Like many countries around the world, Namibia is fighting the spread of COVID-19. However, for the 130,000 people living in the densely populated informal settlements in Windhoek, the threat posed by COVID-19 is particularly acute.
Overcrowding, lack of toilets and limited running water present a health concern in these areas at the best of times. Yet, with lockdown, the daily strain of collecting water has become even more of a challenge.
Led by the Development Workshop Namibia in partnership with our Debmarine- Namdeb Foundation and a number of other organisations, a project has launched to install hands free ‘tippy taps’.
Erected every few meters throughout the settlements, tippy taps are simple contraptions: three poles, a five-litre container with soap and water, and a rope tied to the bottle neck and attached to a piece of wood that acts as a foot pedal to get the water pouring out.
Thimo is one of the volunteers distributing taps. “In the beginning, I was afraid for my people, who are already living in such vulnerable conditions. There is no water, no electricity, and information hardly gets here,” he said. However, working to deliver this emergency programme has ultimately provided Thimo comfort. “We are doing something now.”
So far over 6,000 tippy taps have been installed across four of Windhoek’s informal settlements. Following its initial success, the project is gearing up to be expanded into further areas in the coming days and weeks with a target of 20,000 tippy-taps to be installed across Namibia.