My name is Samwel Otachi Nyanchoka from Gekomoni Village, Kisii County. I am an outgoing, highly experienced purchasing and supplies specialist graduated with a bachelor’s degree in purchasing and supplies management from Chuka University. I am very capable of managing various projects simultaneously while ensuring stringent deadlines are met. My vision is to offer the residents of Kisii county and other parts of Kenya with affordable housing using interlocking bricks/blocks. This project also aims to address the increased cases of crimes, drug abuse and unemployment among the youth. The demand for affordable housing is high across the country hence the use of interlocking bricks in construction will not only facilitate the construction process but also significantly reduce the overall costs associated with the process.Jobs provide higher earnings and better benefits as a country grows, but they are also a driver of development. Poverty falls as people work their way out of hardship, and improve on their lives. Societies flourish as jobs bring people together from different ethnic and social settings and provide alternatives to conflict. More so, sustained employment provides psychological, health, and social benefits to people. Jobs are therefore more than a byproduct of economic growth. They are transformational-they are what we earn, what we do, and even who we are.
Budget Breakdown (approx)
We can connect you with the project owner if you would like to fund this project directly
Problem Statement
In Kisii County, like in many counties in Kenya, there is a clear connection between poverty, youth unemployment, and high rates of crimes and drug abuse. The current incidences of drugs and substance abuse, increased youth radicalization and criminal activities all point to a state where most youths are unable to secure gainful employment and thus become soft targets evil deeds within the society. Eventually, the young people end up engaging in drugs and substance abuse which further increases cost to society in terms of rehabilitation and being social misfits. Crime and substance abuse are strongly associated with young people as 53% of crime is predominantly committed by persons aged between 16 and 25 years, 89% of whom are male, and 11% are female. The youth unemployment rate in Kisii is constantly rising and accounts for more than half of the population of young people who are not employed.The proposed project will focus on addressing the increased levels of unemployment in Kisii County specifically Nyacheki ward( for purposes of piloting) with the aim of ensuring that young people are fully trained and engaged in interlocking brick-making as a way of combating crimes, encouraging them to shun away from drug abuse and increasing their living standards.
The reason we preferred the Interlocking Bricks project is because they are cheaper and environmentally friendly. Interlocking brick making technology has the greatest potential of sealing the housing gaps especially in developing countries like Kenya. Interlocking soil bricks allows for the quick and cost efficient construction of housing units and other buildings. Interlocking bricks – as the name suggests, interconnect each other with other bricks and holds without more cement needed for bonding. Interlocking bricks technology is affordable and is easily adapted and used in rural settings to improve housing in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030. Another key benefit is the speedier construction, due to the minimum mortar used. Mortar is only applied before the first course, and after that blocks are just laid on top of each other without mortar.
Compressed soil blocks are building blocks formed from stabilized or un-stabilized compressed soil. The blocks are made from a mixture of 5% cement and 95% soil. The typical blocks measure 10 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches.A bag of cement makes 100 to 150 bricks. The good thing with this project is that you can use all kinds of soil except the black cotton soil. When building using interlocking bricks, builders can save close to 50% of the building cost because they save on mortar, time and labor. The compression ranges from several hundred pounds total to several tons. Because of the significant gains in durability un-stabilized blocks are only used where nothing is available to stabilize the blocks. In addition to stabilization, the soil the blocks are to be made from is calibrated for durability, workability, and survivability. The curing process does not contribute in any way to carbon emissions or deforestation thus making them environmentally friendly.
Project Details
BRICK MAKING MACHINES
CURVED INTERLOCKING SOIL BLOCK PRESS (3M DIAMETERS)
Will make interlocking curved blocks of dimension 290x140x115mm(LxWXH),make over 500 blocks daily, Soil has to be stabilized with little cement, the machine is very portable, and manual machine hence lower production costs
The Way Forward
Once this project is implemented, it will initially absorb 20 young people, both male and female to provide them with interlocking brick making and building skills so that they can help their counterparts in the future. Within a period of one year, more than 100 youth would have undergone the brick making and house making program. This will be a milestone towards building a better society and improving the living standards of the workers and their families.After this one-year pilot project, the ambition is to turn the innovation into a permanent program within Gekomoni Village, Nyacheki Ward which eventually can be scaled up and replicated in other areas within Kenya facing similar societal problems.
FACTORS FAVORING THIS PROJECT
Most areas in Kisii County have a significant marram resource on their property that is suitable for making interlocking bricks. The success of this project means a lot to the people of this region since they will get access to cheaper building bricks. The project will also act as a source of livelihood for many youths residing in this community. The idea to create a brick-making facility to support building homes in the community as well as surrounding communities is significant, why? Well, the establishment of a brick-making facility will help us to address several items, over some time, identified by the community as actual needs during our ongoing discussions and programs: The demand for suitable and affordable housing is also another fundamental factor that favors this project. There is no carbon footprint created by transporting blocks from outside facilities. The blocks will be made from the available soil, which further reduces our Carbon footprint.
The blocks resulting from this project are compatible with Green Building requirements. This is mainly due to the fact that Interlocking technology saves on mortar and plaster cost, as no mortar is used to bond the blocks together. The blocks have tongue and groove joints that form interlocking masonry walls. When it comes to plaster, you also save since the interlocking wall doesn’t have big holes that need to be covered with mortar when plastering. You also have an option of not plastering, because the wall looks beautiful even without plaster on it. “The thermal qualities of the solid block also make it ideal for the humid climatic conditions in most parts of Kenya.
WHAT WILL THIS PROJECT PROVIDE?
The making of these bricks will provide much-needed employment in the community providing a positive impact on over 100 people in the next year from within the community. Initially, the business will employ 12 people with plans to grow that to 24 within the next 6 months as we add additional capacity. The average family in the community has 6 people in the household and so that employees will support some unemployed family members within the first year.
WHAT NEXT?
A full business plan for the business has been prepared,and the team has been in discussions with builders and building supply companies in the Kisii region. We are hoping to start the project on March 1, 2020.We have commitments to manufacturing up to 15,000 bricks a month from the business.
Whatweneednowarethefundstosetthebusinessupandgetitrunning.Thebudget calls for an initial investment of $100,000 that will be used for the purchasing of two machines at the cost of $2000 each and the leasing of an open warehouse for the curing of the bricks. The cost of the machine excludes the transport cost from the point of purchase to the buyer’s premises.
The investment is required over a one-year period funding mainly for the purchase of the machines and the raw materials to enable the business to initially employ 12 people fulltime and another 10 people on a part-time basis. As we add additional brick- ‐making machines, we willaddanadditional6peoplepermachine. Thegoalis3machines running9hoursperday.
GET INVOLVED
-‐Provide expertize around the project;
-‐Make a donation to support the overall community initiative or any part of it;
-‐GettoKisii County-‐Joinusonatripandhelpbuildtheprojectfromthegroundup.
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