Daniel Mgawa – App Aiding Homeless People (Namibia)

Daniel Mgawi, a Namibian multidisciplinary Software Developer, has developed a “Homeless People’s Mobile Application” that is connecting homeless people to social services such as healthcare, shelter, social grants and food, during the COVID-19 enforced constraints.

Daniel’s novel invention seeks to shield homeless people from the harsh effects of COVID-19 and he says that the bene ciar- ies are registered through a community health or extension worker. They are then given a card encoded with a QR code and a lanyard for use in claiming bene ts.

Daniel began his computer programming studies in 2017 at the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST). It was in his third year at campus that Daniel decided to apply his technical skills to address society’s myriad challenges. In mid- 2019, Daniel travelled to Walvis Bay and with a team of nine young people; they co-designed the app “Homeless”. Soon after Daniel developed the design into a practical app.

UPHILL TASK

Convincing the public that his application works has been an uphill task. “I would say the main challenge has been convincing people that this is a solution,” Daniel says. “It took me about a year to gure out that this solution would need to be re ned. The Homeless app needs a collaborative effort amongst the government, private sector and the community, for its potential to be fully realized.”

Daniel hopes that his Homeless app will not only provide
solutions for Namibia but also for much of the continent with
affordable, decent shelter for all as a vital tool to ght COVID-19. 

By UNDP Africa Innovates: 50 Homegrown African Innovations Tackling COVID-19.