Permaculture for
Windhoek’s Informal Settlements
The Kambashu Institute is a learning centre by and for shack dwellers in Windhoek.
Everyone should get a chance to improve their lives. We see a gap between people who want to improve their lives and their access to designing and creating. This is the gap we are addressing.
Latest activities
Permaculture Design
To spark design thinking amongst shack dwellers is our objective. Even if you have very little, you can use Permaculture design to improve your life: you can shade your shack with a tree, use your grey water to produce food, catch water on a slope or build a dry toilet for your family.
Where we are: Windhoek’s Informal Settlements
Namibia has 3 million inhabitants. Estimates are that 1 million live in informal settlements, more than 200,000 in Windhoek’s informal settlements alone. Here, people are not connected to electricity, fresh water or sewage systems. There rarely have toilets. They live in ‘Kambashus’, shacks made of zinc, which heat up in summer and offer no protection against the cold in winter.
Food Circles
Our signature project is a so called ‘food circle’ which is a planting bed around a compost pit. People can grow trees and vegetables using their grey water: The water from washing vegetables can be used to water vegetables. The water from the bucket shower can be used to water trees. The soapy water from washing dishes or clothes can go into the pit. Here compost is produced to improve the soil so that it can handle soap better.
Donate
With your support, we can inspire more people living in informal settlements to improve their lives.
Together, we can create change!
To donate for the Kambashu Institute, select the option ‘Food Security Namibia’.