Buy-a-Brick initiative changing shack dwellers' lives in Namibia

Paralympian Ananias Shikongo will soon be proud owner of a home following the latest house donation made possible through Standard Bank's corporate social investment Buy-a-Brick housing initiative.

The community based project, launched in 2015 by Standard Bank and the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, is aimed at mobilizing the private sector to aid in alleviating the housing shortage through the symbolic sale of token bricks in the form of erasers.

The proceeds from these "bricks" are then used by the federation to build affordable houses for disadvantaged Namibians.

Before the 29 year old blind Shikongo got this massive boost, like most Namibians in the low income bracket, he was staying in a shack due to the fact that he could not afford a decent house.

Tracing back where he came from, before the age of 7, Shikongo unfortunately lost both his eyes in two separate incidents. In addition he grew up disadvantaged in a shack most of his life.

However, Shikongo made a choice and chose not to let his circumstances determine his future and last year, the Paralympian made the country proud by clinching five medals at the summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro.

Shikongo on Thursday said that he was happy by the project and applauded the Bank for its support. He said that through sports, disabled people like himself were trying to make something of themselves.

"Some people have been working for a long time but they can not afford to buy a house, they now can with the Buy-A-Brick initiative," he said.

Shikongo said it will not only be his home, but also for other Paralympians who may need somewhere to stay because they often suffer with accommodation as their organization does not have a lot of money.

Standard Bank's Acting Head Marketing, Sigrid Tjijorokisa said that it is this kind of courage and determination that the Bank recognized and decided to intervene in the Paralympian's life by awarding him an amount of about 37,000 U.S. dollars which will be used to build Shikongo a decent place, that he can call home.

"We are signing a contract with Shikongo to partner with us in raising awareness about the Standard Bank Buy-a-Brick initiative through various marketing activations over a one year period," she added.

Meanwhile, Regional Coordinator of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia, Heinrich Amushila, said that the organization will not stop until every single shack is eradicated in the country.

Last year, Standard Bank handed over a total of 104,000 US dollars in order to build 40 new houses for the Shack Dwellers Federation members in Rehoboth, which is 90km out of the capital Windhoek.

So far 17 houses have been completed and the remaining houses are expected to be done by March this year. Endit