The Otjozondjupa Regional Council has helped electrify 10 houses of pensioners at Otjiwarongo's informal settlements.

Otjiwarongo councillor Marlene Mbakera says the initiative aims to meet sustainable development goals 1 and 10, which speak to poverty and inequality reduction.

The initiative targets connecting 60 households, should funds permit.

Most pensioners in the settlements live with school-going children.

A total of N$150,000 is needed to fully roll out the connection.

The connection has become a relief to the pensioners.

Otjiwarongo councillor Marlene Mbakera says the initiative came about after a visit to the informal settlement, where she learned that many residents could not afford the connection fee.

"We have decided in the side of my office and staff members in my office, let's do fund raising, let's electrify, or let's give services to the pensioners. The fee is N$2500 per household for a unit of electricity, and then we started to do fundraisers by contacting people in the area and some of the donations."

CENOREDs Spokesperson, Chali Matengu, said the electricity connection for the pensioners was subsidised to enable them to have power.

The connection ranges from N$5700 to N$12,000 in this initiative.

"What makes electricity connections expensive are the materials that we are using—the cables, the metres, all those things—they come at a cost. So obviously, you need to buy them. As an institution, we don't manufacture those; we buy them. So what's then done from our side is we are going to bring it down to N$2500, so in other ways we are going to charge for materials that are being used in the electrification."

The next project is to bring water tap services to the pensioners' yards, which will eventually allow them to have flush toilets.