Homes for Girls

The non-governmental organisation Ukumbi (Architecture sans Frontieres / Finland), founded by architects Saija Hollmén, Jenni Reuter, and Helena Sandman, collaborates with local non-governmental organisations to improve living conditions. Together with the NGO Lyra in Africa, they improve educational opportunities for girls in rural Tanzania through safe, eco-friendly hostels for secondary school girls who face challenges related to long travel distances and unsafe living conditions. Since 2018 they have built several hostels across the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, using sustainable building methods such as interlocking stabilised soil blocks (ISSB). This article explores the work of Ukumbi, the impact of its hostel projects on girls' education, and the sustainable design strategies they have employed to enhance gender equality and education in rural Tanzania.