Africa innovates Magazine -AI4DEV - Flipbook - Page 37
DA N I E L M G A W I ( N a m i b i a )
DANIEL’S DEN
APP AIDING
HOMELESS PEOPLE
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 beneficiaries 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 benefits.
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 mid2019, 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.
U P H I L L TA S K
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 figure out that this solution would need to be refined.
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 fight COVID-19.
I would say the main challenge
has been convincing people that
this is a solution. It took me about
a year to figure out that this solution would need to be refined. The
Homeless app needs a collaborative
effort amongst the government,
private sector and the community,
for its potential to be fully realized.
SHOWCASING AFRICAN INNOVATION 37
