Unemployment has forced many residents of Omatako village in the Tsumkwe West Constituency to rely on selling firewood as their primary source of income to support their families.

Omatako is one of the villages in the constituency, pressed by unemployment.

The work is labour-intensive.

Residents cut down trees, collect the wood and transport it over long distances before it can be sold.

The exercise takes between three and four months of continuous work to produce a single truckload of firewood.

Firewood of about 900 kilogrammes sells for about N$500.

Although the income is low compared to the amount of work involved, residents feel there are only a few opportunities to earn a living.

Eben Haraseb explained.

“It really helps me. I use the money to buy clothes for my children, school supplies, and food for my family. I also use it to buy other household necessities.”

A resident of Omatako, Willem Ghai also expressed his sentiments.

“I'm really happy about this project. It requires hard work, but the harder you work, the more tonnes of firewood you produce, and the more money you earn. It has really helped improve my life.”

Residents said they often leave for work without having eaten and rely on credit to buy food and other basic necessities while waiting to be paid.

When payment finally comes, they highlighted that a large portion of the money goes to repaying those debts, leaving little to cover the needs of their households.