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Home / Homeless people to help shape nation’s agenda
Homeless people to help shape nation’s agenda
2018-05-29Staff Report 2 " Albertina Nakale WINDHOEK – In an attempt to tackle h ome l e s s n e s s in Namibia, the National Council has launched a first ‘Homeless People’s Parliament’ session where these vulnerable members of society will debate and help shape the national agenda. Although there is a lack of statistics on the number of homeless people in Namibia, they are a regular presence on the streets and central business districts where they beg for money and food or are perusing garbage bins. To assist them, the National Council – Namibia’s upper house of parliament - decided to bring them on board and get to hear from those who have experienced homelessness ""rsthand. Na t i o n a l C o u n c i l cha i r pe r s on Ma rg a re t Mensah-Williams during the launch recently said the voice of the homeless to the public through a national platform that is parliament would help map their key priorities. As such, 31 women and men gathered recently in the National Council chambers as ambassadors for homeless people for a one-day modelparliament session to help give homeless people through parliament – the ""rst such session in the country’s history. Mensah-Williams said the immediate tangible outcome of their session will be a report that will be tabled in the National Council for debate during the next sitting in July. The theme for this year’s session is “Voice of the Voiceless. Dignity Restored”. Mensah-Williams said the session formed part of her long-term efforts towards raising awareness about who homeless people are, ""first, dispelling myths and stereotypes of homelessness that remain all too prevalent in society today. Forme r Fi r s t L ady Penehupifo Pohamba, who was a guest of honour, said the proliferation of homeless people is evident everywhere in the world and Namibia was no exception. “Every day we see homeless people struggling for survival in parks, and on streets, most especially in and around the business districts,’’ she observed. In Windhoek, she explained, they are more prominent in the city business district, in old and abandoned buildings, under the bridges and in and around informal settlements. According to Pohamba, a former nurse, these homeless people receive handouts from good people but a good number of them become scavengers at rubbish dumps for survival, thereby exposing themselves to different hazards, contamination and possible poisoning. “Not having a decent home adversely affects all areas of your life. Without a home, how do you cook a healthy meal? How do you find and keep a job without a fixed address? How do you keep your kids in school if you have become a vagabond, moving aimlessly from place to place every day? Where do the children do homework if the whole family is living in a ghetto or a riverbed?” she queried." 2018-05-29Staff Report 2
