PENDUKA operates mainly in the Windhoek suburb Katutura, the former black township where approximately half of the population of the capital is living. Katutura offers a variety of neighbourhoods, from very poor to luxurious. The municipality is maintaining the infrastructure of Katutura effectively, just as it does in the other areas of the capital.

Unemployment in Katutura however is very high (>25%, 2001) and subsequently the majority of the population is poor and lives under poor conditions. A large number of people lives in small shacks without windows having poor ventilation. Prevalence of infections such as HIV and tuberculosis (TB) is very high. As much as 20% of the people living in Katutura is believed to be HIV positive and although many initiatives advocate for a change in behaviour, the number is still increasing.

In Katutura only a few formal pre-primary schools exists, but a lot of informal kindergartens and pre-schools can be found. The large majority of the women who have started such a kindergarten have not received a lot of formal training. Despite the lack of formal training the motivation is often high to keep the nursery school going, other job opportunities hardly exists.