By Tony Kaye | AVN Vice-President
I have just received the results of the 2014/15 season from the AVN office in Mali. Despite the difficult political and economic situation in the country, the AVN-Mali team has achieved some great results.
A 28% growth rate in construction
119 new NV buildings have been constructed, predominantly for clients in rural areas and small urban centres: farmers, tradespeople, local government employees. These buildings are mainly small family houses, but also include barns, hen-houses, and AVN's new regional office in Koutiala (see photos). All this represents a very satisfactory 28% growth rate over the 2013/14 season's results. This brings the cumulative total since our programme started in Mali in 2007 to 436 buildings, for over 5,000 beneficiaries.
A 38% growth rate in training
11 new C4 (foremen) and C5 (entrepreneur) masons have been trained, and 22 apprentices have progressed to the C3 (artisan) level. This brings the cumulative total of NV masons, artisans, and entrepreneurs since the start of the program to 120.
Participation in AVN's training workshops and congresses, held at the national ofice in Segou, has been excellent: 80 NV masons have benefitted from our training modules, including 50 apprentices and 20 masons from the 'modern' construction sector (concrete block walls and corrugated irion roofing), who may well convert to the NV concept!
R&D developments
The new regional office in Koutiala falls within the scope of our R$D program on “Maintenance-free urban NV buildings in Mali”, co-financed by the French Air Liquide foundation. The 9 NV masons working on this site have been trained in the use of cement renders for the external walls, reinforced concrete parapets, and tar coatings on the roofs.
Involvement of a local construction company
The Karim Dembele construction firm in Koutiala is working with AVN on the creation of an artisanal zone of 14 NV's in Koutiala, with financial help from the GERES Association (http://www.geres.eu/en/) . This is a sure sign of the increasing interest being shown in the NV technique by the existing construction sector in Mali.
As always, we are grateful for your continuing interest in our work in Mali, and will continue to keep you up to date on how your support is helping to provide affordable housing in Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world.
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