Nyamathi Thairera women group housing initiative

Street : Nyamathi, Naivasha

P.O. Box, 367 Naivasha

City/Town, Postal Code, 050

Country, Kenya

Telephone (Country code) (City code) number 254-733666583

Email addresses. Of contact person: petergichaganjoroge@yahoo.com

Contact Person: Peter Njoroge   - Coordinator

Type of Organisation: Self Help Group

1          Summary of the project

This project was started on 14^th April 2004 with the aim of providing sustainable shelter targeting a group of women in Naivasha ranging between 35-60 years using inexpensive appropriate technology.  The project involves making stabilized soil blocks using the Action Pack Block Press Machine to construct decent and affordable housing for the poor women.. The project was conceived with the realization that the women of Nyamathi who were living in poor houses made of timber could use local labour and materials to construct decent houses and reduce the burden of looking for clean water.  They therefore sought for alternative ways of building affordable and decent houses for all their members. In view of this, the members approached Shelter Forum for assistance in this respect. Shelter Forum donated two the group a block making machines. So far the women have managed to construct three houses and are currently working on the fourth one. They are also harvesting clean water for domestic use which has reduced the prevalence of water-borne diseases.  

On commencement of the project, the members were trained by Shelter Forum on the use of the Stabilized Soil Block technology. AHEAD ARCHITECTS provided the architectural plan for the two bed roomed house with a kitchen and a table room. The members on their part applied the skills gained in the training to make the blocks for constructing the houses.

In undertaking the project, the members have learnt that they can own decent houses without spending a lot of money. They have also learnt that they could use the locally available resources for constructing affordable houses. The project is a clear manifestation of what poor communities can do if given the necessary support. This is a clear indication of the contribution women can make towards having shelter for their families.

2          Key dates

2004 - Commencement of housing project

2005 - Completion of first house

2006 - Bamburi cement (100 bags)

2007 – Training by Bamburi Cement

2007- Acquisition interlocking soil block machine

3          Narrative

Situation before the initiative began

Nyamathi is located in Nakuru district, Hell’s gate location with a population of 41,492 people in an area of 435.4 Sq Kms with over 15,000 households. The area experiences persistent drought with no permanent rivers leading to scarcity of water. The women bear the largest brunt of the harsh conditions looking water. The only source of water was a dam. The water here was not safe and therefore resulted into so many deaths from water borne diseases.  Majority of the families live in poor quality one or two roomed houses made from off cuts timber or wattle and mud and roofed with corrugated iron sheets.

Establishment of priorities

The Nyamathi Thairera group was formed in 1996 as a merry-go-round. In 2004, Nyamathi Thairera women group called its members and other members of the community to address the problem of scarcity of water. They identified housing as a priority that would solve both their problems related to water and housing for the community. The group sort support of the provincial administration (the chief) in mobilizing community members and Shelter Forum in providing technical support. Their own members provided leadership in savings and doing menial work such as carrying water and sand and mixing concrete. 

Formulation of Objectives and Strategies:

The main objectives and strategies of the initiative are:

1. Access to adequate and affordable housing for the poor women through utilization of low-cost building technology.
2. Access to potable water through harvesting and storage of rain water.
3. To empower the women and emancipate them from illiteracy, prostitution, poverty, and inability to have properties inheritance and general improvement of the women living standards through trainings, savings and credit.

These objectives were formulated by Nyamathi Thairera women group through a consultative process (meetings) that involved 52 community members (including men and youth), religious leaders, other CBOs, area councilor and the provincial administration.   The project aimed at accessing decent and affordable housing as well as harvesting potable rain water. The objectives were also geared towards empowering the local women through capacity building and savings.

At its inception the members of the group contributed Kshs 50/= towards their stationery requirements. They constituted bylaws to govern them and also opened a bank account.

In implementing the project, all members are involved in the planning, budgeting, monitoring, implementation and evaluation. The members agree democratically which member is to be built at any given time through ballot and there have been no contestation in the method of determining this. All the members participate in the project through contribution of materials and labour support for each house.

Mobilization of resources

At the inception of the project the members had Ksh.50, 000 in the bank and Shelter Forum donated Ksh. 79,250 as a start up. Shelter Forum also contributed by providing an artisan. The architectural work was provided by AHEAD Architects one of Shelter Forum’s member.  The Human resources for the entire construction was provided by the members of the group. All the 22 members of the group converge at the site of construction to give their input in terms of labour and other logistics. This include fetching of water, mixing mortar, block making, digging of the foundation, excavation, curing the blocks and maintenance of the machines.  The group committee was responsible for managing the resources in partnership with members. The administration of the funds is governed by the rules and regulations of the group as stated in the constitution of the group as a CBO. Shelter Forum has also assisted the group by providing linkages with other partners such as Bamburi cement who have provided training and donation of cement. Shelter Forum has procured two soil block machines from Makiga Engineering, one which produces interlocking blocks. Makiga Engineering has severally trained the women on the use of the machines.

Process

The determination and the aspirations of the women group in speeding up the process has been hampered by several challenges. Funding has become a major handicap. Majority of the members are not in any gainful employment, which poses a great challenge on the affordability of the monthly contribution. As a result, members are unable to afford to procure all the necessary building materials such as iron sheets, cement, timber, nails fittings such as steel doors, windows, etc. thus slowing down the process of developing the houses. Since the inception of the project in 2004, the members have only managed to complete 3 houses and are currently working on the fourth one. At this rate on average one house is built in 2 years. 

However to expedite the construction of the houses, the group through its partnership with Shelter Forum embarked on vigorous fundraising strategies aimed at increasing the support from other development partners. Through these, other development partners have come on board including the Bamburi Cement Factory which donated 100 bags of cement and offered training for the community members. NACHU, a cooperative organization and habita for Humanity have provided training to the members on savings. Shelter Forum has also provided training to the community on mainstreaming the men and youth to increase the participation of the community members and to offer more labour at the construction sites. 

The Municipal council of Naivasha and the catholic Diocese of Nakuru have supported the group with tree seedlings as a strategy of influencing the rainfall pattern in the area, which is expected to improve the amount of rain water collected from the houses. 

The group holds monthly meetings to assess performance, progress made and make the monthly contributions. The group uses the monitoring and Evaluation tool developed by Shelter Forum for all its member organizations to assess performance and progress made. There are also joint monitoring field visits that Shelter Forum and its partners make for all its members implementing various programmes supported by Shelter Forum. The group produces quarterly reports detailing progress, results, challenges, lessons learnt and way forward.

Results

From the dilapidated timber houses with leaking roofs, the members of the group whose houses have been completed are now living in decent and spacious houses. Three house holds are now no longer staying in congested single rooms. With the spacious room the children have ample space for reading, which is expected to improve the performance of the children in schools. The floors and walls are easy to clean and maintain.

There is enhanced collection of clean water as the women are now able to harvest larger volumes of rain water. This has dramatically reduced labour for women in collection of water. The women are now dedicating this time to small-scale business venture and farming. Since water collected is shared among the community members, cases of water borne disease have declined. 

The capacity of the women to make the blocks using the Block making machine and their general skills in construction have been enhanced. The group is more cohesive, accountable and transparent in doing their programme work owing to capacity building sessions.

The profile of the group has improved. The group has been invited to participate in several forums to exhibit their project.  These forums include the UN HABITAT exhibition, the NGO week celebrations and the World Social Forum in Nairobi.

The participation of women in the construction of houses in the area has reduced the stereotype that construction is the tuff for men. This recognition has seen the men support the initiative through provision of labour support at the construction site.

The initiatives by the women using the low cost appropriate technology have formed important advocacy messages for Shelter Forum in advocating for policies that promote the use of low cost housing technology in shelter development.

Sustainability

Financial: Emphasis on monthly contributions by members has ensured that the group always has some capital to undertake certain activities related to the housing project. The group has also structures that ensure that the funds are properly utilized and proper accounts are kept. The Group has also acquired an interlocking machine which has drastically reduced the cost of producing the blocks.  The members also intend to lease out the machine to generate some income. Once all the members have had their houses built, the members intend to use the machine to make blocks for sale.

Social and Economic: Gender equality is a key component of the project. The project has deliberately engaged women/mothers in the provision of shelter, because in most cases they are disregarded as instrumental in such activities. Though the group is generally a women’s group, men and youth have been mainstreamed for inclusivity and participation of the entire community on the project.

Cultural: With the involvement and embracement by the men folk and the youth in supporting the initiative of the women, the project is able to effectively counter cultural issues related to behaviour, attitudes and sensibilities.

Institutional: The National Housing Policy for Kenya puts emphasis on the use of low cost housing technology to increase development of housing for the low income earners. This is also augmented by the provisions in the housing bill which is yet to be finalized. This emphasis will promote the use of the technology and the practice to other communities in the country.  

Lessons learned

In undertaking the project, the members have learnt that they can own decent houses at an affordable cost. They have also learnt that they could use the locally available resources for constructing decent and secure houses. Such resources include the readily available soil, sand, ballast, hardcore. The members provide labour while the trees in their compound provide the required timber. The project is a clear manifestation of what poor communities can do if given the necessary support-they mobilize resources from within the group instead of entirely depending on external support. This is a clear indication of the contribution women can make towards having shelter for their families. In a male dominated society where only men are seen as the sole provider of shelter, the women of Thairera have proved that they too can do it. These lessons have proved very useful within the sector for lobbying the government and the municipal councils to recognize and approve the use of appropriate technologies for housing development, particularly for the low-income urban and peri-urban population and as a major strategy of countering the deficit in the annual supply of houses in the major urban areas.  These issues are being pushed by various actors in the sector for inclusion in the draft National housing bill.

Transferability

The undertaking of such a project is informed by the determination of the women to organize themselves into a viable group that can address the issues affecting them. The initiative benefitted from the merry-go-round model of savings which is very popular among women in the area. The project is therefore assured of a solid base of knowledge and expertise in savings for the provision of decent and affordable housing for the family.

The initiative hinged on local women with the drive and initiative in social work and community development, mobilized locally available resources and enhanced local knowledge in providing decent housing to the community.

This project is meant to be a model solution for the ever-increasing problem of access to decent and affordable housing for the poor. Once the current project attains an adequate sustainability foundation, it is anticipated that the housing development model will be established in other parts of the country, especially in the rural and peri-urban areas in Kenya. The replication of this project is not only possible because of its novelty in mobilizing the locally available resources, but its sustainability program makes it even more enticing for community groups, government and development organisations.

Shelter Forum has utilized this project as a case to interest and introduce other members to the use of appropriate technologies for housing development.

Related Policies and Legislations

At the inception of the project there was lack of policy or legislation both at the national and local level promoting the use of appropriate technology in housing development. However the National Housing Policy developed in 2004 encourages the promotion of the technology to enhance access to housing by the low income earners and the rural people. The initiative contributed a great deal towards this policy as it formed the major components for advocacy messages for Shelter Forum and its members when advocating for the National Housing policy. Currently, lessons drawn from this initiative has been crucial for Shelter Forum and its partners to push for certain provision within the draft National housing bill on utilization of appropriate technologies in housing development.