Email: hydra@iafrica.com

The Province of Buenos Aires, (Argentina) started a self-help project three years ago, where an unemployed family could acquire a house with no funds. The Province would make available the money to purchase the material and a Hydraform machine per municipality. A Hydraform trained supervisor would also be made available to train the 16 families (16 men and 16 women). The men and women would then be trained to build their own houses. They would learn to make blocks, build foundations, erect walls (dry stacked) set doors and windows and construct roofs.

The house is plastered inside and fitted with electricity, W.C. and water. When the project started, the cost of a 45 square metre house was $ 13,500. Once they chose the Hydraform technology, the cost came down to $10,000. The unemployed family gets paid $ 400 per month during the construction period. The materials have to be repaid whenever the family can repay it at the interest rate of one per cent. Once the $10,000 is paid back, the family gets the title deed. Because of the saving in cost, the 'simple-to-learn' Hydraform technology and the quality of the soil-cement structure, this project has become a success story and is likely to be applied country wide. Over 4000 houses have already been built through self-help.

A contractor in Malawi (Africa) has been awarded the supply of soil-cement blocks to a 450 classroom school project, financed by GTZ, Germany. In ten months, he produced three million blocks with seven Hydraform machines. The blocks are produced in some of the most problematic areas of the country due to the difficult terrain, lack of accessibility, unskilled labour, and absolute lack of water and power. The blocks are of the highest quality and the building construction is progressing well. The success of this project has spread far and wide and similar projects are starting in Uganda (41000 classrooms) and Tanzania. Now, the Nigerian Government also seems interested in this project. q