Nkombo Housing Project Fundraising
Nicola Harris is raising money for Rwanda Action
“Martyn Harris's fundraising”
on 9 September 2009
Story
My goal is to build a further 12 “Progressive” houses on Nkombo, which would provide an immediate and immeasurable improvement in the living conditions to over a 100 people, and could perhaps be a catalyst for further housing and associated development on the island – or indeed elsewhere in Rwanda.
A budget of £40,000 is targeted for this project to be a complete success. In conjunction with this housing project, I am running a Design Competition for Sustainable Low Cost Housing, whereby engineers, architects, environmentalists, builders, relief workers, etc are encouraged to submit their innovative design and / or construction ideas for low cost housing in developing countries. Entrants need to address issues such as sustainable technology, environmental awareness, improved health and living conditions, whilst also being mindful of costs: by driving down costs, more houses can be built and thus more people helped. Full details can be found on the competition website http://sites.google.com/site/nkombohousingproject
Winning entrants will be rewarded with a trip to Rwanda for 2 weeks in 2010, all expenses paid, where they will be part of the local construction team – a real work experience! They will also have the opportunity to explore this beautiful country - "the land of a thousand hills, and a million smiles!"Why?
On 3rd February 2008, a series of earthquakes between Richter Scale 5.0 and 6.1 struck the south-west of Rwanda, creating significant damage and loss of life. Nkombo, a small but densely populated island on Lake Kivu, was closest to the epicentre and was thus one of the worst affected areas with over 300 homes destroyed. Emergency aid organizations reacted quickly, providing medical care, sanitation assistance and materials for temporary shelters.
Some help with house rebuilding has come from the Rwandan Government and some large NGO’s. Rwanda Aid reacted swiftly after the event, setting up a special fund-raising appeal for replacement housing on Nkombo, as well as enlisting the help of two volunteer British architects. By the end of 2008, they had built 5 “Progressive Houses”, which provided these innovative features: • Strong, termite resistant, foundations • Water harvesting through the provision of gutters and storage tanks • Fuel efficient rammed–earth stove with chimney • Organic toilets with adjacent water for washing But there are over 280 families still living in temporary shelters. A year and a half after the event, living conditions for the majority of the islanders remain terrible and morale is desperately low. Any donations you can make would be gratefully accepted and much appreciated. Thank you!Martyn Harris