Sustainable Housing for Rural Communities in Mali

International recognition

AVN's model of social entrepreneurship has recently been recognised by three major organisations:

- AVN is one of 18 semi-finalists (out of 122 submissions) for the Buckminster Fuller Challenge 2012; the review team who chose AVN as a semi-finalist said that they were : "... very impressed with the success this project has had creating large-scale, attractive, affordable, culturally and socially appropriate housing using only local skills and materials, and engendering a cascade of positive socio-economic and environmental impacts. This model definitely has the potential to be emulated widely in much of Africa and beyond."

- AVN is winner of a SEED Award: the SEED Initiative identifies and supports promising small scale social and environmental entrepreneurs, and provides them with know- how and networks, as an Award winner, AVN benefited from a SEED sponsored workshop in Burkina Faso, and a chance to network with other winners at a meeting in South Africa, in March  

- and, a crowning glory : AVN is winner of the Schwab Foundation 'Social Entrepreneur of the Year' Competition for Africa: Thomas Granier has just returned from the Award Ceremeny, held May 9-11 during the World Economic Forum for Africa in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

Support for our program in Mali

The Air Liquide Foundation, and the Lemarchand Foundation, both based in France, have committed support and funding for the developpment of four program in Mali in 2012 / 13.

Links:

• AVN entry in Buckminster Fuller Challenge Idea Index
• AVN entry in SEED Award data-base
• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs

Support from French foundations for our Program in Mali

I have a couple of bits of good news about our work in  Mali: the Lemarchand Foundation and  la Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme, have agreed to support our pilot programs in the regions of Segou and Koutiala 

Madame De Oliveira of the Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme has made a superb video about AVN's work, which you can check out via the link below. The sound track of this video is in French, but it's worth watching just to get an idea of the people, the scenery, the context, and the Nubian vault buildings that are pictured.

Examples of NV buildings in Mali

I'm attaching to this report photos of two community buildings constructed by NV masons, two examples of partnerships which are creating opportunities and hope for children in local communities:

- a college in Kobé, financed by the Italian NGO Africabougou, and using the technique of combining NV vaults with reinforced concrete pillars and beams to make large internal spaces

- an orphanage in Gao, a joint project between a local builder with masons trained by AVN, the Swiss NGO Aide a Gao, and the Provictimis Foundation,

New AVN website

We have been working on a complete re-make of our website, and the English version is now ready to be launched. You can see it here: http://new.lavoutenubienne.org/en . It is much more comprehensive than the old version, has more photos, documents, and videos, and is much easier to find your way around...so, please pay us a visit!  Note that the French, Spanish, and Arabic versions are still under development.

Best wishes from all of us at AVN for 2012, and, once again, thank you for your support

Tony Kaye

President, Association la Voutge Nubienne

Links:

• Video-clip on AVN's work in Mali (sound track in French)
• Link to new AVN website