[Lapg] Sustainable settlement in South Africa

[Maura Jess]

Dear friends and permaculture community members,

Welcome to my new foray into mass mailing, this time with a
quiet(!) list. My apologies to those confused or inconvenienced by my 
fumbling with the email client last time.

I have below a request for support from Joe Kennedy
(http://www.nextaid.org/consultants.htm) who has taken on a project in
Dennilton, South Africa (http://www.nextaid.org/multipurposecenter.htm).
If you are already overwhelmed with wonderful causes, please just ignore
this. But if you have a moment to read the letter and check out his
project, it could be extremely encouraging for you even to know that
this work is going on and perhaps you might consider sharing this 
information with others.

Lots of small help goes a long way.

So, as you are called, I offer participation.

Thanks,
Maura

--------------------------------------------------


For the past twelve years I have been intimately involved in creating
sustainable settlements in South Africa.  In the past two years my
efforts to create models of dwelling that could serve the poorest in
South Africa have intensified.

In 2003 I was approached by the NextAid organization to help them create
a child support center in a rural town outside of Johannesburg called
Dennilton.  Dennilton is faced with extreme poverty (95% unemployment)
and a 40% HIV infection rate.  This center, for a group called Youth
With a Vision, will eventually incorporate an orphan/elder ecovillage,
performance and study spaces, a micro-enterprise element and sustainable
food production systems.  It is our hope that this center can be the
first of many to serve the over 12 million orphans of the HIV/AIDS
crisis in Africa.

In November/December 2004 I traveled to South Africa to do initial
research, meet my “clients” and co-lead an intensive design session with
the children and local community leaders to clarify their needs and
desires. This trip was intense, exhausting and very successful.

In July I will be returning to co-lead a team of builders and educators
to initiate construction of the center.  NextAid has purchased a 16-acre
piece of land that will be the site of the center.  During the 2½ week
design/building and training intensive in July we will be developing the
design of the center and initiating construction of a house and general
purpose space to be used by Youth With a Vision.  We will be using local
materials such as earth to minimize cost and make the building systems
available to the local community.  We will be working with a local
builder who will be continuing work with the community after our
intensive training session is completed.  I will also be working for
several with local colleagues in Cape Town to develop housing strategies
for the crowded townships and informal settlements there.

I am seeking to raise $3,000 in the next five weeks to support my
involvement in this project, and would appreciate your help.  Any amount
will be useful.  And if you are able to forward this email to anyone you
might know who is interested in helping me as well, I would be most
grateful.

Additional information on the project that shows photos and a drawing of
the proposed design can be found at http://www.nextaid.org

Donations are tax-deductible and can be made to Village Renaissance, my
“social profit” institute founded in 2004.  If you wish more information
about my work with Village Renaissance, please let me know, and I will
send you my latest update report.

Thank you,

Joe Kennedy
Village Renaissance
737 Mill Street
Santa Rosa, CA  95404
jkennedy at newcollege.edu
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Maura M. Jess, CNT II
Manager
Neuroscience Computer Lab
Bio2 / Room 6131
http://www.nri.ucsb.edu/SupportAdmin/ncl/ncl.html

Neuroscience Research Institute
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
http://www.nri.ucsb.edu/

phone: (805) 893-4721
fax:    (805) 893-2005