Our July Gear winner, Andrew Brose, works for MASS Design Group and, in partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), is helping to build a six classroom school for 250 students in the Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He will be using our 16 Watt Solar Charger Kit to charge his MacBook and phone.
The existing Ilima Village Primary School structure is old and insufficient in meeting the school’s needs; one building is made from brick, the other from thatch and rough timber. The school is only accessible by motorbike or bicycle and requires flying to a jungle airstrip and then traveling 120 km to reach the village. The goal of the project is to use as much local material as possible, including sourcing locally woven panels and hand-built furniture for students and teachers. This project will provide the community with not only a school, but also a center to be used for meetings, agricultural trainings, large community gatherings and most importantly education for the children.
About MASS Design Group:
MASS (www.massdesigngroup.org) is a nonprofit architectural firm based in Boston, Massachusetts and Kigali, Rwanda that aims to improve people’s lives through design and to be an example for how designers can rethink their role in the world. Their work, spanning across Africa, Haiti, and the US focuses on leveraging architecture to become an engine for better health, economic growth, and long-term sustainability. MASS’s philosophy about architecture hinges on the adage that design is never neutral; it can either hurt or it can help – and MASS judges the success of its buildings by the level of positive impact they have on the community.
Leave a Reply