In Sahelian Africa, housing is (too) often precarious and (largely) inadequate. Even today, more than one in two people do not have access to decent housing. AVN proposes to develop a market for eco-responsible Nubian Vault construction, a proven technical concept. Thanks to your financial contribution, a family can build a climate-friendly house. Over 600 families in Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin and Ghana are counting on you this year: give them this chance!
Housing is a key social need, nevertheless almost half the sahelian population are surviving under precarious, even inaccessible, housing conditions. Poverty, population growth and the disappearance of bush timber used for traditional architecture are depriving millions of families of decent housing. To house themselves, these families have no other choice but to raid their limited healthcare, food & education budgets to purchase expensive imported and unsuitable corrugated iron roofing sheets.
The ambition of the Nubian Vault Association is to develop a market for adapted housing in West Africa which brings together issues of housing, professional training, economics, environment and climate change. At the heart of the programme is the Nubian vault, an ancestral and innovatory architectural concept that requires neither timber or metal roofing sheets, but uses mud bricks and mortar as the raw material. Local labour is trained in the technique, providing much needed employment.
The results? Access by many families to affordable and comfortable homes adapted to the consequences of climate change, the creation of 'green' jobs, the strengthening of local economies at many levels, and the development of an adapted and sustainable construction sector.
