Welcome to SDFN & NHAG
Improving the lives of Poor People in Namibia
Community Savings
By the end of the 2024/2025 financial year, savings groups of the Shack Dwellers Federation, operating across all 14 regions of Namibia, had collectively mobilised more than N$48 million to respond to their needs for affordable land, housing, infrastructure, and basic services. This remarkable achievement reflects the strength of 1,000 savings groups and the commitment of 30,791 members who continue to demonstrate that organised communities are central to driving their own development. Every contribution, no matter how small, represents a step toward security, dignity, and improved living conditions. While this reporting period recorded an increase in the number of savings groups, members, and total savings compared to the previous year. The Federation’s footprint and impact remained significant nationwide. The sustained culture of saving and collective action continues to position communities as key partners in addressing Namibia’s housing challenges.House Construction
Over the years the Shack Dwellers have built over 7,000 brick houses for low-income and poor people in informal settlements. Each house built by the Shack Dwellers has its own toilet, electricity, and water connection. Assuming 4 or more people live in such a house built by SDFN/NHAG: this means that more than 30,000 people have moved into a life with dignity and hope - through their own commitment and persistence. The active participation of SDFN members in the management and production of the houses results in much cheaper units than commercial house construction for low-income families. The price for a SDFN house is N$ 40,000.
Women Empowerment
Currently 2/3 of the over 33,000 members of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) are women. The activities of the Federation have a visible impact on women empowerment in Namibia since the processes of forming saving groups, engaging in community-led negotiations with authorities and upscaling informal settlement upgrading, have been mainly driven by women. These community-led activities by the Shack Dwellers have given many women in informal settlements the opportunity to break away from top-down and male dominated leadership. The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia has proven in its more than 20 years of existence that female leadership not only gets things done in a sustainable and participatory way; female leadership within the Federation also stands for justice and equality for all - regardless of income, gender or other personal characteristics.
Informal Settlement Upgrading
The Namibian housing crises can only be tackled by scaling up the security of tenure and housing opportunities through informal settlement upgrading and through co-production and partnership with stakeholders. Upgrading informal settlements in Namibia is preferable to relocation. SDFN and NHAG are Co-Initiators of the National Alliance for Informal Settlement Upgrading because the informal settle
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