OUR PILOT PROJECT IS LIVE!
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over 70% of Cameroonians live in inadequate housing. Most are slums and the others are unsafe or inadequate. Our dream – as detailed by our blueprint below – is to help bring decent and safe housing to hundreds of thousands of individuals. With the right will, and combined with government support, over time we can achieve this.
Affordable Housing is a Global Challenge
Affordable housing is a global challenge for cities in both developing and advanced economies. Based on a broadly accepted definition of affordable housing, 330 million urban households around the world today lack decent housing, or, are so financially stretched by housing costs that they forgo other basic needs; such as food, health care, and schooling for children.
St. Josephs Community
St. Josephs Community Housing Project (SJCHP) is our pilot project. Located at Bonako, in the southwest region of Cameroon, this area has a population of about 5,000 inhabitants.
A small multicultural mostly Christian community, it is a melting pot of settlers originating from different regions of the country.
The majority of the inhabitants are low-income farmers and petty traders who provide roadside wares and refreshments to travelers on the busy highway.
Only a handful of individuals own their own homes, the rest living in inadequate rental accommodation in deplorable conditions.
Although we have worked in this area for several years, before embarking on this journey we interviewed and consulted a number of the residents to test our hypothesis of building homes as a means to alleviate poverty.
The response was overwhelmingly in favor of the initiative and highlighted more than ever, the need for housing assistance in this community and other similar communities.
This will not only help to improve living conditions and the physical wellbeing of the families involves but would also impact their livelihoods, empowering them economically and socially.
