primary school | africa | summer 2014

For Burkina is a 501(c)(3) non-profit formed by 13 young professionals and students with an interest in humanitarian design. Working with buildOn, the goal was to design + fund + build a primary school for Burkina Faso, a small country in western Africa with a literacy rate of 26%. Design work included research of the culture, climate, construction methods, and natural materials of Burkina Faso, as well as communication with the Ministry of Education, the World Bank, and buildOn engineers in Burkina Faso. In January of 2016 some of the For Burkina group traveled to Burkina Faso to help construct the school alongside volunteers from the local village. The project presented several unique design challenges. Because of Burkina Faso’s hot climate, passive cooling became a top priority. The school is without electricity, which established the need for adequate indirect day-lighting and labor intensive construction methods. All challenges were met under a strict budget of $32,000 which was raised by the team.
 

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