EMBASSY NEWS
Makana II Village Renovation Started
- By Daniel Kelly
MAKANA II – With a twist of a shovel and a small bit of dirt, the renovation of the Makana II village south of
Construction started May 25 on the first of 24 houses that will be built by the Makana II residents, along with volunteers from the Fuller Center for Housing, USAID, International Partnership for Human Development (IPHD), B.L. Harbert and U.S. Embassy Brazzaville. The project seeks to help homeowners whose houses will be torn down in accordance with a 25-meter buffer zone for Route National No. 1 highway, which bisects Makana II and is being expanded and reconstructed.
Loukombo Yacinte, who works as a driver, was selected by the community and the project team to receive the first house, based on such criteria as the current condition of his home and the number of family members living there, among other categories. Mr. Yacinte and his family will help build their new, two-bedroom house themselves, as will each of the homeowners. The project team is donating technical skills and building materials.
“I am happy,” Mr. Yacinte said just before the official groundbreaking ceremony that marked the commencement of the project. “We are very glad."
Charge d’Affaires Cindy Gregg and IPHD country director Joe O’Brien turned the first shovels of dirt, followed by Mr. Yacinte. They were applauded by other Makana II residents, all of whom will benefit from the housing project. B.L. Harbert volunteers Allie Floyd and Gibran Chahine, who are engineers, assisted with laying out the foundation of Mr. Yacinte’s home and are providing technical assistance.
Construction will proceed on approximately five houses each month through December, when all 24 homes are expected to be completed. Each family is building the new house on their current land, so no family has to move any distance or away from their property.
Each family will also make payments on their homes, paying the equivalent of $20 USD on a long-term, fixed-rate payment schedule. The money is then used to build more homes in Makana II, allowing the entire community to be transformed.
The Makana II project is the first of its type in Republic of the
Villa