long without electricity, and we would use other people’s fridges to store meat charge their mobile phones, and wash their laundry. “I would pay N$100 for a batch of laundry and N$2 to charge my phone, which has a battery life of about 2 to 3 days, before having to go back. I am extremely happy that I can now use my fridge for my meat, do my laundry, and charge my phone. I can now say that I have everything at home,” she added.
Simposi highlighted that life before electricity also meant when her house would run out of gas, they would have to make a fire outside. “In Swakopmund, it is hard because firewood is hard to come by, so we had to opt for pallets but that was a struggle, or we needed to fork out more money to buy wood,” she explained.
She said gone are the days they would wake up and look for matches. “Now it is just a click of a button and then there is light. Gone are the days I do laundry with my hands which bring me blisters and bleeding hands, my hands can rest now,” she said.
Simposi said they are equally excited for the next batch of people who are yet to receive electricity urged them not to give up hope and reminded them of how long they waited for these houses.
“We waited for 17 years for these houses, until we finally got them. Just be patient. It will come. To the partners who made this possible, thank you for all your efforts, and to Erongo Red that allowed the TIDRET project to put electricity in for us,” she concluded.
