Please click on images to enlarge The shack The cleared site Filling the sand bags The initial skeleton Our first eco-cottage is complete! Monwabisi shacks Monwabisi eco-cottage Imagine replacing every shack with a duplex double-storey eco-cottage . . . This innovative South African building system was developed specifically for the upgrading of squatter camps. The simple yet sturdy system of sandbags and ecobeams is easy for unskilled workers. Our eco-cottages are being built by the community who are taking immense pride in being able to build their own houses. Eco-beam and sandbag houses use no water except for in the plasterwork; they are fireproof, bullet proof and very well insulated. We are combining natural, sustainable energy systems in our build which will mean free electricity from abundant sunshine and wind power. Sewerage waste will be processed in a biogas digester which will provide free gas to cook on in the kitchen and fertiliser for the food garden. Furthermore, conventional new housing procedures result in the relocation of families piece-meal to undesirable concrete boxes in far off developments, with the resultant break-down of otherwise vibrant socially healthy communities. However, by building eco-cottages in place of each shack the community protects its social structure! Please click on images to enlarge Sandbags in place! Plastering the walls Plastering the walls True community effort

The metamorphosis, from the shack through to the eco-cottage!