Africa-Press – Namibia. Taradi !Hana Xabadi was born in 2022 out of a shared love for the soil, community and sisterhood.
Formed by 45 unemployed women in Mariental, this grassroots’ organisation brings together women who share backyard gardening skills, feed their families and promote financial sustainability.
These remarkable women cultivate their own crops, rear poultry and have even ventured into making homemade soap, locally known as Namaseep. What began as a humble effort to put food on the table has grown into a blossoming movement rooted in women’s empowerment, education and economic resilience – a shining example of community-driven change.
Each member of Taradi !Hana Xabadi contributes her unique experiences and curiosity.
Through home visits, community workshops and active WhatsApp groups, they exchange seeds, share farming tips and offer one another encouragement.
If one woman buys spinach seeds, she shares them with the others. If another attends a workshop, she returns to teach the rest.
It’s a living, breathing network where every member nurtures not only crops, but each other’s growth as well.
Recently, Nampa spoke to the woman whose backyard garden sparked the movement, Maria Boois, the organisation’s chairperson.
Welcoming this news agency into her garden filled with eggplants, green peppers, beans and more – alongside a small poultry coop – she shared her lifelong connection to gardening.
“My love for gardening started in my childhood. In 1991, my family lived near Hardap Dam. Life was tough. We’d come home from school to maize meal porridge, and my mother worked most of the time.
One day, I walked past a group of former PLAN fighters stationed there, and saw their tomato and bean garden. I remember saying to myself, ‘I want to do that too.’ They gave me seeds, and I taught myself to grow them. I’d use those vegetables to make relish for our porridge, and that’s where my love for gardening began”, she recalled.
After returning to Mariental from Karibib in 2019, Boois immediately started a backyard garden. Butternut was her first crop, soon followed by onions, green peppers and potatoes.
When neighbours came knocking, she would share her harvest.
In 2022 and while attending a farmers’ market, Boois eagerly sought information about nutritious recipes and vegetable farming.
Farmers directed her to a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, who invited her to gather 20 people for a backyard gardening workshop. She managed to get 40 women together – and the Taradi !Hana Xabadi organisation was born.
With support from the Ministry of Agriculture, the women began cultivating their gardens, selling seedlings and continuously expanding their knowledge.
Their enthusiasm led them to attend workshops on poultry farming, and in 2024, the ministry provided them with 90 chickens. So far, three members have received poultry, and the rest are hopeful their turn will come soon.
Their ventures didn’t stop there. Through Rise Namibia, members Maria Skrywer and Pauline Gowases received training on how to make Namaseep, their locally-crafted soap. They returned to teach the skill to the rest of the group and other community women, creating a new income stream.
In a telephonic interview, Gowases shared how the organisation transformed her life.
“Before this, I only knew basic gardening. Now, we’ve had opportunities to learn so much more. We’ve even visited plot farmers to learn about cattle and poultry farming. Today, I can make my own soap, which brings me extra income.
I wish more women, especially young ones, would get involved. It’s truly empowering,” she expressed joyfully.
Some members have extended their backyard gardens to small farms, expanding their impact beyond their homes. For Boois, her garden has become a source of blessings and new possibilities. She sells her produce and eggs at the farmers’ market.
Though her income is modest, it feeds her family and sustains her passion for teaching others.
What makes Taradi !Hana Xabadi special is its deep commitment to collective growth. When training opportunities arise, members vote on who should attend, and that person returns to train the rest.
From backyard gardening and poultry-rearing to soap-making, every new skill is shared and multiplied within the group.
This thriving network of women is a testament to the power of unity, grassroots’ action and the simple but transformative act of growing together.
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