Build safe and sustainable homes in rural areas of Nepal
Engineers Without Borders and Build up Nepal:
Empowering micro-entrepreneurs and poor communities to build safe, sustainable homes across Nepal
The challenge
Millions of families in rural Nepal live in substandard housing and shelters. Unhygienic, crowded housing causes health issues, disease, social conflicts and vulnerability to disasters, affecting children and women in particular. The situation was worsened by the 2015 earthquakes and 2017 and 2019 floods, destroying 900,000+ homes. Rural families are stuck in a vicious poverty-cycle and lack income, skill and technology to build safe, sustainable, affordable homes.
Disaster resilient & low-cost houses for poor families
Engineers without Borders and Build up Nepal are working to empower poor communities to build their way out of poverty. We support rural entrepreneurs to start sustainable micro-construction enterprises. We specialise in the innovative Earth Brick technology, which enables rural communities to produce bricks using local materials.*Our model provides machines, training, model construction and long-term support, enabling poor communities to build safe, sustainable, affordable homes. Earth Bricks benefits:
● 25% less cost, making it genuinely affordable for poor families to build new homes
● Disaster resistant, ensuring safe housing and resilient communities
● 60% less CO2 emissions, mitigating climate change
● Creates local, secure jobs, in poor villages
