Fuller Center for Housing Comes to the Congo
Fuller Center for Housing Builds Homes in the Congo
- by Kelly Daniel
A universal dream for all people – a nice home for one’s family – will be made a reality in Makana II, a village just outside Brazzaville where a joint project with the Fuller Center for Housing, Embassy Brazzaville, USAID and International Partnership for Human Development is underway.
Fuller Center Vice President for Programs David Snell visited Makana II on January 27, along with Embassy Brazzaville Deputy Chief of Mission Cindy Gregg, USAID Food for Peace officer Jim Conway, from Democratic Republic of Congo, Allie Floyd of B.L. Harbert, and Joe O’Brien, country director for International Partnership for Human Development (IPHD).
“We’re building a better future for the Congo by the little bit of work we are doing here,” Mr. Snell told a committee of Makana II residents.
The project, based on the philosophy of Fuller Center founders Millard and Linda Fuller, involves all residents of Makana II, which has about 30 households. Each family will participate in building their new home, along with volunteers and representatives from the Fuller Center, IPHD, USAID and Embassy Brazzaville. Each family will also make payments on their homes, paying the equivalent of $20 USD on a long-term, fixed-rate schedule. The money will then be used to build more homes in Makana II, allowing the entire community to be transformed. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller implemented a similar philosophy when they founded Habitat for Humanity.
“So you all become recipients, and donors,” Mr. Snell told the Makana II residents. “So this is something you have to come together to do, and we will help in any way we can. …When we’re done here, we’ll have something we can all be proud of.”
The Makana II project is the first of its type in Republic of the Congo and was prompted by Ambassador Robert Weisberg, who met with Mr. Fuller during a visit to the Fuller Center’s Americus, Ga., headquarters. The Fuller Center aims to eliminate substandard housing across the globe. Makana II is a good beginning project for Republic of the Congo since it is near Brazzaville and can be a visible symbol of the potential for this type of housing project, Mr. Snell said.
Deputy Chief of Mission Gregg also encouraged Makana II residents to build upon their early success with the Fuller Center by forming community groups and organizing projects that qualify for the Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund. That program funds small community-based projects, such as bee-keeping or agricultural cooperatives, that in turn help sustain and grow an area.
“It’s a wonderful way to develop a strong community,” Gregg said, drawing nods from the Makana II residents.
The next task for the Makana II village is to begin making the bricks that will be used to build the new homes. Financing from the Fuller Center will pay for other needed materials for the home construction. Work could begin in the very near future, with five homes scheduled to be the first installment. Once those homes are finished, five others would begin, and so on, until the estimated 25 houses are all completed.
Similar Fuller Center projects are currently underway in Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, and Sri Lanka.
“All around the world, people are doing just what you are doing here,” Mr. Snell said. “So I applaud you… (and) I’ll be back in a few months to see the houses.”
