A caretaker for displaced people at the Katutura Youth Complex has appealed to good Samaritans, including the government, to come to the aid of the homeless.

A number of homeless people were moved to the sports grounds in March 2020, during the outbreak of COVID-19.

It was raining and cold on Monday, and the temporary tents provided for them three years ago were wet through.

Many wonder why these people are homeless, where they come from, and why they are not returning to their families.

However, those who call this place home have different stories to tell, with some saying they are forced to stay, driven here by circumstances beyond their control.

26-year-old Kave is a mother of four who hails from Kunene, grew up as a cattle herder, and later arrived in Windhoek and became a street vendor.

After realising that her business was struggling, Kave returned to her village, and upon her arrival there, she was married off to an elderly man.

The young mother says she endured continuous sexual and physical abuse in her arranged marriage, which left her with no option but to leave her husband and flee to the city.

She is now homeless and shares this room with other young women.

This tent is home to a sick woman. The 32-year-old asked us to switch off our cameras before talking to us.

She has no energy to leave her bed and is too weak to pull up the thin blanket to properly cover her body. She is on TB medication and has no recollection of when she last had a decent meal.

Sadly, her story, although slightly different from that of Kave, cannot be told, as the nbc News team understands that she needs time to rest.

34-year-old Janine Dickman spends a large portion of her day with the homeless.

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 22 volunteers placed here.

However, this number has now been reduced to only four, and Dickman is one of them.

Janine Dickman reached out to the nbc after the death of a 73-year-old homeless man on Sunday at the Youth Complex.

The official report on Erick Mouton's cause of death is not available, but Dickman informed nbc News that he, like many other elderly residents of the homeless camp, suffered from several medical conditions, including high blood pressure.

According to her, Mouton was not a beneficiary of any of the government grants, as he did not have any national documents.

"We are not social workers; we are just caretakers. Clearly, we do not know the person's inside story; they will not open up to us as they would to a social worker. People are also getting cold, and they are not having anyone do inspections, where we start to think, why do officials not come at least once a week and a social worker come and do rounds from tent to tent, like we normally do?"

The homeless, who were initially provided with tents by corporations and the government to occupy the sports field, have now moved into the once bustling International Youth Hostel.

Although some of those living here get grants from the state, they have no place to call home, and Janine fears that it is just a matter of time before the group of homeless is given marching orders by the authorities.

Approached for comment, Health, and Social Services Minister Dr. Kalumbi Shangula says his ministry continues to care for homeless people across the country.

Dr. Kalumbi advised those in need of medical services to go to the nearest medical centre.

He pointed out, however, that the ministry is not responsible for housing homeless individuals.

Katutura Central Constituency Councillor, Rodman Katjaimo, informed nbc News that the homeless people have been placed there by the government but that his office continues to assist the group.

He also maintained that his office alone could not help those who were there.