Partners in Homebuilding
The first Batwa homes were banana-leaf huts, followed by mud-stick, and then mud-brick homes which require tree cutting and burning. In 2019, the latest advancement arrived—interlocking bricks made on site by the Batwa with a man-powered machine, soil, and a prescribed amount of cement. The new approach is much better ecologically since it uses only local mud to fashion the bricks; no trees are cut or burned so they can continue to absorb carbon and provide shade in Uganda’s warm tropical climate. Batwa communities come together to make bricks for their homes, then construct them with the help of a trained builder. As mud-stick and mud-brick homes deteriorate, Batwa families partner with the Batwa Development Program to build approximately twenty homes per year.
Could you help provide a home for a Batwa family?
Cost for homes in Uganda are much lower than in developed countries, yet even the decreased cost far exceeds what a family can typically afford.
Interlocking-brick home with floor, kitchen, and latrine (excludes land)—$3,300
Interlocking-brick home with floor and kitchen (excludes land)—$3,000
Brick Kitchen—$250
Pit latrine construction—$300
1 acre of land for new household—$2,780+
Interlocking-brick machine—$1,500
Curved interlocking-brick machine for water-catchment tanks—$1,800
