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Emergency Shelters
LAUNCH DATE:
iKhayalami from was officially launched in July 2006, but had been operating under People’s Environmental Planning (PEP) for almost 3 years prior.
IMPLEMENTATION AGENCIES:
iKhayalami with support from People’s Environmental Planning (PEP) and Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC).
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
The Federation of the Urban Poor (FEDUP), the Orphan and Vulnerable Children Networks (OVC), and the Poor People’s Movement (PPM).
FUNDING PARTNERS:
SELAVIP, Shack Dwellers International (SDI), Siyabhabha, and the Percy Fox Trust.
PROJECT COSTS:
Development Capital: R250,000
Running Costs: R80,000
CONTACTS:
Andy Bolnick (iKhayalami): +27 82 8097818
Shawn Cuff (PEP): +27 82 4687489
CONTEXT:
Millions of human beings across South Africa still lack adequate shelter and are living in unacceptable conditions of poverty, as a result of the glaring legacy of apartheid, the urbanization of poverty and the slow, cumbersome and often insensitive machinery of the state. According to housing minister Lindiwe Sisulu, South Africa needs to spend billions of dollars building 2 million housing units to alleviate a nationwide housing crisis.
Additionally, although the government claims to have built 2.4 million houses since the end of Apartheid, many have been hastily constructed and poorly designed in the absence of any consultation between local authorities and residents. As an exorbitant amount of money is being diverted toward the World Cup, millions of South Africans continue to live without basic dignity, highly segregated from urban centres, transportation, public services and employment.
In response to this housing crisis, Hogar de Christo (Chile), Shack Dwellers International, and People’s Environmental Planning, supported the development of Ikhayalami, an independent NGO which aims to design and manufacture very cheap housing that is easy to transport and quick to erect as a response to emergencies and as transit housing in the event of a relocation partnership between government and organized communities. Ikhayalami also conducts research into finding cost effective alternative technologies such as solar geysers and solar lighting to be incorporated into the low-cost housing units. We work closely with federated communities (particularly members of FEDUP) to design and construct various housing options best suited to the needs of the poor.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Ikhayalami is dedicated to thinking out of the box – while the government is mired in an overwhelming housing shortage, we research and develop technologies to build homes that are more durable than shacks and less expensive (and time consuming) than formal houses. Recognizing that slum dwellers have always been the architects and engineers of their settlements, we give them the opportunity to define what adequate space and affordable cost means in the context of a pro-poor urban settlement. We do not spend much time thinking about government regulations, but acknowledge, support and validate the organic building processes happening at all times within communities. We take cues from the ground, creating products that really fit the extant resources, needs and development initiatives of the poor. For example, our main product, incremental housing, respects the need for emergency, low-cost housing that can be improved upon when more money becomes available.
Here is a brief description of our products:
Incremental Housing:
- Fibre Cement Housing: Our most popular building material is fibre cement – which is attractive and affordable. Unfortunately, fibre cement is not very secure and can be subject to break-ins.
- Fibre Cement Corrugated Roof Sheets: After construction of a basic fibre cement house, owners can use corrugated fibre cement roof sheets to reinforce the outer walls. The corrugated roof sheets provide added strength, minimizing the problem of security. Though these units are much stronger, they are also more expensive.
- Fibre Cement With Plaster: After the addition of fibre cement roof sheets, owners can use plaster to further reinforce the outer walls, smoothing out the corrugation and approximating the appearance of a mortar and brick house.
- Clip Lock Zinc: This is a particularly rapid housing option. As the name implies, sheets of clip-lock zinc can be easily fastened together to form a durable, stable housing unit. Clip-lock zinc (.55 mm) is twice as thick as traditional zinc (.27 mm) and can be clad with fibre cement sheeting for increased strength. Also, owners can begin by purchasing one room, and then can easily expand.
Solid State Lighting
- Over the past 10 years LED technology has rapidly improved to a point where it is now feasible and cost-effective to use solar-lighting in shack settlements. A system with two 1-watt LED bulbs (equivalent to 40 watts of electrical lighting), a notebook-sized solar panel, a battery, and an outlet for charging a cell phone costs R1250 and can light a home for 3-4 hours per night. In an informal survey of communities built outside the power grid, FEDUP found that families spend around R100 per month on candles – thus, the solar lighting system can be fully repaid within a year. Since the LED light bulbs are extraordinarily durable, the solar panels are good for 20 years, and the batteries must be only be replaced every 5 years (for about R100), the costs of system maintenance are minimal. There are, of course, some limitations to solar lighting – the system still does not produce electricity, and light generated by LED bulbs is not equivalent to electrical lighting. However, advancement in solid state lighting is happening very quickly, and, for now, it is a much more cost effective, environmentally-sustainable option than paraffin or candles.
Solar Geyser
- Solar Geysers consist of several narrow glass tubes which feed into a water tank at the top of the system. Water enters from the bottom, flows into the glass tubes, and heats up through solar energy. The warm water rises and filters into the tank at the top. A solar geyser with a 150 liter tank coasts R3,600 – though this cost is somewhat prohibitive for the poor, iKhayalami is working with government to subsidize solar geysers, lowering electricity use in urban settlements.
Dry Toilets
- Although we have explored the technology of dry toilets, this does not seem to be a feasible product for settlements of the urban poor in South Africa. There are many environmental benefits to dry toilets – however, most people who come to urban areas, want to have the luxuries associated with city life, including flush toilets. Since the government does a fair job of providing toilet facilities in urban areas, shack dwellers are not typically inclined to take advantage of this product.
PRESENT SITUATION:
From our work with the federation, we know that people are interested in cheap, inexpensive incremental housing units – and have adopted the motto: “Rather a cheap house now, than an RDP house in 10 years time.” When slum dwellers build houses, they erect structures quickly – out of necessity – making improvements when money becomes available. The government, however, prefers to establish norms and create protocols, securing land, organizing services, and then, finally, beginning house construction. Crucial to our success is our ability to partner with organized community federations to bring their housing knowledge and expertise to local governments. We attempt to change the mindset of government ministers – demonstrating that the slow delivery of mortar and brick houses is not the only solution to the housing crisis. In partnership with community federations, we offer our housing products as alternatives, particularly to be used in times of emergency (shack fires, floods) and during housing relocation ventures with governments and communities.
Although iKhayalami is only a year old, we have already built 200 housing units in the Western Cape and twelve in KwaZulu Natal. Here are some current examples of our community housing partnerships:
KwaZulu Natal
- Ethekweni: The Durban municipality has acknowledged the challenges of inner city upgrading, and is partnering with city dwellers to develop a sensible housing strategy suitable to all stakeholders. At present, there is not enough land to sustain all of the current inner city residents. So, government has offered two options – residents can remain in the city and live in more densely packed housing or move to a settlement four kilometers away. Those who have chosen to stay will be accommodated in temporary, transit housing while inner city development is taking place. Ikhayalami will be supplying the transit housing.
Western Cape
- Philippi: Through a partnership with CESVI, Ikhayalami will build 6 prototype houses on land adjacent to the Sizakuyenza Safe Home (see description) as part of a housing exhibition for community members and governments. This exhibition will challenge the general practice of state agencies, donors and even NGOs who often assume that the design, construction and financing of houses has to come from experts and professionals. Community members (particularly women) will be invited to walk through our houses, debating and discussing housing designs that are best suited to their needs. In this way, we hope to make the process of development more democratic and interactive, respecting the knowledge and desires of the urban poor.
- Philani Nutrition Centres and Children of South Africa (Chosa): Recognising the importance of dignified housing, Chosa and Philani have partnered with us to build one housing unit per month for families identified by their field workers.
Northwest Province
- Devondale: We are currently erecting 3 corrugated fibre cement units for a housing exhibition in the Northwest Province. With support from the Siyabhabha trust, the Devondale community and the local government, we will enable the poor to interact with so-called “professionals,” discussing construction materials, building sites and project costs to find appropriate pro-poor housing solutions. After the Housing Exhibition, Siyabhabha will fund the construction of 35 homes, and the government will fund between 160 and 330.
PROJECTED OUTCOME:
Ikhayalami will continue to work with organized community groups and government to find low cost solutions to the housing crisis across South Africa, using alternative, environmentally sustainable technologies. We hope to become a hub of research and development for the rest of Africa to explore alternative technologies and experiment with pro-poor housing solutions.