Foreword by the First Lady of Namibia, Monica Geingos -NHAG/SDFN Annual Report 2020/2021

“We are poor, homeless, and landless, but we are not hopeless … we may be poor in our pockets, but we are not poor in our minds, so do not plan for us, plan with us.”

 

These words were spoken a few years ago at a High-Level Roundtable facilitated by the Office of the First Lady, Slum Dwellers International, and Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia on Informal Settlement Upgrading in Namibia. These are words that haunt and inspire me. They haunt me as they eloquently remind the powerful that the poor are not a problem that needs solving - they are partners; a shack is not an eyesore that needs to be hidden - it is a home for families that must be upgraded to meet their basic needs. Our people – ALL our people, are our wealth. Our children, ALL our children, are our treasures. Therefore, everyone deserves to live in a decent shelter where our collective hope, wealth, and treasures are safeguarded.

 

One of the guiding values of the Federation and Namibia Housing Action group is their collective understanding of the power of partnerships, and their insistence to be listened to and treated as equal partners and not as charity cases. I have watched how an increasing number of blue-chip Namibian companies embrace this spirit and embark on a journey of genuine teamwork. The Federation has proven that it is a reliable custodian of the aspirations of the landless, and the capital it is entrusted with. The Federation reminds us each day that partners will sign up where there is leadership, good governance, and impact.

This financial report indicates that the Federation has done well financially. However, measuring success is not just about finances. It is also about building social and political capital. It is about precedent-setting initiatives, growing the membership base, increasing savings, strengthening partnerships, good governance, effective, policy influencing advocacy, and community upliftment. That is what the Federation has achieved, and that is what success looks like. I am not surprised by the challenges faced by the Federation, nor am I surprised by the Federation’s achievements during a financial year that was weighted down by the economic consequences of recession and the global pandemic. The results indicated in this annual report are a testament to why the Federation’s centering of community-led involvement is consequential to their impact. How much has been achieved within this reporting period makes it clear that time is of the essence to the Federation - it is incontrovertible that providing decent shelter requires urgency and scalability.

If you are surprised to read in this report that the Twahangana Fund’s “Poor Peoples Fund”, which is an income-generating reserve, could garner contributions of N$1,800,000 of membership contributions; or that the savings group of the Federation could generate savings of N$2,733,426 from its members during a pandemic year; or that poor people have contributed N$34,894,032 overtime to the Federation, then you have not been paying attention. The Federation’s secret sauce is its insistence that each member plays their part. The members have played their part; the Federation has met stakeholders halfway, and now is the time we need to meet them halfway. To urgently and adequately address the housing challenge, we need a diverse and large pool of partners and stakeholders working with the collective goal of playing their part to provide decent and affordable housing.

Inside the statistics we read and the zinc structures we see are human beings. The numbers of houses provided by the Federation are not just figures; they represent lives that have been transformed. The Federation plays a critical role in making urban development socially just and inclusive. I am proud of them, the NHAG, and their partners in the private and public sectors.

Congratulations to the Federation for yet another successful year. Thank you for being powerful change agents, and may God bless you for empowering thousands of households with land and low-income housing. This is how we build a nation.

Monica Geingos, First Lady of Namibia is the Patron of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) since 2015