No walls, no bed – just an old trailer and the will to survive
In the quiet, cold hush of the early mornings in Windhoek’s Greenwell Matongo informal settlement, long before most are awake, 41-year-old Desederius Hauek is already on the move. Armed with nothing but hope and a torn sack, he rummages through bins for cans and plastic bottles – his only means of survival in recent years.
"I start at four in the morning," he says, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "It’s still dark and cold, but you have to beat the others to the bins. If I am lucky, I make N$10. On a good day."
He smirks, then adds with a shrug, “We do not really make a lot anymore, as more people recycle."
Still, Hauek says, whatever he manages to find in the informal settlement and elsewhere can be sold for a small income.
Hauek, a father of four, has not lived with his children since falling on hard times more than a decade ago.
After being retrenched from a security company in 2014, life began a slow and painful downward spiral.
Today, his home is an old, covered trailer, parked beside a shack near a river, flanked with tall grass and the occasional unwelcome snake.
On rainy nights, the structure leaks.
“But I know which side stays dry,” he says.
“I always sleep on that side. You see, experience teaches you survival.”
A friendly neighbour
The small structure, rusty but reliable, found its resting place with the help of a friend, Tate Shimanda.
“He had no place and used to sleep on the cold floor close to my place,” Shimanda explains, gesturing toward the patch of earth beside his shack. “I told him he can place his trunk next to mine. The shack is full, but he can at least be near.”
Samuel Kapepo, a community leader, underlines the urgency of finding a better home for Hauek.
“Building him a shack where he can walk in and sleep is the first priority. The rest, like blankets and all other needs, can come second,” he says.
Bright side of life
Despite his living conditions, Hauek still finds humour in his hardships. “It is nice to stay alone and get hungry. That’s why I am single!” he laughs.
His long walks take him from Eveline Street to Wanaheda and back on foot, sometimes limping, depending on a frequent pain he experiences in his right leg. “I walk because I must. You will not find cans while sitting still,” he says.
His story is one of many – tough, real and often untold.
Yet within the hardship lies a sense of determination and resilience. An old trailer may be his shelter today, but hope, friendship and a sense of humour still carry him through the cold Namibian nights.
And in Greenwell Matongo informal settlement, hope sometimes takes on the shape of a small piece of land, a neighbour's kindness or even a laugh shared over an empty stomach.
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"I start at four in the morning," he says, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "It’s still dark and cold, but you have to beat the others to the bins. If I am lucky, I make N$10. On a good day."
He smirks, then adds with a shrug, “We do not really make a lot anymore, as more people recycle."
Still, Hauek says, whatever he manages to find in the informal settlement and elsewhere can be sold for a small income.
Hauek, a father of four, has not lived with his children since falling on hard times more than a decade ago.
After being retrenched from a security company in 2014, life began a slow and painful downward spiral.
Today, his home is an old, covered trailer, parked beside a shack near a river, flanked with tall grass and the occasional unwelcome snake.
On rainy nights, the structure leaks.
“But I know which side stays dry,” he says.
“I always sleep on that side. You see, experience teaches you survival.”
A friendly neighbour
The small structure, rusty but reliable, found its resting place with the help of a friend, Tate Shimanda.
“He had no place and used to sleep on the cold floor close to my place,” Shimanda explains, gesturing toward the patch of earth beside his shack. “I told him he can place his trunk next to mine. The shack is full, but he can at least be near.”
Samuel Kapepo, a community leader, underlines the urgency of finding a better home for Hauek.
“Building him a shack where he can walk in and sleep is the first priority. The rest, like blankets and all other needs, can come second,” he says.
Bright side of life
Despite his living conditions, Hauek still finds humour in his hardships. “It is nice to stay alone and get hungry. That’s why I am single!” he laughs.
His long walks take him from Eveline Street to Wanaheda and back on foot, sometimes limping, depending on a frequent pain he experiences in his right leg. “I walk because I must. You will not find cans while sitting still,” he says.
His story is one of many – tough, real and often untold.
Yet within the hardship lies a sense of determination and resilience. An old trailer may be his shelter today, but hope, friendship and a sense of humour still carry him through the cold Namibian nights.
And in Greenwell Matongo informal settlement, hope sometimes takes on the shape of a small piece of land, a neighbour's kindness or even a laugh shared over an empty stomach.
[email protected]
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