Hateka modern mud bricks

More than 238 million Africans live in slums and informal settlements in urban areas across the continent. They have poor access to decent, durable housing and lack access to adequate sanitation, posing serious health issues, especially for women and girls. With a total population predicted to double by 2050, there is an urgent need to develop sustainable housing solutions that allow better access to decent housing and improved sanitation.

In recent decades, the African continent has overwhelmingly adopted modern construction methods, relying on concrete, metal sheets, and glass. This mode of construction is expensive and excludes the poorest households from access to durable constructions with sufficient living areas and improved sanitation. Moreover, this mode of construction is poorly adapted to the hot climate, thermally uncomfortable, and energy-intensive. Due to their high capacity for absorbing and releasing heat, these materials poorly regulate indoor temperature and increase the need for cooling devices, including fans and air conditioners (AC). Although there is a dramatic increase in the use of AC region-wide, several critical buildings still lack access, especially in poor and rural areas. During heatwaves that can span several months due to global warming, classes are canceled, and health centers cannot provide safe hospitalization conditions because of their poor access to AC and reliable energy.

When we moved into our concrete house in Lomé, sanitation was completed only months later because high cement prices had depleted my parents' budget. During hot months when the temperature goes well above 90F, we sleep on the concrete roof for relief. However, our female siblings and elderly parents cannot do the same for health and safety reasons.

When we were kids, we used to visit my grandfather Hateka (his nickname) in the village, where we slept comfortably in his mud house even during hot months. Mud houses are ancestral artisanal bioclimatic constructions that contrast with concrete-based construction by using local renewable materials that keep the indoors cool. However, during the modernization of the construction sector fueled by the rapid urbanization of the continent, this sustainable mode of construction was abandoned for two reasons: first, artisanal techniques are not adequate for the construction of large, bulky, multi-story, and aesthetically pleasing modern buildings and houses. Second, unlike concrete, glass, or metal sheets, there is no mass production of artisanal materials (mud, clay, fiber, and thatch) to meet the ever-escalating construction demand.

Besides the mode, the rate of construction is also an integral part of the problem; however, it also presents some opportunities to build a better future. In fact, according to UN-Habitat, in sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of the buildings that will be inhabited in 2050 have not yet been built. In the context of a rapidly growing population, this presents an urgent opportunity for developing and scaling novel sustainable housing solutions. Nevertheless, this situation provides the continent with the opportunity to build affordable, climate-resilient housing and sanitation infrastructure for all.

Inspired by my grandfather's belief in mud-based constructions and named after him, our company, Hateka, has developed a technology that allows for the mass production of clay-based mud bricks. Hateka addresses the dual issue of the mode and rate of construction by making local sustainable materials available for construction at the industrial level and by developing construction techniques that rely on these renewable materials. We produce sturdy mud bricks with clay and fiber, and our solution is deployed in local communities to build improved sanitation in rural areas and urban informal settlements. We serve an urgent need by providing a cheap but durable alternative to concrete for sanitation infrastructure.

Our technology makes artisanal techniques modern by developing progressive construction techniques that include local sustainable materials into the current modes of construction. We have developed hybrid houses that use mud bricks for their walls and concrete for their foundation and basic structure. Our walls are sturdy and thick to allow better regulation of temperature and protect against strong winds. This technology helps communities build durable, low-cost schools and health centers that protect against heatwaves, flooding, and strong winds. It also facilitates the transition of low-income households to decent, climate-resilient housing and sanitation without bearing the heavy burden of cement prices. Our mud bricks cost three times less than cement bricks.

As our technology continues to develop, Hateka is exploring ways to use a variety of local, sustainable materials like stones, wood, and thatch to construct one to two-story houses from foundation to roof. This will allow for a full transition to local renewable materials. Our vision is to provide value to low-income communities by offering affordable and sustainable building solutions that improve their quality of life. We are currently working with communities and construction companies in Togo to refine our solution, and we aim to expand in Togo and scale to West Africa and the rest of the continent.

Hateka aims to improve the lives of low-income households, including women and children, in Africa who do not have access to decent housing and sanitation. 

Improved sanitation helps reduce the spread of disease by providing safe and hygienic facilities for waste disposal. This has a significant impact on people's health and well-being, reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid fever. Improved sanitation also has economic benefits, as it can lead to increased productivity and reduced healthcare costs. When people have access to safe and hygienic sanitation facilities, they are less likely to get sick, which can reduce absenteeism from work or school.

With temperatures rising faster than the global average, Africa is one of the continents most gravely affected by climate change, experiencing a surge in extreme weather such as heatwaves, flooding, and high winds. The burden of such extreme events falls heavily on low-income communities, especially those living in informal settlements. Allowing low-income households to access decent housing that is designed to withstand extreme weather has social and economic benefits. When people's homes are protected against the impacts of extreme weather, they are less likely to incur costly damage or loss of property. This helps reduce the financial burden of recovering from a disaster and can promote economic stability and resilience.

Though we are based in Togo and plan to scale to the sub-Saharan African region, our solution can also be exported and adapted to other regions facing similar housing issues, most notably central, southern, and southeastern Asia.

The core team of Hateka consists of Koffi Nomedji, a rural development specialist and PhD in cultural anthropology; his mother Tatey Adzoavi Nyuito, a specialist in water and sanitation in rural and poor areas; Sophie Agninde, a civil engineer specialized in local materials; and Abdel Darou-Salim, an international development specialist focused on infrastructure project management. 

Our journey started ten years ago with a local non-profit created by Adzoavi and her son Koffi, who decided to help their communities, especially women and girls, have access to improved sanitation. Called ALAFIA, the non-profit conducts community-led total sanitation programs across Togo, funded by UNICEF. The programs help households from rural areas and informal settlements build their own sanitation by using available materials. Unable to afford cement, households use random scrap materials. However, they expressed difficulty in scaling this makeshift method to their entire communities because they cannot rely on scrap materials.

We worked with them to find a solution that consists of using ancestral techniques relying on local renewable materials that can be easily harnessed. We brought Sophie and Abdel in to help communities transform local materials such as clay and fiber into sustainable and durable bricks. It worked with a few communities, but we realized that moving from one community to the other and repeating the same process of training locals on how to make mud bricks is not efficient and hardly scalable to country and regional levels.

Moreover, after the pilot project when all the latrines were constructed, there was a surge in demand for mud bricks which artisanal time-consuming techniques could not fulfill. Several communities and local stakeholders, including organizations and construction companies, suggested the creation of a company that can mass produce at an affordable price. Hence, we decided to create Hateka as a solution that makes mud bricks available at scale in order to allow households to have convenient and handy access to affordable mud bricks that can be used to improve their sanitation and housing.

Our solution has helped build improved sanitation in 35 villages and 5 urban informal settlements of Lomé, Atakpamey, Vogan and Akebou. It helped 40,000 people have access to improved sanitation, 95 households transition to decent housing. We also helped 8 communities build additional classrooms and one community build a new health center.

The future of the world's construction sector is at play in Africa. With the regional population predicted to double within the next three decades, Africa, and by extension, the whole planet, are in a race against time to shift the construction sector towards low-emission goals and sustainable housing for all. Hateka is a promising technology-based solution that addresses climate adaptation and low-carbon housing issues in Africa. Our solution has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from the construction sector, improve the quality of life for those in need, and promote sustainable and resilient housing practices. Solve will help us take this solution to the world stage and present it to experts and investors who can help us take it to the next stage of growth and scale. Solve will allow us to make the right connections, learn from other innovative solutions and technologies, and contribute to their development as well. Solve will give us the opportunity to contribute to a better future by helping communities and households dream of better sustainable housing and living conditions. A future in which women and children do not wake up every day worrying about access to sanitation and related health issues.

Hateka is innovative in its approach to addressing the housing and climate crisis in several ways: 

Use of local, sustainable materials: Hateka uses locally available and sustainable materials such as clay and fiber to create sturdy mud bricks for construction. This approach not only reduces the carbon footprint of construction but also creates a market for local materials, empowering communities and reducing reliance on expensive and unsustainable building materials like concrete.

Hybrid construction: By combining mud bricks with concrete for foundations and basic structures, Hateka has developed a hybrid construction method that utilizes the strengths of both materials. This approach allows for more efficient and durable construction while still incorporating sustainable building practices.

Low-cost and accessible: Hateka's solution is low-cost and accessible, making it a viable option for low-income households and informal settlements. Our mud bricks cost three times less their cement counterparts. By providing an affordable and sustainable alternative to current building materials, Hateka is helping to address the affordable housing crisis in many regions.

Climate resilience: The use of mud bricks in construction provides better insulation and temperature regulation, protecting against extreme weather conditions like heatwaves and strong winds. This makes Hateka's solution an effective way to increase climate resilience in vulnerable communities.

Hateka's innovative approach to sustainable and affordable housing has the potential to catalyze broader positive impacts from others in this space. By demonstrating the viability of locally-sourced, sustainable materials for construction, Hateka could inspire others to adopt similar practices, ultimately leading to a shift in the market towards more sustainable and affordable building materials.

Additionally, Hateka's focus on climate resilience could encourage other organizations and individuals to prioritize resilience in their own building practices, ultimately leading to more climate-resilient communities across the globe.

Our impact goals for the next year and the next five years are as follows: 

Next year, we aim to provide improved sanitation to 30,000 people in rural areas and urban informal settlements by helping households construct 4,000 latrines using our mud brick technology. In five years, we aim to provide improved sanitation to at least 2,000,000 people by contributing to the construction of at least 300,000 latrines. 

Next year, we aim to train and employ 120 local workers in the production of mud bricks, construction, and installation of latrines. In five years, we aim to train and employ 2500 local workers.

Next year, we aim to help 150 households transition to decent housing and in five years we aim to help 15,000 households.

Next year, we aim to construct 10 schools and health centers using our hybrid construction technology, providing access to quality education and healthcare to 10,000 people. In five years, we aim to construct 500 schools and health centers, providing access to quality education and healthcare to 700,000 people.

To achieve these goals, we plan to do the following:

- Build strategic partnerships with NGOs and government agencies to identify and prioritize areas with the greatest need for improved sanitation infrastructure.

- Establish local production facilities for mud bricks to create employment opportunities and ensure the availability of materials.

- Develop and implement training programs for local workers on mud brick production, construction, and installation of latrines.

- Collaborate with local communities to design and build hybrid houses, schools, and health centers that are climate-resilient, affordable, and environmentally sustainable.

- Scale up our production and distribution capacity to reach more communities in need and encourage the adoption of sustainable construction practices by other actors in the construction industry.

By achieving these impact goals, we believe that Hateka will catalyze broader positive impacts by providing a replicable and scalable model for sustainable housing and infrastructure construction that leverages local resources and expertise to create jobs, improve health outcomes, and mitigate climate risks. We hope to change the market by showing that it is possible to build quality, low-carbon homes and infrastructure at scale, while creating social and economic benefits for local communities.

To measure our progress towards our impact goals, we are currently tracking the following indicators: 

- Number of mud bricks produced: We track the number of mud bricks produced to measure our progress in increasing access to sustainable building materials.

- Number of homes built or upgraded: We track the number of homes built or upgraded using our technology to measure our progress in increasing access to decent, affordable, and climate-resilient housing.

- CO2 emissions avoided: We track the amount of CO2 emissions avoided by using our technology compared to traditional construction methods to measure our progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

- Number of jobs created: We track the number of jobs created in the production and construction processes to measure our progress in promoting local economic development.

- Health and sanitation improvements: We track the number of improved sanitation facilities built to measure our progress in improving health and sanitation in local communities. 

We will continue to refine our indicators and data collection methods to ensure we are effectively measuring our progress towards our impact goals.

Hateka's theory of change is based on the idea that by providing access to affordable and sustainable building materials and techniques, we can address the urgent need for safe and durable housing and sanitation infrastructure in low-income communities. Our activities focus on producing clay-based mud bricks and developing construction techniques that integrate local and sustainable materials into the current modes of construction. 

Immediate outputs:

- Increase the availability of affordable and sustainable housing solutions for low-income families in urban and rural areas by leveraging traditional mud construction techniques and integrating modern innovations.

- Increase access to adequate sanitation infrastructure through innovative design and building practices.

Intermediate outcomes:

- Improve health outcomes for families living in inadequate housing and sanitation conditions, particularly for women and girls who are disproportionately affected.

- Promote the use of renewable and locally-sourced materials, creating opportunities for small-scale local businesses and enhancing the resilience of communities.

- Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional concrete-based

- Construction and the use of cooling devices, thereby mitigating the impact of climate change. 

Long-term outcomes:

- Reduce poverty and inequality by providing affordable housing and sanitation infrastructure to low-income families.

- Improve the quality of life and well-being of communities by providing comfortable and sustainable living environments.

- Increase economic opportunities and job creation in the sustainable housing and construction sector, particularly for small-scale entrepreneurs and women.

- Promote cultural heritage and traditional knowledge by preserving and integrating mud construction techniques into modern building practices.

Hateka expects to achieve these outputs and outcomes by: 

- Research and development: Conducting research and development to innovate and refine traditional mud construction techniques to make them suitable for modern, multi-story, and aesthetically pleasing buildings.

- Design and planning: Collaborating with local communities and stakeholders to design and plan affordable and sustainable housing and sanitation infrastructure.

- Training and capacity building: Providing training and capacity building to local builders, entrepreneurs, and women to promote the use of traditional mud construction techniques and innovative building practices.

- Partnership and collaboration: Partnering and collaborating with local governments, NGOs, and other stakeholders to leverage resources and support for the implementation of sustainable housing and sanitation solutions.

- Monitoring and evaluation: Conducting monitoring and evaluation to assess the impact of Hateka's interventions and continuously improve its approach.

- Through these activities, Hateka expects to transform the construction sector by promoting sustainable and affordable housing and sanitation infrastructure, reducing poverty and inequality, creating economic opportunities, preserving cultural heritage, and improving the quality of life for communities across the African continent.

Hateka's core technology modernizes the use of local, renewable materials and artisanal construction techniques that have been used for centuries in many parts of Africa. We have developed a mechanized process that allows us to mix, mold, dry, and cure the bricks in seven days. To put this in perspective, concrete bricks take seven to fourteen days to cure properly. Our technology uses a combination of renewable energy and natural processes to dry and cure the bricks. The drying process uses a combination of glass and solar drying systems to create a greenhouse-like structure that traps heat and accelerates the drying process. The glass enclosure also protects the bricks from rain and wind, which can damage the drying bricks. The curing process uses a combination of solar-powered forced-air drying systems and mechanical presses. This process produces uniform mud bricks with consistent size, shape, and improved durability, which help ensure the quality of the final construction.

Our improved latrines and sanitation structures are entirely made with mud bricks, from the foundation to the top. Our testing has proven that the mud-brick foundations are strong and can withstand heavy rain and minor flooding. However, we are conducting further development to ensure these types of foundations can support entire houses and buildings. Meanwhile, Hateka's hybrid construction techniques involve combining traditional mud-based construction techniques with modern construction methods to create durable, climate-resilient structures. Hateka is able to provide added stability and longevity to buildings by using a hybrid approach that incorporates concrete for the foundation and basic structure.

Hateka's hybrid construction techniques are adaptable to a wide range of building types, from housing in rural areas and urban informal settlements to low-cost schools and health centers. As the technology continues to develop, Hateka is exploring ways to use a variety of local, sustainable materials like stones, wood, and thatch to construct one- to two-story houses from foundation to roof.

Ensuring diversity in the leadership team and staff is a priority for us. We actively seek out and recruit individuals from underrepresented groups and cultivate a culture that values and supports diversity. Our core team is comprised of an equal number of women and men, and as locals ourselves, we prioritize hiring from the communities we serve. We also provide training and resources to our employees to help them understand and address issues related to diversity and inclusion.

Our company's goals and objectives reflect a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. These values are ingrained in our mission statement and strategic planning process, as we are dedicated to serving a diverse range of underserved communities.

To address systemic barriers that have prevented the full participation of women in the construction sector, we are currently only working with female engineers and construction designers.

We foster an inclusive work environment by promoting a culture of respect and open communication.

As a social enterprise, Hateka's business model is to provide sustainable and affordable housing solutions to communities in need, while generating income through the sale of its products and services. Hateka's key customers and beneficiaries are the local communities who need access to affordable and sustainable housing and sanitation infrastructure. The company provides them with sturdy and durable mud bricks that can be used to construct schools, health centers, and homes.

Hateka's revenue streams include:

- Sale of mud bricks: Hateka produces and sells mud bricks to individuals, communities, organizations, builders, and construction companies.

- Construction services: Hateka also offers construction services to individuals, organizations, and companies interested in building with mud bricks. This includes building design, project management, and construction services.

- Training and workshops: Hateka provides training and workshops on sustainable construction techniques, including mud brick construction, to individuals, organizations, and companies.

- Consulting services: Hateka also provides consulting services on sustainable construction to organizations and government agencies.

Overall, Hateka's business model is focused on providing sustainable solutions to communities while generating revenue through the sale of its products and services.

Hateka aims to achieve financial sustainability through a combination of revenue streams, including the sale of products and services, grant funding, and potentially raising investment capital. By selling bricks, the company generates revenue to cover its expenses. Providing construction services generates substantial revenue while also creating employment opportunities for local workers. Hateka has received grants and plans to continue seeking them to support its research and development.

Additionally, the organization is exploring impact investing opportunities to raise capital from investors interested in supporting social enterprises that address global challenges. By diversifying its revenue streams and seeking new funding opportunities, Hateka aims to achieve long-term financial stability while continuing its mission to provide affordable, sustainable housing in Togo and Africa.

For the past three years, Hateka has generated revenue from sales and services to cover expenses and invest in its mission. Last year, the company surpassed the $750,000 revenue milestone, with a growth rate of 35% and positive cash flow. In addition to revenue, Hateka has received grants from organizations such as Africa Energy to power its drying and curing process with renewable energy. The company's partnerships with local communities and the government of Togo have also helped to secure impact investment from a strong network and gain support for its work.