Mark, our architect arrived and the team is complete. Having visited some of the slums and met some resilient people we turned to the layout of 20 acres of land. Looking at the house designs, by listening to what people want how do you build for this culture, a community that works. The trade offs of aspirations and value for money, the importance of outside living. Do people live in a way because resources have only ever allowed that? The educational aspect will be key. Do we run water to the houses or at this stage or to standpipes where people can gather? For the septics do we run to one large system or have many small ones? Can we make a standard replicable design. Should there be a maximum number on a house or if not do you create a slum in another place?
The insights of Moses and Katherine having spent so much time among those who will move with the technical expertise and experience of the team gives us some great and innovative answers.
So with that in mind we head to the site to measure all the levels and understand the topography. But first to State House and to meet the Chief of Staff as the head of the Sierra Leone Housing corporation who wants us to speak to those in the highest levels of government to explain our vision, especially at a time with so many homeless form the floods of Freetown.
