Architecture for Humanity Helps Poor Communities

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

Slums are   populated areas of housing where people live in   and
dirty conditions. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that by two thousand
twenty, a billion and a half people will live in slums. These are among the people that a
group called Architecture for Humanity wants to help.

Architecture for Humanity is a nonprofit organization based in California. The group

provides free   and architectural services to poor communities. Cameron

Sinclair is the executive director. He says Architecture for Humanity has developed a

network of about four thousand   in one hundred countries. They partner
with local communities to work on projects. Cameron Sinclair says a "community design"

process gives everyone an   in the project.

Architecture for Humanity also provides money and   training to build

structures. In some cases, this training has led to separate micro businesses within
communities.

Architecture for Humanity is ten years old and has built about two hundred fifty
structures around the world.

The group is building schools in West Africa through a   with UNICEF, the
United Nations Children's Fund. And it is working with football's governing organization,
FIFA, to build sport centers in Africa before the two thousand ten World Cup.

The group also designed housing and community plans in   after the South
Asian   in two thousand four.

Structures built by the nonprofit do not require electric power.

Two years ago, Architecture for Humanity launched a Web site to make architectural

plans and   freely available for download. The Open Architecture Network has
about twelve thousand registered users and two thousand projects. Anyone can add
projects and ideas to the site, openarchitecturenetwork.org.

Cameron Sinclair predicts that the Open Architecture Network will one day have enough

designs to fit any   or situation.

Architecture for Humanity has a   this year of almost one and a half million
dollars. The executive director says about ninety percent goes toward materials, labor
and skills training.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. A link to
Architecture for Humanity can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can find
transcripts and MP3s of our reports