Amrita Children’s Home

Amrita Children’s  Home

–housing for a sustainable future

In a windy and dusty place close to Athi River and a one hour drive from the crowded streets of downtown Nairobi, a bunch of brown buildings in different shapes are mushrooming on the dry land. It almost looks like they have been dumped from the moon as they appear in the landscape, only divided from a slum area by a fence. Dust from the heavy trucks passing on the highway is surrounding the seemingly inhabitable area.

The soft-curved and plastic-like buildings will soon be the home for about 100 orphaned children in the age of 6-14. Amrita Children’s Home is the name of this innovative project basing its philosophy on how people in Kenya can adapt to the severe climate changes that the country is experiencing. Moreover, the project incorporates the idea of sustainability and exchange between human beings and nature.

So why choose these brown, plastic-like buildings that seem so far away from the natural environment they are built in? A representative from the organisation Amma visiting the place to help carrying out the project explains: “We haven’t cut down a single tree in the process of building these houses. They are made from fiber glass, and this material combined with the round curves of the buildings help to keep the houses comfortably cold during the summer and hot during the winter. The material is cheap so that Kenyans can afford it, and we hope that this project will inspire others to work with it.”

One of the major problems that Kenya is experiencing in relation to climate change is deforestation; the process of cutting down more trees than what is sustainable. Not only does the Amrita Children’s Centre avoid using wood materials, they also plant seedlings on the eleven acres of land that the centre is covering. The Athi River area is not a friendly place for a tree to grow. Gibson Nabuteya Amenya who has been leading a project on tree planting in the area tells that it has not been raining for five years. Fortunately, the bougainvillea tree is able to thrive despite the harsh conditions. In ten years there will be a circle of green trees surrounding the area.

There is no lack of innovative ideas in Kenya, but there is a lack of finances to fund them. Projects like the Amrita Children’s Home require a lot of funding, but it is definitely worth investing in them. Climate change is an ongoing process, and projects that work to help people adapt to climate change should be of high priority.