‘Jobless graduates not stats but human’ …Selma Oskar’s story puts face to housing crisis

Unemployed but qualified teacher Selma Oskar has highlighted the daily struggles faced by informal settlement residents, including limited access to basic services, unemployment and poor living conditions.

Oskar narrated their struggles during the launch of Yambuka Housing’s prefabricated homes in Windhoek on Wednesday.

Oskar, who lives in Kilimanjaro, an informal settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek, shared her personal experience of growing up in a shack, saving for her education and returning home after graduation while still searching for employment.

“Behind every shack is a family with hope and dreams, just like yours,” she said.

Oskar moved from northern Namibia to Windhoek after completing high school because her family could not afford university fees.

She stayed with her mother in Kilimanjaro, where they survived on income from her mother’s small business selling fat cakes, chips and cool drinks.