Quality: 3 - Región

How the community rescued the historic centre of San Salvador

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How the community rescued the historic centre of San Salvador

Mismatches Location Security Functional adequacy Demographic/Urban growth
Policies and regulations Regulation Land Governance
Financing Public funding Progressive financing
Urban Design Urban fabrics Inclusion
Promotion and production
Ownership and tenure

Main objectives of the project

Political and social unrest has affected El Salvador for many years.  The centre of its capital, San Salvador, is an area of historical and cultural significance but has suffered from violence and dereliction.

Many of the households living in the historical centre are among the poorest and most socially excluded in the city. Until recently, they lived in very poor conditions, in unsafe buildings and without proper infrastructure.

Together with a network of organisations campaigning for housing rights across Latin America, the community has won the right to own and build on the land. Through activism, collaboration and support, poor quality shacks have been replaced with safe, colourful, and permanently affordable homes, owned by the community themselves.

The regeneration of San Salvador’s historical centre has provided hope and inspiration and has increased the growth of mutual aid housing cooperatives, where people work together and support each other to provide their own homes.

Date

  • 2017:

Stakeholders

Location

Continent: South America
Country/Region: El Salvador, San Salvador

Description

Project Description

Many historic town and city centres in El Salvador have suffered years of neglect and a lack of investment. Housing within these areas is often in disrepair, lacks basic services and puts residents at risk of eviction and poor health.

Through a programme of training, funding and collaboration, a network of organisations including FUNDASAL (the Salvadorian foundation for development and adequate housing), FESCOVAM (the Salvadorian federation of mutual aid housing cooperatives) and FUCVAM (the Uruguayan federation of mutual aid housing cooperatives) has worked to help the local community to set up the first five mutual aid housing cooperatives[1] in the city’s historic centre.

With training and support, the cooperatives of the San Salvador historic centre convinced the Salvadorian Government of the cultural importance of their neighbourhood and of their right to be housed there safely.

In 2008, the Salvadorian Government provided one plot of land to the new cooperatives at a nominal price. Two more plots were bought from private landowners. FUNDASAL raised funds to cover technical training to help the residents design and construct their homes. Two of the first five cooperatives, ACOVICHSS and ACOVIVAMSE, replaced and/or renovated run-down buildings in the inner city using designs inspired by its historic features. Instead of using new land, existing buildings were replaced and extended upwards. They designed the new buildings to include shared public spaces and provided areas for commercial activities. The cooperatives built colourful multi-storey blocks, designing them around a central courtyard to maximise natural light and ventilation. This comprehensive programme has revitalised the city centre and has created a sense of pride in the community. (The other three cooperatives are in the process of developing housing projects).

By 2013, ACOVICHSS and ACOVIVAMSE had built 61 homes in three blocks, housing 240 people. Seventy per cent of these were women-headed households, often living on very low incomes in informal employment. The work to set up new cooperatives in the historic centre deliberately focused on the most vulnerable households (women, children and young people). Their situation made raising or borrowing money very difficult, but by working together the cooperatives won legal recognition, and secured land from the Government to build and manage their own housing.

Affordability is ensured for those living in the new cooperatives, even for those on very low incomes. This is achieved through a combination of mutual aid (sweat equity – contributing to costs with labour) which decreases overall building costs, subsidy from funders, and by all members paying into a shared Relief Fund which helps vulnerable members when they are faced with temporary financial difficulty.

By 2017, eight more mutual aid housing cooperatives (13 in total) had formed in the historic centre. The collective effort of the housing cooperatives and the organisations and networks supporting them helped convince the Salvadorian Government to raise €9,000,000 (US$10,043,820), through an agreement with the Government of Italy. This will provide new homes for a further 325 families (1,300 people). This is an outstanding achievement as it demonstrates a commitment from the Government to securing adequate and affordable housing for inner-city residents, paving the way for more people to claim their right to land and safe, secure housing.

[1] Mutual aid housing cooperatives involve people working together and supporting each other to provide their own homes. The approach uses ‘sweat equity’, meaning people contribute towards the cost of building their homes with their own labour. Homes are collectively owned by members of the cooperative.

Aims and Objectives

The main aims of this work are to support local families to take ownership of and improve their own homes, and to preserve and protect the historic centre of San Salvador. The community along with FUNDASAL, FESCOVAM and other networks are working to:

  • Protect families from being forced out of the historic centre by helping them legally access land and ensuring their housing costs are affordable.
  • Improve the homes of families living in poor conditions, ensuring they have access to basic services.
  • Restore the historic centre of San Salvador for the benefit of the whole community.
  • Avoid the need for the expansion of informal settlements outside the city centre.
  • Support the whole community to thrive through a variety of cultural, artistic and educational activities, including people who are often excluded (like women, children, young people, older people or disabled people).

Longer term aims are to:

  • Set up mutual aid housing cooperatives across El Salvador that can work together to provide their own housing.
  • Support mutual aid housing cooperatives to influence the Government so they recognise housing as a human right and provide funding and land for housing.
  • Ensure all the residents of the historic centre of San Salvador are properly and safely housed.

Context

Before 2001, the historic centre of San Salvador was in a state of deterioration. Twenty-nine per cent of the centre’s population was living in informal settlements, characterised by a lack of basic services, overcrowding, a risk of eviction and an unhealthy environment due to poor sanitation and waste disposal. Many of the people living in these conditions were very vulnerable, with high numbers of women and young people on very low incomes. Eighty-four per cent of the families in the informal settlements were living on less than a quarter of minimum wage (US$55 per month – compared to the minimum wage of US$220). Fifty-seven per cent of the women work in informal employment.

Key Features

Local people are enabled to provide themselves with permanent, safe housing through mutual aid housing cooperatives. The most important features of the mutual aid approach in relation to this project are collective ownership and management of housing. All decisions are taken by the members of the housing cooperatives (the people who live or plan to live in the homes). They organise their own committees for designing and building homes, which also creates strong ties between residents as they work together on decision-making. FUNDASAL provides technical advice and helps attract funding for the new housing cooperatives. They carry out training and education programmes and give flexible support to each group. Members of new housing cooperatives share knowledge and encourage others to join their cooperative or create new ones.

Within this project, an important aim is the protection and preservation of the historic centre of San Salvador. This has been achieved by accommodating families in high quality high-rise blocks which are designed with the local architectural style in mind, rather than building outside the centre of the city. This new housing replaced the very poor quality shacks they had previously occupied and rented. Work to improve the historic centre has extended to shared spaces such as courtyards and playgrounds, an inner-city orchard, and colourful murals and statues which have revitalised the area.

Several organisations collaborated alongside the new cooperatives to achieve the rescue of the historic centre:

  • FUNDASAL (the Salvadorian foundation for development and adequate housing): Works with communities to organise training, funding and support, to grow the number of mutual aid housing cooperatives across El Salvador
  • FUCVAM (Uruguayan federation of mutual aid housing cooperatives): Helped to transfer their approach of setting up mutual aid housing cooperatives to San Salvador (this transfer approach won the World Habitat Awards in 2012).
  • FESCOVAM (the Salvadorian federation of mutual aid housing cooperatives): exercise political influence on the Government.
  • San Salvador local government: Sold land to the housing cooperatives at a token price.
  • FPDICHSS (Permanent Forum for the Integral Development of the Historical Centre of San Salvador): An alliance of different organisations and groups working together to protect the historic centre of San Salvador. The cooperatives of San Salvador have been active in this group since 2005. FUNDASAL became a member in 2007. FUNDASAL was one of the founding members, and the cooperatives started being represented in the Forum by FESCOVAM in 2015.

What impact has it had?

The work to support community-led regeneration in the historic centre of San Salvador has led to safe, secure housing for a growing number of people who were previously living in very poor conditions, at risk of eviction in unsafe buildings. It has helped make the neighbourhood a better place to live in by replacing run-down buildings with new apartment blocks and providing quality public space. Working together and doing activities together like growing their own food, has helped develop closer relationships and supportive networks within the community.

Local and national government, civil society organisations and academics have recognised the success of the approach in improving housing and strengthening communities. In 2008 official, legal recognition of the historic city centre of San Salvador from the Government of El Salvador was achieved. They also reformed the law relating to Cooperative Associations, which permitted mutual aid housing cooperatives to be legally recognised. This led to the allocation of public land and funding to the cooperatives so that they could build their new homes.

These activities and achievements led to a new National Policy on Housing and Habitat in 2015. The introduction of a new National Law on Housing and Habitat is currently being discussed (in 2017). FUNDASAL and FESCOVAM are also influencing conversations about the application of the New Urban Agenda in El Salvador [1].

[1] The New Urban Agenda is an international commitment by governments and many other participants (including civil society groups, indigenous peoples, local communities the private sector and academic community) to improve the well-being of all citizens in urban areas across the world.

How is it funded?

The funding for this programme has focused on three areas:

Research and Advocacy

  • CORDAID and MISEREOR (Catholic non-governmental organisations which help people in poverty and distress) provided funding to support FUNDASAL’s research and its work to promote mutual aid housing cooperatives to the government and others.
    • CORDAID US$333,292 (2001-2008)
    • MISEREOR US$143,743 (2006-2008)

Training and community building

  • WeEffect – have provided funding for training and education initiatives relating to the regeneration of San Salvador since 2004. This includes:
    • From 2004 to 2007, US$609,360 to train the FUNDASAL Technical Support Team, so they could advise housing cooperatives on financial management and building methods.
    • From 2008 to 2016, US$1,802,029 to set up a Cooperative Training School across Central America (Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and El Salvador); train cooperatives to grow their own food within the city centre; provide further training for the FUNDASAL Technical Support Team; support specific projects by ACOVIVAMSE and ACOVICHSS (housing cooperatives) such as a community project to paint murals.
    • In 2017, US$292,800 to support further training for the FUNDASAL Technical Support Team.
  • Vastenactie (a Catholic relief organisation based in the Netherlands) provided US$13,113 (2014-2015) to support training of cooperatives to create organic/hydroponic orchards in the centre.
  • FUNDASAL
    • Provides technical advice to communities who want to grow their own food within the city.
    • Provides start-up loans to help set up new local businesses and other activities which strengthen the community.

Building

  • AECID (the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation) provided a combination of grant and loan funding to ACOVICHSS (Asociación Cooperativa De Vivienda Por Ayuda Mutua Del Centro Histórico De San Salvador), one of the first housing cooperatives to build their new homes through the project.
    • Funding to ACOVICHSS from AECID: US$1,067,064 (2008-2010) for land and construction of two housing complexes.
  • FUNDASAL set up a revolving loan fund to support mutual housing cooperatives, so repayments from one project in El Salvador can be used to fund the next. With the support of KfW (a German government-owned development bank), so far one housing cooperative in San Salvador (ACOVIVAMSE, Asociación Cooperativa de Vivienda por Ayuda Mutua San Esteban) has been partially funded in this way. This approach of recycled funding will continue to support new projects.
    • Grant and loan funding to ACOVIVAMSE (from the FUNDASAL revolving fund with support from KfW): US$837,901 (2011-2013) for land and construction of housing

To continue the work to regenerate the historic centre of San Salvador into the future, funding will include:

  • Repayment of loans by ACOVICHSS (housing cooperative) will be reinvested by AECID (the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation). This is made up of two loans to be repaid by the cooperative over 15 years.
    • AECID loan: US$30,016 (granted in 2009) to be repaid over 15 years in instalments of US$300 per month.
    • AECID loan: US$22,512 (granted in 2011) to be repaid over 15 years in instalments of US$225 per month.
  • Repayments by ACOVIVAMSE (housing cooperative). These will go back into the revolving fund set up by FUNDASAL and KfW. Repayments will be returned over 20 years. The loan amount is US$293,747 plus an additional loan of US$2,549, which was granted in 2013.
  • Funding of €9,000,000 (US$10,043,820) contributed by the Government of Italy to the Government of El Salvador which they will use to support new housing cooperatives to continue forming and building new homes in the historic centre of San Salvador (2018-2020).

The costs of building the new homes are as follows:

  • Housing blocks built by the ACOVIVAMSE housing cooperative: US$29,775.
  • Housing blocks built by the ACOVICHSS housing cooperative: US$50,797 (these costs are higher than the above since in this case the government did not fund the access to land).
  • Housing blocks to be funded by the Government of El Salvador (2018-2020) using funds from the Government of Italy: US$27,692.

Why is it innovative?

  • The residents, supported by FUNDASAL and FESCOVAM, have built a strong, independent community, starting with the most vulnerable and excluded. A range of educational and training activities have built the confidence, health and well-being of the residents of the historic centre of San Salvador. The revolving fund FUNDASAL set up with KfW means repayments from one cooperative can help others in the future.
  • The approach of building up instead of out and replacing existing buildings has allowed the community to remain together while protecting the wider area. This has preserved the historic features of the centre of San Salvador, restoring some of its character using designs that complement its original style, and replacing buildings previously damaged by disasters.
  • The new buildings also incorporate bioclimatic features. They are designed to work with the local climate to provide comfort. Basic elements of the bioclimatic design include passive solar systems which are incorporated into buildings and use environmental sources (for example, the sun, wind, vegetation, water etc.) for heating, cooling and lighting the buildings.[1][1] http://www.cres.gr/kape/energeia_politis/energeia_politis_bioclimatic_eng.htm

This work has helped gain legal recognition, funding and support for mutual aid housing cooperatives from the Government of El Salvador. This means a stronger voice for FESCOVAM (the Salvadorian federation of mutual aid housing cooperatives) and its members in discussions about housing policy.

What is the environmental impact?

The housing cooperatives in the historic centre of San Salvador have replaced existing buildings rather than built new ones outside the centre. This means improved homes can be provided while protecting the wider area from the environmental damage caused by the construction of new buildings. Using land which is already built on also means that existing infrastructure is used. Basic services such as water and sewage systems are more likely to be in place or locally available.

Properties are designed around a central courtyard which means natural light and air can be used for lighting and ventilation and the buildings are more resistant to natural disasters. Because the communities are now well organised, this also improves their ability to respond to natural disasters.

Cooperatives have started growing food within the city centre using organoponic (organic/hydroponic) orchards. This is a form of urban agriculture which can be replicated. It typically uses low concrete walls filled with organic matter and soil, with lines of drip irrigation laid on the surface.

Is it financially sustainable?

  • The new buildings include homes and a commercial space on the ground floor, so the housing cooperatives can set up businesses such as workshops or commercial spaces to generate income for the local economy.
  • The orchards set up in the historic centre will also help to provide affordable food for local families.
  • The approach has ensured people living in the housing cooperatives can afford the cost of the new homes by working out maximum housing costs based on member’s capacity to pay.
  • Training of housing cooperative members has helped some of them find employment in construction, providing jobs and financial stability.
  • To guarantee secure housing for community members involved in the project, a funds was set up to cover any shortfalls in housing payments: the Relief Fund use contributions from the cooperative members.

    • While initial funding came from external donor organisations, the new Government funding represents a shift in their attitude. This funding has been committed from 2018 to 2020, and FUNDASAL and FESCOVAM are in conversation (in 2017) with the Salvadorian Government about a new National Law on Housing and Habitat.

    What is the social impact?

    This work has improved living conditions for some of the city’s poorest residents, who have secured the right to remain within the historic centre and to stay together as a community. The sense of solidarity created through the whole process of developing the newly formed housing cooperatives means people look after each other. This also extends to financial support. For example, if the parents of children living in the cooperatives die, their housing payments will be covered by the other cooperative members (through the Relief Fund) until they are old enough to take over. Cooperatives in San Salvador hold ‘solidarity days’ where they come together to contribute to housing construction their community. In addition, these days also include a shared lunch, which offers a space for socialising and discussing, along with a time for participatory discussions on how to transfer the project’s work, methodologies, and the cooperative model. These activities help strengthen the work of each cooperative, along with personal links between members. They are now active members of their communities and networks at local, national and regional levels fighting for safe, secure and adequate housing for all. Being part of a national network has drawn people from cooperatives all over the country to San Salvador to help.

    Members of the housing cooperatives have increased confidence and are better able to lead within the community. Seventy per cent are women, many of who previously had few opportunities. Two new schools to train cooperative members (funded by WeEffect) about political engagement and how to run a successful cooperative have been set up to help this continue.

    New buildings and improvements to public spaces have regenerated the historic centre of San Salvador for the benefit of the whole community. The involvement of the new housing cooperatives in FPDICHSS (the Permanent Forum for the Integral Development of the Historic Centre of San Salvador) has strengthened the ability of the community to work together. They have organised neighbourhood festivals, and carried out improvements to public spaces such as parks and squares. Young people have been encouraged to get involved through activities like football tournaments, mural painting and making statues for the area. A new museum for children, “Tin Marin” has been set up by FUNDASAL to provide access to education and culture for the local and surrounding population.

    Barriers

    People living in informal settlements in the historic centre had historically been excluded from decision-making in society. Initially this prevented residents from actively participating in the community and often led to conflict or distrust. However, the first housing cooperative members to build improved housing for themselves in San Salvador (ACOVICHSS) demonstrated what was possible and inspired others to take part.

    Financial support from the government for housing was lacking and there was no appropriate legal framework before 2008. This was overcome by collaborating with FESCOVAM (the Salvadorian federation of mutual housing cooperatives) to convince the Government to make the changes needed and provide land and funding. Reinventing the historic centre has also helped to stir interest in the project and has increased the support for changes in public policies. However, further expansion of this model will be limited if Government support is discontinued in the future or if the ability of people to help themselves is underestimated.

    The first pieces of land selected by the housing cooperatives for the new phase of the project (to be funded by the Salvadorian Government) did not meet the requirements for development. This was overcome by identifying alternative land so that the building could go ahead.

    Lessons Learned

    • The next cooperatives to build are developing ways in which the Salvadorian government can guarantee land and funding in a more sustainable and secure manner so that more housing can be built in the future.
    • Building upwards and not outwards helps slow down the expansion of urban areas and works as a way of effectively regenerating historic centres.
    • The work of FUCVAM (the Uruguayan Federation of Mutual Aid Housing Cooperatives) to train new mutual aid housing cooperatives in El Salvador shows the approach can be adapted to local contexts, where challenges might differ but keeping the mutual aid model and lobbying the government for adequate legislation and funding remains relevant.
    • Encouraging lots of different people and organisations to work together is an effective way of making a difference to people’s housing conditions.

    Evaluation

    • FUNDASAL evaluates the project by looking at a range of indicators, including:
      • Participation and empowerment of women (numbers in management positions; numbers supporting themselves financially, skills acquired).
      • Number of successful applications for finance and land.
      • Number of people who have received training.
      • Number of social activities that help reinforce housing cooperatives.
    • Internal evaluations are carried out by the housing cooperatives themselves, in addition to independent external evaluations organised by FUNDASAL.

    Evaluation has found that:

    • Women have been empowered to participate and increase leadership through the project.
    • The work has resulted in safe, secure and affordable housing for inhabitants of the historic centre of San Salvador who were living in very poor conditions.
    • The project has strengthened the confidence of the housing cooperative members to work together to take control of their own housing.
    • Because those involved in the project gained confidence in expressing their views regarding policies, this helped achieve their legal recognition from the Salvadorian Government, helping to secure the housing rights of its citizens.

    Recognition

    The regeneration of the historic centre of San Salvador has received two prizes for best practice and obtained significant media attention.

    • 2008 – National Urbanism Prize (given by the Vice Ministry of Housing and Urban Development) and the International Best Practices Prize (awarded by the Swedish Co-operative Centre – now WeEffect).
    • 2010 – Dubai Award for Best Practices awarded to FUNDASAL for the Recovery of the housing complex in the Historical Centre of San Salvador
    • Twenty-five articles covering the project in newspapers.
    • Several TV and radio interviews.

    Transfer

    As a direct outcome of this programme there are now 13 mutual aid housing cooperatives in the historic centre of San Salvador. The work has inspired others, and FUNDASAL are sharing their experience to help transfer the approach. This is happening in other historic centres in El Salvador, like Suchitoto in Cuscatlán, and Zacatecoluca in La Paz – where a flexible financial model is currently being set up. The local government in Los Nonualcos is working to promote housing rights and has produced a plan to regenerate its own historic centres. The two training centres (focusing on political engagement and cooperative development) set up through the project will strengthen the knowledge and capacity of housing cooperatives in the region.

    Involvement of the housing cooperatives from El Salvador with COCEAVIS (a network for mutual aid housing cooperatives in Central America) is helping to share and transfer knowledge and practice regarding different mutual housing models, including as a tool for rehabilitation of historic centres. And through this network, FUNDASAL has helped provide technical assistance when setting up 65 new mutual aid housing cooperatives across Central America; in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico and has included lessons from this project. They are also exchanging experiences with organisations working to regenerate Hebron, Palestine. In addition, FUNDASAL is providing funding to housing cooperatives to buy land in Guatemala and Nicaragua.

    The regeneration of the historic centre of San Salvador has influenced the Salvadorian Government to continue to support and invest in new mutual aid housing cooperatives. This is set out in official policy documents, including their five-year development plan for 2014 – 2019.

    Links

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    World Habitat

    Building Malaria Prevention

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    Building Malaria Prevention

    Mismatches Security Functional adequacy Vulnerable groups
    Policies and regulations Local policies
    Promotion and production Public promotion Participatory processes

    Main objectives of the project

    Over 1,300 people have benefited from simple home improvements to stop mosquitoes entering their homes in one of Cameroon’s poorest areas, where four in every five children has malaria. With 80% of mosquito bites happening indoors at night, the home was identified as a key area to focus on to reduce the number of people contracting malaria.

    Residents have been trained and encouraged to keep mosquitoes out of their homes, meaning they rely less on harmful insecticides and pesticides. They have been trained to plaster cracks in walls, improve sewerage and drainage, build and fit window and door screens, and grow mosquito repellent plants. Alongside this, malaria awareness campaigns have been introduced in nursery school classes and through radio advertising. It is estimated that, so far, the number of mosquitoes has halved in homes which have had these improvements.

    Date

    • 2017:

    Stakeholders

    • Promotor: World Habitat

    Location

    Continent: Africa
    Country/Region: Cameroon, Yaounde

    Description

    Project Description

    The project seeks to reduce the incidence of malaria by implementing home improvements that reduce the number of mosquitos entering people’s homes. The project is based in Minkoameyos, one of the poorest informal settlements in Cameroon’s capital city Yaoundé where 80% of children were found to have the disease. There have been significant reductions in the incidence of malaria globally, but it is still the biggest killer of children under five in Cameroon. Resistance to antimalarial drugs is increasing alarmingly, which means that drugs can no longer be relied upon to tackle the disease alone. Research has shown that home improvements can significantly reduce the incidence of malaria. A study in 15 Sub-Saharan African countries found that malaria infection rates of 70.6% in traditional housing were reduced to 45.5% for modernised housing. The study found that the home is the most important place for tackling the disease, because 80% of mosquito bites are experienced indoors at night.

    The project focused on a number of measures designed to prevent mosquitoes getting into people’s homes. These included:

    • Fitting screens on doors and windows.
    • Closing eaves and gaps in walls and roofs.
    • Ensuring adequate ventilation.
    • Improving sewage and drainage to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

    These improvements were fitted to 219 homes (that housed a total of 1,314 residents). Households in the immediate vicinity of homes where work was completed also benefited indirectly from a reduction in mosquito breeding sites as a result of the interventions. ARCHIVE Global worked specifically with Cameroon’s National Malaria Control Program and the Ministry of Public Health to ensure the government was supportive of the project before work began.

    The project also raised awareness of malaria prevention through educating community members on disease prevention and the links between housing and health. Five thousand community members underwent training on disease prevention. A radio campaign on how to keep mosquitos out of homes reached around 55,000 listeners.

    This project was implemented by ARCHIVE Global in partnership with Cameroon Coalition against Malaria, the National Malaria    Control Programme and the University of Yaoundé. ARCHIVE Global is an international non-governmental organisation based in New York. They aim to create awareness about the link between poor housing and health issues by carrying out research which influences their practical housing adaptations to improve health. The organisation has a core team of three employees and numerous volunteers. It collaborates with local organisations across the world. ARCHIVE global has active projects in Swaziland, India and Bangladesh. The project in Delhi, India implements sanitation units to reduce water borne and bacterial illnesses such as diarrhoea. In Bangladesh they are building concrete floors to decrease the spread of parasitic pathogens which cause illnesses such as typhoid and hepatitis A and E. They have plans for future projects in Bolivia and Ethiopia. All their projects use both local expertise and resources.

    The project was completed in February 2016.

    Aims and Objectives

    The project’s main objective was to reduce cases of malaria in the most vulnerable households by making simple low cost improvements. A further aim was to find out more about these improvements and encourage their uptake in the wider community.

    Participating households were chosen based on their vulnerability to infection, and their willingness to be involved in the work. The risk criteria included having at least one child under the age of five, and more than two adults sleeping in the same room.

    The aims of the project were to:

    • Reduce the incidence of malaria amongst the households in the project.
    • Research which housing interventions were most effective in reducing the entry of mosquitos into homes.
    • Train residents to carry out interventions which stop mosquitos entering homes.
    • Raise community awareness about the different types of malaria prevention and the link between better housing and reduced risk of malaria.

    Context

    According to the World Health Organisation there were 214 million cases and over 50 million deaths caused by malaria globally in 2015. Although there have been significant reductions in recent years, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. The disease remains the biggest killer of children under five in Africa. In Cameroon it is responsible for half of all deaths of children under five. Traditionally, malaria has been prevalent in rural areas in Cameroon, but, as cities grow this is changing and the scale and impact of urban malaria is increasing.

    Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that has half its life cycle in people and the other half in mosquitos. Mosquitoes that transmit malaria tend to fall into two categories: indoor feeding and outdoor feeding. Indoor-feeding mosquitoes target people in their homes when they are asleep. Over time these mosquitoes have developed behaviours to more efficiently feed on humans. Their behaviour has measurably changed in recent years as more people live in urban areas. For example these mosquitoes will fly upward when reaching a wall, while most other mosquitoes will fly sideways. Flying upward helps mosquitoes find openings such as windows, cracks around doors or open eaves. Outdoor-feeding mosquitoes are generally less effective and target humans less exclusively.

    There was a United Nations Millennium Reduction Goal to halt the spread and reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015. This was successful with a 58% global reduction between 2000 and 2015. The reductions were achieved by preventing transmission and treating those who were infected. The World Health Organization encouraged indoor spraying of insecticides in homes, and increasing the use of insecticide-treated bed nets. Although these worked they also presented risks. Some insecticides are believed to be harmful to people, some may be carcinogenic. The widespread use of insecticides has promoted insecticide resistance amongst mosquitos. There has also been a significant increase in resistance to antimalarial drugs, particularly by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which causes the deadliest form of the malaria. This means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to reduce malaria further using traditional techniques. There is also evidence that these interventions have not been widely adopted in Cameroon with only 11% of children under five sleeping under mosquito nets and only 1% of these sleeping under insecticide treated nets.

    Housing poverty is a big issue in Cameroon. According to the most recent Cameroon housing survey 12.3% of urban households and 39.7% of rural households live on less than US$2 a day. Many vulnerable groups live in poor quality housing. In the country’s capital of Yaoundé, 85% of settlements are considered to be informal. Much of the housing does not comply with national building standards. There are no clear borders between people’s homes, and many do not own the right to the land where they live.

    In Minkoameyos, where the project is focused, it was found in 2012 that a staggering 80% of children had malaria demonstrating the urgent need for prevention.

    Key Features

    The project focused on easy and cheap interventions to ensure they could be replicated in the future without ongoing support from ARCHIVE Global. Each house was surveyed in order to identify the improvements that were needed. A member of each targeted household learned how to mosquito-proof homes. After training, residents were able to carry out some of the improvements themselves, and share this knowledge with their community.

    Wider community training included health-related workshops and technical training in health and housing. Five thousand residents received training which showed them how to recognise signs of malaria and how to prevent it through housing improvements. The project reached a further 55,000 people in the wider community through information on malaria reduction in local radio broadcasts. These gave information and advice that sought to raise awareness of malaria and offered people advice on reducing exposure and preventing mosquitos from breeding.

    As part of the project ARCHIVE Global published guidelines about how to achieve malaria control through home improvements. This has been distributed to the local community, and has been used in transferring the techniques to other projects.

    What impact has it had?

    Direct impact is difficult to measure because of the short duration of the project. There was incomplete information about the level of malaria infection before the project started. The project estimates that if home improvements and reduction in mosquito-breeding sites are regularly maintained, a significant reduction in malaria will be measurable in ten years.

    The project evaluation has however demonstrated that numbers of mosquitos in people’s homes was reduced by 50%, which significantly reduces the risk of people being infected.

    The project’s work with local universities, the Ministry of Public Health and the National Malaria Control Programme means that there is widespread support for and awareness of the project which will help positive impact to continue.

    At an international level, governments in Namibia, Swaziland and Gabon and the Clinton Health Access Initiative have all learned from this project when developing their own mosquito-proofing interventions.

    How is it funded?

    The total cost of the project was slightly under US$500,000. The UBS Optimus Foundation, (a Swiss grant-making foundation dedicated to improving the lives of children worldwide) provided grant funding of US$165,000 per year (2013 – 2016). A grant for construction materials was received from the SELAVIP Foundation which funds housing projects supporting the poorest of the poor around the world.

    Why is it innovative?

    The project approach combines research into health with practical interventions in housing. Its promotion of housing as a prevention method for dangerous but avoidable diseases is innovative. It is rare to see a project where housing interventions are led by health experts. It demonstrates the potential for other sectors to collaborate on shared problems.

    As more and more mosquitos are becoming resistant to pesticides and insecticides, it is becoming increasingly important to find alternative ways to control malaria. Additionally using chemicals poses significant risks to human health from skin irritation and nausea to cancer. This approach offers a solution which avoids the use of chemicals through making changes in the built environment.

    The housing improvements used in the approach also last longer compared to other interventions for example spraying walls with chemicals which has to be repeated yearly.

    The use of basic techniques and local materials meant that local people could carry out the work themselves and can now more easily maintain their adaptations. Empowering local people to prevent malaria themselves creates lasting impact.

    What is the environmental impact?

    The projects building interventions tried to use local materials to maximise environmental sustainability. However, some materials were not manufactured locally and had to be imported. Lumber used for doors and window frames was made of pine which is native to the area. Pine is a fast-growing tree which is more sustainable than using hardwood trees. Locally produced compact mud bricks were also used which have low embodied energy (embodied energy is the sum of all the energy required to extract, produce, transport and build any goods or services). The project also used passive design strategies (‘Passive design’ takes advantage of the climate to maintain a comfortable temperature in the home).

    Chemical interventions which are most common in malarial prevention are harmful to the environment, including to people and animals. This project used chemical free interventions to break the chain of mosquito feeding, disrupting their reproduction and development. This not only reduces the number of mosquito breeding sites, but also improves the environment in homes.

    Is it financially sustainable?

    As the project had a defined timescale for grant use there were no additional plans made to achieve longer term financial sustainability after the grant was spent. However, the training and expertise given to residents through the project allowed certain residents to develop enterprises around mosquito-proofing homes. This demonstrates how the approach could potentially create economic opportunities.

    ARCHIVE Global has produced evidence that the cost of home improvements can be reduced significantly if they are carried out at scale. Typical interventions cost US$300 to US$500 per unit. Subsequent projects modelled on what was achieved in Cameroon it has been possible to reduce costs of household interventions from US$300 – US$500 to US$30 – US$55 per home making future replications of the project more economic.

    Even with reduced costs people on very low incomes would be unable to afford materials for interventions. So, to be repeated, the project would require further grant funding.

    What is the social impact?

    The project helped communities to understand how to protect themselves from mosquitos entering their home. Following the projects outreach and training community members have been able to fit their own mosquito screens without the support of ARCHIVE Global. This training did not only allow residents to become aware of what interventions were needed, but also gave them the practical building skills to achieve these interventions.

    The project allowed communities to come together to work towards a common goal. As well as working on their own homes, residents worked with neighbours and shared their knowledge with other community members. By working with the poorest of the poor, the project reduces social inequalities by reducing the health risks faced by vulnerable groups. The housing improvements carried out by ARCHIVE Global led to a fall in mosquito numbers by 50%, reducing the risk of being bitten.

    The wider activities and awareness raising led to significant increases in knowledge within the community. Far more people were trained to understand that blood tests could help to diagnose malaria and that screening windows and doors could help to prevent it.

    Barriers

    The project faced a number of barriers which were:

    • Coordination: working with multiple other organisations in different contexts was challenging this was overcome as relationships developed.
    • Higher than expected costs: This meant that they could not implement as many educational programmes in primary schools as they wanted. But, they partnered with a technical school as an alternative.
    • Data Collection: the research team struggled to collect information which resulted in delays. It also meant they could not focus on collecting evidence on malaria prevention for children under five.

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    World Habitat

    Mutual Housing at Spring Lake

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    Mutual Housing at Spring Lake

    Policies and regulations Local policies Governance Participatory processes
    Urban Design Services and infrastructure Equity Regulación Técnica Procesos Administrativos
    Promotion and production Participatory processes Progressive housing Transformation and adaptation Management and maintenance

    Main objectives of the project

    Mutual Housing at Spring Lake offers permanent year-round housing to agricultural workers in the state of California, USA. Based in the city of Woodland, Yolo County, it is also the first 100 per cent Zero Net Energy ready rental housing development in the country. Spring Lake was designed to support agricultural workers to enjoy the benefits of ‘green living’, often only available to high-income homeowners. As the homes use around the same amount of energy as they produce, utility bills for residents are extremely low.

    The estimated 6,000+ agricultural workers in the county have traditionally had to put up with some of the worst housing conditions and most dangerous jobs in the country. Seasonal employment means accommodation is usually only available at government-funded migrant centres during the farming season. Living in appalling conditions in privately rented housing is often the only other alternative for workers.

    Mutual Housing’s work with residents goes well beyond providing energy efficient homes. Through a range of opportunities including leadership development schemes, peer lending circles and digital literacy classes, residents gain skills and confidence. For many this has opened up new opportunities in education and community life. New leaders have emerged from the community who now work to advocate for the rights of agricultural workers.

    Date

    • 2017:

    Stakeholders

    • Promotor: World Habitat

    Location

    Continent: North America
    Country/Region: United States of America

    Description

    Project Description

    Mutual Housing at Spring Lake is based in the city of Woodland in Yolo County, California. It is the first permanent, year-round housing built for agricultural worker families in the county, most of whom are of Hispanic heritage. Agricultural workers have traditionally suffered some of the worst housing conditions and most dangerous jobs in the country. A survey of agricultural workers in the region in 2010 showed that people reported living in garages with mould and cockroaches and often in overcrowded conditions. Many workers are employed only seasonally and some government-funded migrant centres provide accommodation at these times. However, most agricultural workers stay in the community all year.

    This is the first 100 per cent Zero Net Energy rental housing development in the USA to be certified by the US Department of Energy. A Zero Net Energy building uses around the same amount of energy as it produces so is very sustainable and better for the environment than traditional housing. Environmentally sustainable homes are often only available to higher income homeowners. This project was developed specifically to cater for agricultural workers, a community which makes a huge contribution to an area where the economy is largely sustained by agriculture, but is not catered for by the local housing market. This development by Mutual Housing California promotes equality by enabling low-income families to rent a home with strong eco-features. Mutual Housing California is a non-profit housing developer and a member of the California Coalition for Rural Housing. It was established in 1988 as a partnership of neighbourhood residents, business representatives, housing advocates and local government to improve housing opportunities for lower income families. It now owns and operates 1,071 homes for over 3,200 residents in California, USA. Resident involvement and leadership are key aspects underpinning and driving all their work. Residents of Mutual Housing developments are supported from day one to identify and develop their own skills and capacity for leadership. They are supported with training and mentoring to take control of their own lives as well as to advocate for their fellow residents and the wider community. Mutual Housing California provides similar services in its other developments, which include providing affordable rented housing for Housing First and other low-income residents.

    The work to help residents achieve ‘green living’ doesn’t just stop with environmental features. Residents at Spring Lake are also trained in how to use the energy efficient equipment installed in their homes and are involved in learning and sharing ideas on other ‘green behaviours’ such as recycling and water saving.

    After overcoming obstacles to access a plot of land and establish its use for multi-family housing (see details in the Context section), in 2010 land was purchased and construction began in 2013. The housing was completed in March 2015 and was fully occupied by June of that year. All applicants for housing at Mutual Housing at Spring Lake had to demonstrate that they meet the established income limits for the housing and that they were or had been employed in agriculture. A total of 62 highly energy-efficient homes have been built in five buildings. The homes have between one and four bedrooms and house 196 people including 90 children. Out of these housing units, seven are for families that have incomes at 30 per cent of area median income (AMI) or below, 13 units are for families that have incomes at 40 per cent of AMI or below, 25 units are for families at 50 per cent of AMI or below, and 16 units are for families at 60 per cent AMI or below. One of the units is reserved for the manager.

    Mutual Housing at Spring Lake has a very strong focus on community development and the empowerment of individuals. Community organising is a core activity – the project has really been about building a whole community, not just constructing houses. Residents are actively involved in education and training programmes and the development runs several different facilities and programmes for residents. Personal development opportunities delivered through one-to-one mentoring, group sessions and on-the-job training have included financial education and budget management, green issues, leadership development and health education. As well as learning opportunities residents are able to use the community building and an activity room for meetings and celebrations. They can enjoy outdoor recreation spaces, with shared gardens and green spaces throughout the site.

    A Spanish-speaking community organiser has been appointed and they have an important role in developing the leadership potential of adults and young people. They help local people to form resident councils and committees to address any specific issues or to shape ideas and plans for community activities and events. In fact leadership development is a very strong focus within the wider work of Mutual Housing. One of their key aims is to create ‘lifelong leaders’ by supporting the personal development of adults and young people alike across a wide range of activities. Some of the residents have shown that they are particularly interested in sustainable living and they have formed a ‘Green Leaders’ team. This group helps educate fellow residents with activities like composting and understanding electricity bills with solar rebates.

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    World Habitat

    Urban Shelter Project

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    Urban Shelter Project

    Mismatches Functional adequacy Vulnerable groups New family structures
    Urban Design Urban fabrics Environments Inclusion Equity
    Promotion and production Public promotion Participatory processes

    Main objectives of the project

    The project works with Jordanian owners to refurbish uninhabitable properties to create homes. These are leased to Syrian refugees, rent-free for 18 months.  Funds are used to subsidy the refurbishments, which has a positive impact on the local economy by increasing the availability of housing and providing jobs, which helps to reduce conflicts between refugees and local people. To date, over 5,000 housing units have been improved, providing housing for over 18,000 refugees and creating over 20,000 short term employment opportunities.

    The project works with Jordanian owners to refurbish uninhabitable properties to create homes. These are leased to Syrian refugees, rent-free for 18 months.  Funds are used to subsidy the refurbishments, which has a positive impact on the local economy by increasing the availability of housing and providing jobs, which helps to reduce conflicts between refugees and local people. To date, over 5,000 housing units have been improved, providing housing for over 18,000 refugees and creating over 20,000 short term employment opportunities.

    Date

    • 2016:

    Stakeholders

    • Promotor: World Habitat

    Location

    Country/Region: Jordan

    Description

    The Urban Shelter Project creates new housing units in Jordan for Syrian refugees to live in rent-free for 18 months. The project works with local property-owners whose properties are uninhabitable because they are unfinished or incomplete. The Norwegian Refugee Council provides funding to bring the properties up to acceptable standards. The refurbished homes are leased by the owner to a refugee family, rent-free for 18 months.

    Norwegian Refugee Council also provides legal assistance services to Syrian refugees in regard to their rights and access to legal and civil documentation, refugee registration procedures and housing, land and property rights (including evictions, and landlord/tenant disputes).

    To date, the project has:

    • Created 5,100 units benefitting 1,106 landlords.
    • Provided 18,127 refugees with shelter, 83% of whom are women or children.
    • Created 20,400 short term employment opportunities in northern Jordan, where, in the city of Irbid, the unemployment rate is the second-highest in the country at 21%.
    • Re-vitalised local economies by investing USD $10 million locally.

    The project is ongoing and is continuing to fundraise to renovate additional properties.

    Aims and Objectives

    The main objectives of the project are:

    • to ensure that Syrian refugees can access suitable shelter;
    • to ensure the protection of vulnerable people;
    • to ensure that refugees know their rights and can voice those rights.

    The high number of refugees in host communities is putting increased pressure on the local housing and labour market. This is a key source of tension between Syrian refugees and Jordanians. An estimated 20% of Syrian refugees living in host communities do not have rental contracts, which means that they are at constant risk of being evicted. This lack of security of tenure impacts on their ability to stay registered with refugee and Jordanian authorities, which is necessary in order for them to access humanitarian and state-provided services. This project therefore aims to:

    • Provide a secure, adequate and affordable shelter to vulnerable [1] Syrian refugees in out-of-camp areas of Jordan.
    • Limit the increases in rent prices at a local level by increasing the number of housing units.
    • Invest in the local economy, directly through conditional cash grants to Jordanian landlords and indirectly by creating income generation opportunities for skilled and unskilled labourers in the construction sector.

    [1] Vulnerability criteria are used to assess those who would benefit the most from the intervention – single parents, single mothers, families, people with disabilities, people with a large number of young children. Preferential treatment is offered to these groups.

    Context

    Northern Jordan has experienced an enormous influx of refugees fleeing from the war in Syria. More than 635,000 have been registered by the United Nations since the war began in 2011. Whilst several large refugee camps have been built, 82% of Syrian refugees live outside the camps, mainly in cities and towns in the north of Jordan. This has created a significant additional demand and competition for housing, the impacts of this are felt not just by the refugees, but by Jordanians who have seen increases in housing costs.  As the conflict enters its fifth year the vulnerability of refugees increases as their ability to pay for services including housing decreases.

    Eighty-six per cent of Syrian refugees are now living below the Jordanian poverty line. According to the UNHCR Vulnerability Assessment Framework Baseline Survey, 50% of the Syrian refugees outside camps are highly vulnerable from a housing point of view. Many Syrian refugees in Jordan are unable to secure adequate shelter for their families. One in five Syrian refugee households live in shelter which cannot offer them basic protection from the elements and may have leaking roofs or plastic sheets in place of windows. Almost half of all accommodation rented by Syrian refugees is also visibly affected by mould and moisture which has a negative impact on family health.

    The latest nationwide statistics show that the main sources of income for Syrian refugee households are:

    1. Food assistance (25%);
    2. Income from unskilled labour (23%);
    3. Borrowing money (19%);
    4. Income from skilled labour (10%).

    Some 23% of the refugee households assessed live in accommodation where kitchens and bathrooms do not meet minimum standards. In addition, the large refugee influx has significantly impacted on local rent prices, which have gone up by 13% compared to pre-crisis market prices.

    The project strives to address the root of the housing crisis, contributing to an increase in the adequate housing stock in Jordan, as well as impacting on the local economy and social cohesion through the clear investment in the host community.  The project takes an integrated approach to the needs of refugees by first providing access to adequate shelter and then working to meet other housing needs, including security of tenure, providing conflict dispute resolution and giving support with documentation and legal assistance as required.

    Key Features

    Beneficiaries are selected by using the Vulnerability Assessment Framework Baseline Survey (using the VAF Welfare model 2015). Fifty per cent of the Syrian refugees outside the camps are highly shelter vulnerable. The majority of their monthly expenditure is spent on rent.

    The Norwegian Refugee Council adopted various measures to ensure beneficiaries and local partners were involved and played an active, meaningful role in the programme:

    • Community Based Organisations and local authorities play a key role in disseminating information and referring potential property owners to the project;
    • Beneficiaries are offered but have the right to refuse a property if they have valid reasons not to live there; and
    • Syrian refugees have been involved in identifying the key vulnerability criteria used to assess people’s involvement in the project.Feedback from the people who are housed through the project is used to improve services and ensure accountability to beneficiaries. This information is collected through a variety of means such as surveys and one to one household interviews. Information, counselling and legal assistance work involves day to day listening and understanding the issues of Syrian refugees and trying to find real-time solutions to them. Landlords are included in this process and are also able to provide feedback and request assistance throughout the term of the lease. The project’s implementation is also coordinated with the local government through a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ministry in the Government of Jordan.

    The activity involves upgrading existing housing units, including work to:

    • Improve durable protection from cold and wet weather and increase security and privacy. This includes adding permanent doors and windows; insulation (roof, doors and windows) and applying a base coat of plaster.
    • Inclusion of sources of renewable energy (solar thermal) and water conservation kits within the upgrading of properties.
    • Improve hygiene and access to water and sanitation facilities. This includes installing toilets, washing facilities; improving drainage; building new/expanding existing septic tanks; mending leakages in water supply; fixing drainage systems.
    • Improve connections to municipal infrastructure and services. This includes connection to water mains/installing water tanks; installing separate electricity meters.
    • Remove health and safety risks. This includes adding balustrades or barriers to stairs, balconies etc.; adding electrical earths, removing faulty wiring etc.; dismantling and removing any existing unwanted items and removing all debris.
    • Create separate sleeping areas to improve privacy and provide a warmer living area. This includes installing internal doors and lightweight partitions.
    • Ensure that people with disabilities can move around their home, use toilet facilities and enter/exit the home safely. This includes provision of equipment to ensure accessibility, and prioritise safety and dignity tailored to the specific needs of the individuals with disabilities.

    The table below summarises the level of payments made to the landlords for upgrading their properties, based on the number of upgraded/livable housing units they can provide to refugees.

    Number of Housing Units Investment limit (18 months’ rent free (Jordanian Dinars (JDs)) Minimum requirements
    1 2,000 JDs (approximately USD $3,000)
    • Rent-free shelter for 18 months;
    • Security of tenure;
    • No evictions
    2 3,000 JDs (approximately USD $4,000)
    3 4,000 JDs (approximately USD $5,000)
    4 5,000 JDs (approximately USD $6,000)

    What impact has it had?

    The Norwegian Refugee Council are not aware of any direct impacts on local or national policy as yet. However, the project has been successful in positively engaging the Government of Jordan at a local and national level to discuss the housing needs of refugees. This work has resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jordanian Government which had demonstrated the government’s buy-in to the project. One of the main components of the Memorandum of Understanding is the establishment of a steering committee comprised of representative of the various relevant ministries (Social Development, Municipalities, Planning and International Cooperation) along with the representatives from the local authorities of the areas targeted by the project. The steering committee positively influenced the project’s acceptance at national and local levels and provides a platform to ensure the sustainability of the project in the future.

    The project has been able to protect and promote the rights to decent housing in a number of ways. Firstly, by directly increasing the supply of decent housing available to refugees. Secondly, the project has raised awareness of building codes with local contractors and has increased the expectation for compliance beyond the project’s own buildings. Thirdly, the project has been active in protecting refugees’ housing rights once they are in the new properties. Additionally, the Norwegian Refugee Council has been actively engaged with Jordan’s newly established Green Building Council advocating for environmental initiatives to be included.

     

    How is it funded?

    Five thousand, one hundred housing units have already been converted by the project using donations from the funders listed below. Future refurbishments are dependent on additional donor funding and further funding has been secured until September 2017.Costs are related to outputs – between 1,000 JDs (approximately USD $2,000) and 2,000 JDs (approximately USD $3,000) per housing unit – as well as operational costs including staffing, transportation and office rent and utilities.

    The costs have been covered by direct funding from various donors including:

    The scalability of the project is wholly dependent on funding. The Norwegian Refugee Council is actively fundraising to continue to further develop their work.

    Why is it innovative?

    Breaking with convention, the project sought to address multiple issues and not simply provide shelters for refugees. The project strives to address the root of the housing crisis, contributing towards an increase in the adequate housing stock in Jordan, as well as impacting on the local economy and social cohesion through a clear investment in the host community.

    Investment into the local economy brings clear benefits in reducing conflict between refugees and local people. Supporting this initiative, the programme mapped the skilled labourers in different trades and locations and shared the contact list with the landlords, linking them to the labour market. This is also an example of supply chain innovation in the project and responded to a local need whereby there were insufficient labourers to respond to the construction programme.

    In the context of the Jordanian rented housing sector, the provision of renewable energy (solar thermal) and water conservation kit is also innovative. It is only in very recent years that renewables have begun to be adopted and water conservation is still not consistently applied within construction or upgrading in Jordan and the project provides a platform for others to learn from and copy.

    In this project, The Norwegian Refugee Council used Cash Transfer Programming as the delivery mechanism for the assistance to the landlord. In addition, as an additional feature the Norwegian Refugee Council provides the landlords with the opportunity to install solar water heaters in exchange for a reduction in rent (beyond the rent-free period) – and this option is clarified in the scope of works agreed with the landlord.

    The approach taken by the Norwegian Refugee Council has included using proactive engagement with other key stakeholders e.g. local authorities and the newly established Green Building Council to inform them about the project which has strengthened the project itself and benefited the refugee communities more widely.

    What is the environmental impact?

    At the project design phase, an internal environmental impact assessment indicated that there were no significant risks to the environment associated with the project implementation and, therefore, no specific mitigation measures were put in place. This reflects principally the fact that the refurbishments and upgrades are not new build and therefore there is no issue of land take and its associated impacts on the environment.

    The project involves the renovation of existing buildings rather than demolition and reconstruction and the Norwegian Refugee Council has incorporated renewable energy, energy efficiency and water conservation in the project design including:

    • Installation of solar water heating to households utilising renewable energy resource. The solar water heaters considerably cut down household energy bills and improve living conditions of beneficiaries;
    • Provision of energy efficient lighting which contributes further towards cutting down household energy bill;
    • The distribution of water saving kits to reduce household water consumption which, in addition to the environmental benefits, reduces the costs of water trucking and wastewater disposal faced by vulnerable households.

    Overall with the emphasis on re-use of existing structures and the inclusion of renewable energy and water conservation measures the project is considered to have a positive impact on the environment when considered against the options associated with new build.

    Is it financially sustainable?

    Five thousand, one hundred housing units have already been converted by the project. Future refurbishments are dependent on donor funding. As of April 2016, funding is secured until August 2016. However, several proposals are under review by donors committed to supporting the project and the Norwegian Refugee Council is confident that the project will continue to be implemented in Jordan.

    What is the social impact?

    The high number of refugees in host communities in Jordan is putting increased pressure on the housing and labour markets. This is a key source of tension between Syrian refugees and Jordanians.

    Without the project Syrian refugees would face protracted displacement with no or limited livelihood options which could result in:

    • Negative coping mechanisms adopted by vulnerable Syrian refugees e.g. prostitution, crime, exploitative labour.
    • Risk of deportation by Syrian refugees working illegally.
    • Return to Syria.
    • Involuntary returns to camp settings.

    For Jordanian host communities:

    • Loss of income for construction labourers in areas of poverty in Jordan.
    • Mismatch between the demand and supply of affordable housing.

    In a survey of Syrian refugees currently assisted through the project, 93% felt ‘secure’ or ‘very secure’ in their new accommodation compared to only 58% before. A third of all beneficiaries reported that they had previously lived in a basement, tent, warehouse or partially constructed house compared to their new accommodation which was either a flat or fully constructed house meeting minimum standards. Some 92% considered their new accommodation ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

    The impact of the project on the Jordanian landlords and their families is longer lasting. The upgrading of the housing units directly impacts the value of the landlords’ housing asset and allows them to generate more income following the end of the project by entering the rental market.

    Barriers

    Several challenges have been highlighted in the implementation of activities:

    • The project’s detailed assessment of construction delays helped the Norwegian Refugee Council adapt and highlighted ways to reduce such delays in the future. One of the issues identified by the landlords as causing delays in the completion of the construction was the availability of skilled labourers. In an attempt to support the landlords overcome this challenge, the programme mapped the skilled labourers in different trades and locations and shared the contact list with the landlords linking them to the labour market. This is also an example of innovation in the project.
    • Some of the refugee families didn’t accept the housing offered to them. A detailed assessment of why showed interesting results. At the time of the assessment the level of non-acceptance was 15%. Findings from the assessment included a better understanding of the refugees’ perception of the importance of, for example, the proximity of the housing to services and markets. As a result the criteria used to select properties were revised and proximity to services and markets were given a higher priority.
    • Eighty per cent of refugees in Jerash governorate and 61% in Aljoun chose to live there because they had family close by, while only 13% and 28%, respectively, chose to live there because of low rents. This highlights the significance of social networks in refugee housing choices. This has only proved to be a barrier for the project in being able to find enough properties close to people’s relatives. However, by involving the community and with the support of local authorities, the impact of more outreach focused on Jordanian landlords increased the availability of properties in most locations.
    • Overcrowding and sub-standard housing conditions in urban areas may result in increased family violence and early marriage of girls. And although this has not been a noticeable issue specifically within the project, protection measures are mainstreamed through all of the Nowegian Refugee Council’s activities with referrals made to specialist sources of support.
    • The lower costs of supporting refugees outside camps means that the demand for provision of urban shelter by humanitarian organisations is likely to rise which increases the importance of advocacy efforts with the main donors and stakeholders to ensure continued support for extremely vulnerable cases. In addition, the programme is looking at various interventions supporting the livelihoods of the refugee households, and promoting their engagement in useful income generating activities (such as in the construction sector or in home based businesses) in order to grow their independence from humanitarian assistance.

    Lessons Learned

    • Integration of legal assistance and security of tenure into the housing project was vital to ensure the sustainability of the activities and provide, as far as is possible, protection from eviction.
    • Coordination with the hosting government at national and local level was instrumental in ensuring buy-in and the smooth implementation of the project, and allowed the Norwegian Refugee Council to be better placed in order to reach beneficiaries in different governorates.
    • The project design which included significant benefits for the local community in terms of conditional cash grants mitigated any likelihood of increased tension between host and refugee communities. It also increased the ability of the local communities to cope with the protracted crisis by increasing the number of housing units and also mitigating the increase in rent prices.
    • Building partnerships with local organisations helped the acceptance of the programme and empowered them with the learning and training they would need to implement similar projects in the future. It also increased the reach of the programme and allowed better access to beneficiaries in different locations.
    • The coordination efforts with other humanitarian actors at a national and local level helped with the quality of the beneficiary selection process by avoiding duplication and by standardising the methodology used by different organisations.  And the setting up of various referral mechanisms ensured that the assistance given to refugees was timely.
    • The approach of actively engaging with local governors, local authorities and community-based organisations, as well as developing legal guidance for project activities, could be even more valuable in the future if the urban shelter programme is expanded.

    Evaluation

    The Norwegian Refugee Council has rolled-out a consistent approach to monitoring and evaluation across all its Middle East country operations. The roll-out also includes a complaints, response and feedback mechanism.

    For many years Norwegian Refugee Council has used standard indicators across all of its operations, first through its core activity database and now its global output reporting system. It ensures that there is maximum accountability to beneficiaries and that there are systems in place which will support the improvement of the programme during its course.

    Technical monitoring of the shelter component of the programme is provided by civil engineers on the Norwegian Refugee Council staff, supporting and following up with landlords in their implementation of construction works. The engineers ensure that the construction work is undertaken to an adequate, safe standard and in a timely way. In addition to technical supervision, the Norwegian Refugee Council undertakes regular visits to the beneficiaries following up on their experiences of living in the housing and trying to mitigate any disputes.

    An external evaluation of the project was completed in 2015, with recommendations that have been incorporated into the project design and processes in order to better reach the target objectives. One of the recommendations of the external evaluation was that the programme should consider a more ‘area-based’ approach to programming in addition to strengthening engagement with local stakeholders and organisations. As a result, in 2016 the Norwegian Refugee Council started the implementation of its community-based approach in programming ensuring different projects and interventions are implemented together in order to maximise the impact on beneficiaries.The impact of the project on host communities has not been looked at in depth, beyond the economic impact.

    Recognition

    The Integrated Urban Shelter Project was selected and presented as good practice programming during the Mediterranean Municipalities at the Forefront of the Refugee Crisis: Peer-to-Peer Learning Workshop for Communities Hosting Refugees organised by the World Bank and Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) in Amman in 2016 and has received considerable attention in the media within and beyond Jordan including:

    Transfer

    The Norwegian Refugee Council is keen to continue scaling up the project within Jordan – the only barrier is funding. The approach could be a replicable model in other emergency settings and bridge the gap between humanitarian and development approaches in the shelter sector. The project in Jordan was developed from a similar project implemented by the same organisation in Lebanon, where other organisations involved in shelter are now replicating the intervention.

    In Jordan, the Norwegian Refugee Council is the only organisation involved in implementing this project. However, it is included as a priority shelter intervention in the Jordan Response Plan for the Syria Crisis and the Shelter Working Group has developed detailed technical guidance on how to implement the project. Transferring the project into similar settings and repeating success is very much dependent on communicating the process. The Norwegian Refugee Council is actively engaged outside Jordan with various working groups such as the Shelter Cluster, where this approach is being discussed.

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    World Habitat

    Passiv Solar Verandas

    0

    Passiv Solar Verandas

    Mismatches Functional adequacy
    Urban Design Urban fabrics Environments Liveability
    Promotion and production Participatory processes Self-construction Progressive housing

    Main objectives of the project

    Since March 2014, over 1,500 Passiv Solar Verandas have been built onto the houses of people living in the remote Central Highlands of Afghanistan creating additional living spaces and providing warm air, which circulates round the house. More than 100 trained local craftsmen were involved in building the verandas, creating a livelihood for them and their families.

    Date

    • 2016:

    Stakeholders

    • Promotor: World Habitat

    Location

    Continent: Asia
    Country/Region: Afghanistan

    Description

    Project Description

    Passiv Solar Verandas are wood-framed structures built against the south-facing wall of a house. The project installs them in the highland region of Afghanistan where winter temperatures are cold and access to fuel is expensive and difficult. They act like a greenhouse using the sun’s warmth to heat the air. The warm air circulates into the rest of the house achieving an indoor temperature of around +20°C. The verandas are easy and cheap to install, constructed from timber or steel and polythene sheets. The veranda creates an additional room, extending the living space of the house.

    Since March 2014, over 1,500 verandas have been built in the Central Highlands (in the Bamyan and Maydan-Wardak districts). More than 100 trained local craftsmen were involved in building them creating a livelihood for them and their families.

    The project is scheduled to be completed in September 2017 by which time GERES aims to have trained a total of 170 local workers who will complete 700 verandas (in addition to those completed by individuals/communities without GERES’s input).

    Acknowledged by global consulting firm Hystra as one of the world’s 15 pioneers in marketing for vulnerable populations, GERES deploys an innovative approach to the large-scale dissemination of pioneering and sustainable energy solutions.

    Aims and Objectives

    The project aims to help vulnerable and poor households overcome fuel poverty through a market-based approach. The veranda was developed in collaboration with households, by including them in the design and adaptation process, and then training local craftsmen. They are provided with the technical and business tools to support a veranda-based business. GERES introduced the veranda into the market but households are responsible for placing the order and paying between 80 and 100% of the total cost.

    Passiv Solar Verandas offer a more sustainable means of heating than the traditional practice of cutting down trees for fuel, which has a negative impact on the environment, degrading soil fertility and leading to erosion.

    There are two groups who benefit directly from this project:

    • The local people who are able to operate within the marketplace and generate additional sources of income.
    • Households who purchase the Passiv Solar Verandas (with or without a GERES subsidy) and benefit from a warmer house and an additional, warm day room as well as savings on fuel costs.

    The objective is that the demand will be self-sustained once the project ends, providing households with increased comfort and warmth, while craftsmen gain an additional source of income. As the primary goal of GERES is to provide sustainable energy solutions to as many people as possible, large-scale dissemination is at the heart of its strategy. By the end of the programme, GERES aims to equip 3,000 households with energy saving solutions.

    Context

    The Central Highlands of Afghanistan is a mountainous area north of Kabul forming part of the HinduKush mountain range. The area is largely rural. Some parts of it are remote and very sparsely populated. The climate is dry and seasonal temperatures vary. In upland areas the average summer temperatures don’t exceed 15°C and average winter temperatures are below 0°C.

    Afghanistan is a poor country ranking 175th on the United Nations’ Human Development Index. Its recent history has been affected by decades of conflict which has destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and severely hampered trade. The Central Highlands is a relatively safe area. It is traditionally populated by the Hazara ethnic group, but there has been a significant rise in population as refugees from other ethnic groups have fled from other areas of the country to escape the war. The Hazara group has a history of being discriminated against and there are numerous reports of members of the group being attacked and kidnapped on the primary access roads that run through the region.

    The population of the Central Highlands primarily relies on agriculture and livestock as a source of income. Livelihoods depend mainly on the availability and management of natural resources: land for pastures and agriculture; water for irrigation; biomass (wood) for cooking, heating and construction purposes. The area has suffered a prolonged drought. This combined with high population increases since 2001 have drastically increased the pressure on already scarce natural resources.

    GERES’ passiv solar house technologies have been disseminated in remote regions of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and India since 2009. In Afghanistan, GERES has identified that the vast majority of the population live in uninsulated houses, with high indoor air pollution and energy expenses from heating. It also showed that 76% of these houses could be modified into passiv solar houses, which are cheaper to heat, energy efficient and locally installed. After a pilot initiative in the Bamyan region in 2010, and a larger scale project in Kabul, the project currently promotes the verandas at a larger scale in Central Highlands.

    GERES implements its activities within the framework of the “Central Highland Rural Development Programme”, a consortium of three French NGOs (MADERA, Solidarités International and GERES as the lead partner) focused on improving the living conditions of the rural population in terms of agriculture, environment and natural resource management. Solidarités International focuses on agricultural development and water/sanitation activities and MADERA focuses on livestock and related natural resources management.

    Key Features

    The key features of the approach can be summarised as follows:

    • GERES works to find the best compromise between efficiency, acceptability, affordability and local ownership so that their technologies have a high market penetration rate and impact the largest number of beneficiaries. Finding the best balance among these four elements is the key to success, and requires lengthy analysis, research and development.
    • They maximise local added-value by developing or reinforcing value chains ensuring the local ownership and sustainability of their solutions by providing capacity building to local people (mainly craftsmen) so they can operate independently.
    • GERES also supports by generating demand through awareness-raising campaigns and enhancing policy frameworks.

    Craftsmen are approached based on recommendations from the heads of communities. GERES then develops demonstration sites with these craftsmen in strategic places in their communities to raise awareness and share information about the benefits with local communities. The Passiv Solar Verandas are developed in collaboration with both households and craftsmen. GERES’ Research and Development team works with local households to identify their specific energy needs and problems and to create appropriate solutions.

    Pilot designs are incorporated into houses and focus groups involving residents help ensure people’s inputs are incorporated into the adaptation process. Capacity building workshops were planned with local communities in order to explain how to use and maintain the verandas for optimal efficiency; Technical workshops were implemented with local stakeholders in order to clarify and explain the main purposes of the programme. Craftsmen were also consulted at this stage to make sure the technologies fit with their skills and the materials used are readily available locally.

    What impact has it had?

    In close cooperation with academia and UN agencies, the technologies and approaches developed by GERES are being embedded into the traditional construction designs of housing in the Central Highlands region of Afghanistan and GERES is currently working in collaboration with UN-HABITAT on improving the Afghan national standards for housing.

    The project promotes and protects the rights of citizens by carefully considering cultural factors during the design process and by going to some lengths to ensure the solutions are affordable for the target community.

    How is it funded?

    The project was originally funded by the Government of France’s development agency ‘Agence Française de Développement’ (AFD) to work in Kabul with the support of the European Commission and private foundations. This agency fully funded the Central Highland Rural Development Programme (10 million euros; USD $11.1 million) for three partner organisations covering four components WASH, Agriculture, Energy Saving Solutions (ESS) in housing and capitalisation. Of these NGOs, GERES is in charge of the ESS and capitalisation components.

    GERES’s development of the energy saving solutions component including the dissemination of Passiv Solar Veranda and other Energy Saving Solutions costs 4.5 million euros (USD $5 million). The annual running costs (14.5% of this amount) have been completed thanks to the support of private foundations (Fondation Abbé Pierre and Lord Michelham of Hellingly Foundation). The full implementation cost of the Passiv Solar Verandas project is 1 million euros (USD $1.1 million). This includes research and development, the direct material costs as well as a part of the HR and logistic resources needed for this activity, training and capacity building with craftsmen, toolkits and plans, demonstration units and awareness-raising and marketing.

    The Government of France’s Development Agency (AFD) are fully funding the dissemination of the Passiv Solar Verandas in the Central Highlands area as a component of a wider programme of housing energy saving solutions. It is intended that by the end of the project the Passiv Solar Verandas will have been fully integrated into the local market ensuring financial sustainability for the local craftsmen. While the existing project funding ends in September 2017, additional funding is currently being sought to expand the project into new districts in the Central Highlands. At present, craftsmen have been trained in the construction of three different types of veranda. These range in price from approximately USD $130 to USD $350. The price variations are due primarily to the selection and availability of materials – from the more expensive hardwood veranda with a plastic cover through to one with a steel profile and then the cheaper round-pipe veranda. These variations make the Passiv Solar Verandas affordable for the majority of the target population.

    Why is it innovative?

    The programme has taken a proven technology and adapted it to deal with the challenges faced in an extreme environment due to the scarcity of materials and the geographic isolation of the community. An innovative approach to affordability has been strategically designed into this project. GERES has introduced the veranda into the market based on the need identified for such solutions in the community.

    An innovative subsidy model has been used that keeps the verandas affordable without distorting the local market. The amount of the subsidy is calculated based on the average price of materials in the local bazaar and the expected time for construction. When a product is first introduced to an area a ‘high subsidy’ (approximately 12% of the total material and labour cost) is provided to the craftsmen. This ‘high subsidy’ remains for six weeks before moving to a ‘low subsidy’ (approximately 6% of the total material and labour cost). This low subsidy lasts for three months, or until the end of the project depending on the uptake in the different districts. The high subsidy coincides with a spring or winter promotional campaign which includes a series of awareness sessions and promotional events in communities to accelerate the acceptance of the technologies and increase the number of orders for the craftsmen.

    A staggered subsidy campaign, with high subsidies available over two promotional periods (spring and winter) means that GERES contributes between 6% and 12% of the overall costs. This strategy allows for easier entry into the marketplace for craftsmen constructing these technologies and the staggered delivery is designed to eventually eliminate the subsidy to support the continuity and financial sustainability of the project. The subsidy is given to the craftsmen directly as they are the target beneficiaries of the project. It is then their responsibility to pass on the cost savings to the families.

    The delivery is described as staggered as when the technologies are introduced into the community, the high subsidy leads to increased affordability and supports dissemination. As the subsidy decreases from high to low it is anticipated that a) the craftsmen will have gained more business and marketing skills (provided by GERES) and b) the technologies will be well known within the target area (meaning they will help to market themselves). This strategy eventually balances out to a point where once the subsidy ceases, the craftsmen have the start-up skills necessary to be sustainable, supporting themselves financially.

    The programme has adapted its model as it has been implemented. The Passiv Solar Verandas developed in earlier GERES projects and at the initial phases of this project used imported Russian timber as the primary construction material. Given the lack of available local materials this timber was accepted locally and had improved durability and longevity over local materials. Since then however, the GERES team has developed variations of the timber veranda by using cheaper, locally available steel. While construction techniques differ slightly overall, these new techniques are more affordable for the most vulnerable households.

    What is the environmental impact?

    The veranda reduces the energy burden on the environment by significantly reducing the amount of bushes and wood that households collect to meet their daily heating needs. The Passiv Solar Verandas are primarily made up of the frame and polythene cover. The frame is made from either imported Russian timber, local timber, steel profile or steel pipes (based on the availability of material and financial constraints of the household). The local timber has the lowest embodied energy of these materials, however its poor quality and low density also make it the least sustainable in the long-term. Material selection in this region is based on availability and sustainable material selection for this project is an ongoing challenge in the Central Highlands area.

    The verandas increase the household temperature by +10 to 15°C and reduce the amount of natural resources used as heating fuel in the household by between 5 and 30% per year. In the Central Highlands these fuels comprise primarily of dung, bushes and locally grown timber. The Passiv Solar Verandas, in combination with the other energy saving solutions disseminated by craftsmen as part of the programme, contribute to the overall awareness in the region of natural resource management, environmental stewardship and sustainable environmental best practices in general. For example, specific objectives have been outlined for the remainder of this project to train households on the reuse of plastic materials (at the end of each winter) and to create collection points for recycling.

    Is it financially sustainable?

    The programme has been developed so that once the funding comes to an end and the project is completed, the verandas will already be integrated into the marketplace and the trained craftsmen will have the capacity to further develop their enterprises without the ongoing support of GERES. The extensive replication of Passiv Solar Verandas in the project area indicates already that these technologies are being accepted into the local marketplace and are providing sources of income for craftsmen outside of the GERES project.

    The current funding is guaranteed until the end of the project in late 2017. GERES is currently negotiating funding for a second phase of the project across different districts in the target provinces. While this funding is not guaranteed, it will not change the overall impact and ongoing sustainability of the current project. The project is specifically designed to ensure the trained craftsmen have a longer term source of income and will provide ongoing cost savings for the households involved. The business and marketing aspects of the project have focussed on the linkages between craftsmen and local material providers to ensure the current value-chain remains intact on completion of the project. While this project does not directly reduce the cost of building houses, the cost benefits achieved through fuel reduction does mean that household running costs are reduced.

    What is the social impact?

    The Passiv Solar Verandas project helps to facilitate greater cooperation and cohesion by working closely with communities and through awareness-raising activities. GERES ensures acceptance from communities by engaging community leaders in the decision making around the choice of craftsmen and the selection of verandas and other energy saving solutions.

    Passiv Solar Verandas reduce social inequalities by allowing reductions in fuel consumption (giving financial savings), and increasing internal temperatures and improving living conditions in winter. In addition, the provision of an additional warm space in winter where people can undertake daily chores, such as washing dishes, looking after children and receiving guests has benefits for the whole household, particularly women, who are traditionally responsible for overseeing these activities.

    The Passiv Solar Verandas project allows individual craftsmen to take a more active role in society by providing services that benefit their community. The marketing training provided allows them to reach out and generate business which increases the productivity of their enterprises. Craftsmen engaged in the Passiv Solar Verandas are trained on technical and business/marketing skills increasing their construction skills and also creating additional income opportunities for their enterprises. Given the harsh winter conditions in the Central Highlands region of Afghanistan the simple fact that the Passiv Solar Verandas increase the inside living temperature by about 10°C means the quality of life and overall health of the community is improved.

    Barriers

    The success of the Passiv Solar Verandas within the community is evident by the organic spread of this technology that is occurring within the community.  While this is a positive development and shows the acceptance of the concept by the community, the overall quality has not been to the standard prescribed by GERES; thus not delivering the same benefits.

    Quality standards are being developed with local actors and UN-Habitat to create a minimum standards framework and ensure the safety of any Passiv Solar Verandas developed through this route.

    Lessons Learned

    The primary lesson learned by GERES in the Central Highlands is that of accessibility and availability of materials. The region is difficult to access and many of the communities live in remote, hard to reach areas. This presents challenges for the project team and the craftsmen seeking to disseminate the Passiv Solar Verandas in these areas. These geographic challenges also correlate to the availability of materials at an affordable price. GERES has worked hard to develop variations of the original Passiv Solar Verandas design to allow for easier access to more appropriate and affordable materials.

    Evaluation

    Three main areas of indicators are used to evaluate the overall success of the project:

    • The diversification of energy-saving solutions are evaluated using a number of data sets including structural tests, load bearing (with wind and snow), plastic weathering comparisons based on price of material and these are validated in the Research and Development work.
    • The strength of the value chain is demonstrated by the number of craftsmen trained/training sessions delivered, marketing material distributed and perceived demand from the community for the energy saving solutions.  These indicators allow the programme to assess the different stages of the value chain.
    • The overall impact of the project is evaluated using data regarding the dissemination of energy saving solutions, the reach of promotional campaigns and the overall mapping of the dissemination area.

    Internal monitoring and evaluation activities track and analyse the implementation of the project on an ongoing basis in line with the overall objectives. External consultants have also been commission to undertake a mid-term and final review of the project activities. The overall conclusions presented as part of the mid-term review suggested that the fact that the spread of the verandas was happening organically and being led by the community themselves, without GERES’ involvement, was a testament to the appropriateness and effectiveness of the project activities.

    Recognition

    This submission is the first application from GERES for an award for this work. However, it is worth noting that two other solar passive technology projects by GERES in Ladakh, India have received some recognition: an Ashden in 2009 (passive solar greenhouses) and as a World Habitat Award finalist in 2011 (passive solar houses).

    Transfer

    GERES regularly publishes its work and attends related conferences at an international level. In Afghanistan, publications and studies are distributed via the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University in the Dari language, so are accessible to a wider public. Professional, public, donor agency and academics regularly visit the project sites and there are regular field visits by representatives of provincial and national government.

    The original veranda was developed in Kabul as well as being piloted in other districts. It has since then been transferred by GERES with the current project to the rural Central Highlands of Afghanistan. Provided there is a market and an identified need within the community there is little reason why the current Passiv Solar Verandas technologies could not be transferred and replicated elsewhere. The veranda technology could be transferable to other locations that face similar heating issues during the winter if the design is adapted to the resources available within those areas. In addition, the market-based approach could be transferred to any location. Similarly, the approach with which GERES researches, develops, pilots and validates the Passiv Solar Verandas technology could be transferred to other similar energy saving solutions and sustainable housing and construction initiatives.

    GERES is interested in scaling up the existing Passiv Solar Verandas project provided there is a need and interest from the target community and there is affordable and easy access to the required materials. Future projects (currently under development) seek to build on the current successes of this market based approach to energy efficiency and cover additional districts in the provinces where they are currently working. A forthcoming project in Kabul uses a similar methodology in combination with a micro-finance element to further the potential reach of Passiv Solar Verandas in the capital of Afghanistan.

    The current Passiv Solar Verandas design is an evolution of previous Passiv Solar Housing initiatives that have been implemented across part of central and Southern Asia including the dissemination of over 3,000 Passiv Solar Verandas constructed by 74 craftsmen in Kabul between 2009 and 2012. The current Verandas project has built on these successes and evolved the material and construction techniques through its Research and Development process to make the Passiv Solar Verandas more accessible and affordable for the target community.

    Locally – through the consortium work, the partners integrate GERES technologies into their programmes.

    Nationally – In Afghanistan, the Ministry of Public Health legislated for the inclusion of the GERES’ energy-efficiency standards into the construction of all public buildings.

    Links

    Authors:

    World Habitat

    Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF)

    0

    Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF)

    Mismatches Financing Functional adequacy Vulnerable groups
    Financing
    Promotion and production Favelas/Slums

    Main objectives of the project

    Date

    • 2014:

    Stakeholders

    • Promotor: World Habitat

    Location

    Continent: Africa
    Country/Region: Kenya

    Description

    CLIFF starts from the philosophy that the poor are worthy of investment. Instead of giving one-off grants, CLIFF helps establish organisations in Asia and Africa with the capacity to provide slum dwellers with access to affordable housing finance. This approach not only facilitates the construction of affordable homes and neighbourhoods, it also generates enough financial return to allow the organisations it funds to achieve financial sustainability. In Nepal, this approach has enabled CLIFF investment to act as venture capital, proving the viability of projects that then achieve investment from established banks and lenders. Currently operating in fourteen countries, CLIFF has supported more than 70 housing and infrastructure projects in Asia and Africa between 2010 and 2014.

     

    Project Description

    What are its aims and objectives?

    CLIFF stands for Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility. It defines its core work as, ‘to support slum dwellers to improve their lives and find lasting solutions to urban poverty’. CLIFF aims to address housing and basic services of slum dwellers, which are not adequately addressed by the local government or private sector.  CLIFF is a project coordinated and partly funded by UK based organisation Reall (formerly known as Homeless International).  It provides affordable finance to its Implementing Partners. Reall then work with these organisations to develop financially viable housing projects for their low-income communities. The long-term ambition of CLIFF is to help the projects achieve significant scale. It does this through:

    • Using the projects as demonstration projects.
    • Reducing the risk of investment in housing for low-income people.
    • Unlocking large-scale, private investment for future CLIFF projects.

    CLIFF’s approach is to develop self-reliant housing projects that are capable of creating sustainable settlements, shelter and services. This is delivered through a long-term partnership approach with Implementing Partners, funding partners, and technical partners. Reall play a strategic management and coordination role in this process.  CLIFF provides capacity grants and revolving capital funds to the Implementing Partners. The Implementing Partners use the revolving funds to offer loans and to make strategic investments, such as the purchasing of land.  Through CLIFF, the Implementing Partners are also able to influence national policies and have amplified the voice of the urban poor at local, regional and national levels.

    What context does it operate in?

    According to UN-Habitat there are over one billion people living in slums. The vast majority of these slums are in developing countries. The housing and basic services needs of this population are not adequately addressed by local government or private sector. The institutions responsible for land planning, land markets and basic services are often weak or dysfunctional. Most of them lack both resources and capacity. Market-based projects aimed at upgrading slums tend to be short term and not sustained by responsible public institutions, while aid money is insufficient, considering the rate and scale needed to tackle the problem.  The CLIFF programme is set up within this context and starts with the premise that the urban poor are worth investing in. The programme is underpinned by the logic that if a financially sustainable implementing organisation is created and maintained, then the programme will continue to grow, irrespective of changing donor climates.  CLIFF has 14 partners in 15 developing countries and is involved in 70 projects across 33 cities. Where possible it also works with municipal authorities and is positioning itself to be able to receive loans/funds from both private sector and donor/development bank type organisations.

    What are its key features?

    What makes CLIFF different is its belief that the urban poor are worthy of investment and lending. CLIFF was established on the belief that housing and basic services designed and built in an appropriate and affordable manner can be paid for by the urban poor themselves. As a result, the programme works to counteract the current exclusion of urban poor groups from appropriate housing finance. To do this, CLIFF builds the capacity of local organisations committed to supporting the urban poor and delivers its vision with a twin approach programme:

    • To build capacity of partner organisations, helping them to consolidate their strengths and address their weaknesses. Through the support of CLIFF a number of Implementing Partners have developed the capacity to influence the policies of local and national level governments and financial institutions. For example, in Nepal LUMANTI, a national NGO and long-term CLIFF Implementing Partner, has been able to secure as much as 80 per cent of their total project costs from local banking institutions.
    • Alongside and connected to this capacity building, CLIFF provides Implementing Partners with recoverable capital funds to buy land, construct houses and to provide affordable micro-mortgages to slum dwellers. Early on in the CLIFF programme, capital funds were only recycled at a national level. However, as the CLIFF Implementing Partners have matured into sustainable Community Development Enterprises, a change in approach has occurred. Broadly speaking, Reall now distribute capital funds to CLIFF partners as a loan, allowing the recycled funds to be redeployed anywhere across the global portfolio. This approach encourages financial discipline amongst CLIFF’s Implementing Partners and rewards this with access to a larger, more responsive, capital fund.

    Through a long-term partnership approach, CLIFF is able to support partner organisations towards a position of operational sustainability. In this way, the programme demonstrates a commitment to building institutions capable of accessing sustainable sources of finance and delivering housing projects at scale and in perpetuity.

    How is it funded?

    At present, CLIFF is supported by two international donors, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). In 2013/14, the largest donor was DFID, its funding is committed until 2015. Discussions are already underway to ensure continued DFID support for CLIFF Phase 3. The project has good economic sustainability strengths, with a number of partners already progressing to a position where they are able to receive their capital funds as a loan. In terms of repayment rates from communities, CLIFF is targeting a 100 per cent repayment rate, with partners encouraged to maintain a Portfolio at Risk rate of between 5 and 10 per cent. During the early stages CLIFF provides grants to help build the capacity of its local Implementing Partners. Overtime, this grant funding is phased out, with organisations covering their operational costs through effective business planning. The reduction of capacity grant funding has the potential to boost the amount of funding available for capital projects.  In 2013/14, CLIFF spent £7,685,753 on capital grants and loans to its partners. In the same year it had an income of £10,801,603 (including £1,377,539 carried forward from the previous year). The majority of its income is raised from donors. Reall’s revenue costs for operating CLIFF were £678,355. The excess of income over expenditure in 2013/14 was absorbed by the programme in the opening part of the 2014/15 financial year.

    What impact has it had?

    The CLIFF project has had a very significant and positive effect on the communities it has served.  The housing finance system has created a significant amount of suitable affordable housing that would not have otherwise been built. Indeed there is evidence that this has had a catalysing effect leading to more homes being built. For example, CLIFF funded the construction of 180 houses by the Vashandi Housing Cooperative in Zimbabwe but this led to an additional 500 being built, with a further 500 now under construction. Moreover, the house building has had a positive effect on local economic activity. The Vashandi project has led to the direct creation of at least 200 jobs.  In total, the CLIFF 2 programme has approved, commenced or completed the construction of 10,699 homes. As of April 2014, 17,183 people had already occupied their new homes, complete with improved water and sanitation, with a further 35,062 set to benefit.

    Beyond housing projects, the CLIFF programme is also set to benefit a further 101,617 people through numerous sewerage disposal and sanitation projects approved in India and Nepal.  CLIFF has also influenced the housing policies in many developing countries. Causing policy change is one of CLIFF’s performance indicators. It targeted changes in six countries; in fact there has been change in eight.  For example, CLIFF’s Angolan Partner, DWA, was able to secure a reduction in the minimum plot-size requirement; whilst ZINAHCO, CLIFF’s implementing partner in Zimbabwe, gained formal acknowledgement of the cooperative housing model. Some projects have also been successful in changing local investment policy from lenders. In Nepal, LUMANTI have been successful in securing as much as eighty per cent of the total project cost from local banking institutions, a percentage previously unobtainable. The project has received international recognition by receiving the UN Scroll of Honour in 2014.

     

    Why is it innovative?

    With its belief that the urban poor are worthy of investment and lending, it delivers its programmes with a twin approach.

    The innovation CLIFF brings to the sector is to build capacity of partner organisations, help them maintain their strengths and enabling them to work on more complex dimensions of housing programmes, such as land and financing. A number of CLIFF partners have also developed capacity to influence the investment policies of local and national banks. For example, in Nepal LUMANTI, a national NGO and CLIFF partner, was able to secure 80 per cent of the total project cost from local banking institutions. CLIFF uses donors innovatively. It uses them to build partners’ capacity through ‘capacity funds’ and provide them with additional recoverable capital funds to buy land, lend micro-mortgages to slum dwellers and to invest in physical construction. All capital funds are recoverable from the partners. Once recovered, the funds are recycled through the same or different partners.

     

    What is the environmental impact?

    CLIFF projects have the opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of urban development by championing the cause of appropriate-tech, sustainable settlement solutions. A good example is the use of adobe mud bricks in Tansen, Nepal which have very low embodied energy values and are very locally sourced, saving on transport and energy costs.

    Additionally, the design of LUMANTI’s apartment building in Lalitpur, Nepal, tackles the city’s frequent water shortages by implementing a rainwater harvesting system, allowing residents constant access to water for cleaning and cooking with low energy inputs. Similarly, the use of solar powered electricity builds resilience against the cities frequent power outages.

     

    Is it financially sustainable?

    The long-term aim is for CLIFF to become fully self-sustaining, although this aim may not be realised for many years. The establishment and growth of CLIFF has been made possible by the significant contribution of donors. At present, there is a continued donor interest in building the capacity of CLIFF. CLIFF was established with financial sustainability built in at all levels. In-country partners are helped to grow sufficiently to generate enough financial return to allow them to operate without grant based support. This has helped the organisations to begin pursuing alternative sources of investment with the aim of becoming fully self-sustaining.

     

    What is the social impact?

    The project provides support to those who would otherwise be excluded from participating in the urban development process. It promotes greater community cooperation and encourages gender equality.  More than 75 per cent of the programmes beneficiaries are women or children and the model offers particular support to social cohesion initiatives through the empowerment of women-led savings groups. In some countries, CLIFF has supported projects for people with disabilities, offering hope to this uniquely disadvantaged demographic. In all cases, the programme builds the abilities of community organisations to negotiate, advocate and to better manage their operations.

     

    Barriers

    • Dysfunctional local governments are a major challenge for CLIFF. The experience of the project is that the housing sector has been neglected, not understood or financed properly in developing countries. As a result, in some cases CLIFF’s work is seen as a unique solution.
    • Linked with the above, CLIFF partners are expected to address a number of sector-related issues, including the complexity of land tenure and sustainable supplies of materials.
    • In a number of countries where CLIFF works, there is a certain perception about the role of international NGOs. They are either seen as advocacy organisations or those which deliver free goods. The role of CLIFF in supporting financial and technical capacity has been difficult to communicate.
    • CLIFF believes that the urban poor are worthy of investment. However, large financing institutions are under pressure to offer ‘safe lending’ and do not see the opportunity immediately. The challenge for CLIFF is to demonstrate this bankability in order to attract large private finance.

     

    Lessons Learned

    • It is important to deliver such programmes at scale in order to deliver a meaningful impact on the knowledge and practice in the sector. This means changing a number of practices, including community engagement and financing models.
    • CLIFF sees the future of partners as new urban institutions which bridge the gap between markets and governments. Therefore business modelling and long term financial sustainability is extremely important for CLIFF partners.
    • CLIFF still believes that the urban poor are worthy of investment and that the finance and opportunity to deliver this at scale is available. However, it is important to recognise that housing is not only about finance, the method of delivery is equally important.

     

    Evaluation

    CLIFF sets its own performance targets and monitors them continuously. Monitoring reports are produced every three months, with major external evaluations dictated by donor funding cycles. Indicators on finance and growth show the project is on target or exceeding its targets. Indicators on the provision of basic services are, however, below target. The findings of the reports/evaluations appear to be used to make improvements to the programme.

     

    Transfer

    Significant scaling up has taken place within the project. When it started in 2002 CLIFF operated with one in-country partner (in India) it has since expanded to ten countries. The number of homes built as a result of the project has grown each year. There are good reasons to believe that expansion will continue. The in-country partners are also expanding their capacity. There is no evidence of transfer outside the project, but perhaps in a large devolved model there is no need for this to happen.

    There is good evidence that local individual projects have expanded and are delivering more homes. Three in-country partners (LUMANTI in Nepal, NACHU in Kenya, and ZINAHCO in Zimbabwe) have grown to become the largest delivery agent of formal pro-poor housing in their countries. Many individual projects have been successful in documenting and disseminating learning and good practice.

    There is also good evidence that national transfer is occurring. The number of in-country partners has increased significantly. Many partners are actively engaged in transferring good practice within their country and sometimes beyond. For example, LUMANTI in Nepal has established a research centre and has helped establish new research centres in new CLIFF project areas across the country.

    Internationally, significant transfer has occurred. The project has expanded into ten countries. There is good evidence that cooperation and support is occurring between the in-country partners. A highly successful new partner WAT- HST from Tanzania received significant help from partners in Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe, enabling it to scale up its activity significantly.

    Links

    Authors:

    World Habitat

    Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB)

    0

    Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB)

    Policies and regulations
    Financing
    Promotion and production
    Ownership and tenure

    Main objectives of the project

    Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) (https://cltb.be/) develops affordable rental and co-ownership housing projects in Brussels for low-income households.

    Date

    • 2020:

    Stakeholders

    • Promotor: Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB)

    Location

    Continent: Europe
    City: Schaerbeek - Schaarbeek
    Country/Region: Belgium, Brussels

    Description

    By April 2020, CLTB had delivered 49 dwellings and a further 59 were under construction. Its co-ownership housing is an example of the subsidy retention model of shared housing equity and therefore provides “permanently affordable” housing.[1] Under this model, housing is built or refurbished on land which is collectively owned by the community land trust. Home buyers apply to CLTB to buy a home and, if their application is successful, they do so for a price which reflects their income rather than the market value. They also sign a ground lease contract which compels them to lease the land from the CLT for 50 years and when this finishes, they can renew it. Alternatively, they can sell their dwelling to another household that meets the CLTB conditions of access; though dwellings can also be sold before the ground lease expires, if needed. However, in case of sale, the resident receives 25 per cent of the increase in value above what they paid for the dwelling and CLTB receives 6 per cent or EUR 3,000, whichever is the highest. The next household purchases the home at this sale price, which effectively neutralizes the remaining 69 per cent of the increase in value of the dwelling. Collaborative management of buildings and the organization are also core principles of CLTB. Before buyers move into their new home they participate in a ‘project group’ with other buyers in same complex which collectively agrees the final design and fit-out of the dwellings and also how the housing estates or building will be managed. After buyers move into their new homes it is envisaged that they will take over responsibility the management of the estate or building. Current and future CLT members can attend the Trust’s annual general meeting and participate in decisions regarding the management of CLTB, as well as sit on the board of directors of CLTB.

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