Namibia Housing Action Group/Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia
The Pitch
The Namibia Housing Action Group and the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia partnered with Gobabis Municipality and other local authorities to organize collaborative training sessions with communities living in informal settlements. These workshops helped communities develop localized urban plans, which were used to guide infrastructure improvements and enhance local well-being.
The Problem
Informal settlements in Gobabis were unplanned, located in naturally hazard-prone areas, and lacked reliable water and sewer access, which created unsafe living conditions.
The Process
- Conducted outreach to communities living in informal settlements and involved them in “planning studios,” where they collaboratively planned a new layout for their community
- Facilitated the construction of these new layouts by partnering with Gobabis Municipality
- Trained community members to install services, such as water meters, within their new block
- Helped youth and students work together to turn public spaces into playgrounds and meeting spaces
The Impact
- Expanded road access and improved secure connections to water and sanitation systems for 1,088 households
- Via a bottom-up planning process, allowed community members to feel a sense of autonomy, design their neighborhoods to meet their needs and gain leadership and project planning skills
- Provided stakeholders with a deeper understanding of community needs and opportunities to partner with inhabitants to help them achieve their goals
- Reduced queue times for water and shortened travel distances to water sources
- Supported the community to create new public spaces using recycled materials, increasing community cohesion and reducing waste during the building process
- Ensured that emergency vehicles can access all residences and homes are no longer sited in flood-prone areas via creation of new streets, improving residents' safety
- Improved inhabitants’ overall quality of life through easier resource access and sturdier shelter, allowing residents to focus their energies on employment and other activities
