Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia starts cooperation with P.E.A.C.E Center and UNAM Masters Students in Clinical Psychology for community support.

On 18 August 2022 a cooperation between Psychology Students of UNAM (University of Namibia), the NGO PEACE and the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) came into life. This is a further step in an initiative between PEACE and the SDFN that started with Lydia Nisbet assessing the need for collaboration and training for Federation members. They indicated their interest and asked that the training should also include general information on health and nutrition.

Eight Master Students, led by their lecturer in Community Psychology, Dr Shelene Gentz (also a PEACE Board member) met SDFN members from different saving groups of Khomas region to understand where PEACE and the Master Students can support the communities of the informal settlements with their daily struggles. As Christel Menette, Clinical Psychologist at PEACE stated in this meeting: “The vision of PEACE is to make professional psychosocial services available to the most marginalised persons and groups in Namibia”. The idea is that 2-3 Master Students will be introduced by 1 SDFN leader to his or her saving group as well as neighbours to assess the needs of 3 communities in Windhoek. In this participatory process communities can voice their various and daily challenges of livelihood in informal settlement and bring in their experience how to cope with these obstacles. Knowing what the communities need in terms of psychological support, PEACE could offer its services to recipients that are surrounded by poverty, unemployment, and violence. Trauma, gender-based violence and mental health are too often still a major taboo in Namibia.

Students and SDFN members fully agreed, that these future interactions must be very practical advice or trainings. PEACE could assist people in informal settlements not only with counselling but also with life skills training, conflict resolution, parental advice etc.  

The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia and Namibia Housing Group (NHAG) are looking forward to get this important and much needed initiative with PEACE and UNAM started.