2ndholcimawards essays rakai 2x

8/17/2019 2ndHolcimAwards Essays Rakai 2x

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Global Holcim Awards finalist 2009

It takes a village to raise a child, runs tAfrican proverb. Yet for millions of chi

whose parents have fallen victim to HIV

the saying takes on new meaning. Orp

in the Ugandan district of Rakai are in

process of creating their own village –

upon an innovative concept from a Jap

architect.

A strong center builds

a strong communityLow-cost school and home forHIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda

Regional competition Holcim Awards Silver 2008 Africa Middle East; jury appraisal page 95


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estimated. Uganda is open abou

problem and therefore on the w

mitigating its devastating effect

education campaigns are suppo

is strong government leadership

remote areas testing and couns

quite easily accessible.

With President Yoweri Museven

opportunity to reinforce the me

these efforts are bearing results

In a classroom of the Samanya orphanage

in Rakai, some 20 children sing and dance

for their adult guests. More than 100

people sit in the hot and sticky hall,

drenched by mixed emotion – should they

celebrate the strength the children find in

their music, or lament the tragedy of their

suffering?

But the children are unaware of their

surroundings, instead immersed only intheir music and movement, their song

about a life unwished for, but inherited all

the same: “We’re the younger generation

crying for the elder – Aids, Aids, Aids!” The

singing swells. And hope triumphs, not

least because of the future they are

building for themselves.

The fight against Aids

Uganda is a country heavily impacted by

HIV/Aids. It is almost 30 years since the

first epidemic was recorded in the south-

western district of Rakai. Because many

refuse to be tested, the number of

HIV-positive inhabitants can only be

With music and movement, the children learn to cope with their situation.

“This tree is an important symbol for

the community.” Koji Tsutsui


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to care for their younger sisters or

brothers and maintain the household,

possible. Otherwise it is the life of the

streets, fringe-dwellers on the edges

of villages. Or an orphanage if space

is available. Everything suffers – the

children’s emotional development,

basic survival needs of shelter, food

and health care, education. Whether

infected or not, the stigma of Aids

follows them everywhere. A tragedy

in any language.

Average life expectancy is a young 52

years, and wit h the adult popul ati on vas tly

impacted, half of the Ugandan populace is

under the age of 15. UNAIDS estimates

that there are 1.2 million Aids-orphans in

Uganda.

“Love for people”

They live a precarious existence. Once a

mother dies, the family fragments unless

there is strong support from other carers.

It usually falls, therefore, to older siblings

1992, 30% of pregnant women tested HIV-

positive, now the rate is less than 5% but

despite such indicators of success, almost

one-quarter of Rakai’s population are

HIV-positive. The fight against Aids still

continues.

Uganda is often held up as a model for

Africa in the fight against HIV/Aids. But

improving statistics cannot hide the

tragedy of a nation already decimated. The

effects are personal, social and economic.


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NGOs in the capital of Kampala

was no help from any internatio

in Rakai. Aids orphans built thei

themselves and the houses wer

dangerous situation.

It was simply by chance that Mu

decided to support the Samany

orphanage in Rakai. There are si

orphanages operating througho

Uganda, all of which are in need

goal agreed upon was the const

Yet into this mix are people who care, who

support the poorest of the poor, give hope

to those without hope. One such person is

Ssenkima. In 2000, this man from Rakai

was allocated nine hectares of land on the

outskirts of town which were then used

to established the Samanya orphanage

for the first 13 children. Why? His “love

for people”. As simple as that. The shelter

was rudimentary, a hut of corrugated

iron. Food was cooked on an open fire.

Committed teachers conducted lessons

under a large and shady tree. It was a

beginning. It was enough.

Help from Japan

The fact that the orphanage has grown,

and is a warm and beautiful place in

which the children feel loved and at home

is thanks to NGO Mukwano. Established in

Japan in 2006, the meaning of Mukwano

is “close friend” in the local language of

Lugandan. Although there was considerable

support from the government and some


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designed buildings in France, Japan an

the USA. Koji Tsutsui described how

touched he was that the orphans wou

undertake construction themselves,

learning as they went.

“But I also saw opportunities to learn

myself – Uganda is so different to Toky

here was my chance to experience

something completely new.” Koji Tsuts

developed his concept for the orphana

through lengthy discussions with the

people from Mukwano. While it respeclocal traditions, it was still innovative i

design. Normally, Ugandan buildings a

a row – village on one side, road on the

other. Instead, the architect grouped a

series of small houses in a circle like a

traditional African village, and around

tree under which the children took the

A tree called home

Mukwano raised funds in Japan to build

the orphanage. They also found an

architect who was passionate about the

project and willing to forego payment. Koji

Tsutsui is a 37-year-old globetrotter from

Tokyo. He studied through work under

Japanese star architect, Tadao Ando at his

studio in Osaka and undertook his Masters

study in London. In 2004, he opened his

architectural studio in Tokyo and has

a proper home and school, a solid base on

which the children could depend. Longer-

term, the plan is to invest in vocational

training and employment opportunities

for the children as they grow towards

adulthood. Educating the children in

sexual health, to ensure their protection

from the fate of their parents, is also a

priority. Overall, Mukwano aims to

contribute to lessening the HIV infection

rate in the Rakai district.

Earlier, the children were taught under this tree. Now it stands proud at the center of their community.

The buildings are grouped around a central courtya

this way the family feel of the orphanage is strengt


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building a functioning commun

that gives people the feeling tha

belong to a place.” That feeling o

belonging is not to a small degre

by the orphans’ participation in b

the brick and wood houses them

together with their teachers. The

first lessons. “This tree is an important

symbol for the community,” Koji Tsutsui

explains. “It stands at the centre of their

world. For the children, it is the tree which

makes this place home, from which strong

bonds can be forged.”

The power of architecture

Koji Tsutsui’s concept has been developed

with the long-term in mind. He thought

not only of an orphanage, but an entire

village of the future. “When the children

are old enough to live alone, they can

choose to build their own home in the

same style,” he says. “Over time you couldsee many small house groups like this one,

each around its own center. A village

would simply have many centers.”

He is convinced that the present-day

orphanage will, in time, form part of a

larger village. “This is the children’s

home community,” he says. “They will

want to stay.” And there is space enough,

even for the vocational training center

Mukwano has planned. The Samanya

orphanage stands alone on a plateau.

According to Koji Tsutsui, architecture is a

powerful medium for change. “We are

“This is the children’s home

community.” Koji Tsutsui

As the children grow to adulthood, they can plan their own homes and thus grow Samanya from an orphanag


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for play or study. All in the shade. The

children themselves are very proud to

show off their achievements – they ha

built their community out of brick wal

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provided drawings of plans, sections,

elevations and details, but he also gave

flexibility to use the drawings.“I thought

it was important that they could interpret

the ideas themselves, according to their

own local traditions and needs.”

Water tanks and solar collectors

When Koji Tsutsui set foot in Uganda to

see the finished project, he could not hide

his delight:“It looked exactly as I

imagined!” The spaces between the huts

offer the children various oppor tunities

Plans are in place for extending the orphanage – di

and architect discuss various possibilities.

Samanya – a concpet for a small yet extendable village.


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