Education Against all odds : Liberating learning from the circle of despair and hope

Education against all odds Liberating learning from the circle of despair and hope

Achyut Siddu Master’s Thesis at Chalmers School of Architecture Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering Master’s Programme of Architecture and Planning Beyond Sustainability [MPDSD]

Chalmers University of Technology 41296 Gothenburg, Sweden Tel : + 46 (0) 31 - 772 10 00 Examiner : Dag Tvilde Supervisor : Emilio Brandao

© Achyut Siddu 2018

To Beatrice I ask the indulgence of the inaudible voices that may read this book for dedicating it to the child within themselves. For I have a serious reason; children lack the ability to equate difference with discrimination, they lack the ability to hold onto strong prejudices, it is curiousity and not incentives that moves them into action. Hence I will dedicate the book to the child from whom this grown-up grew. For all grown-ups were once children - although few of them remember it. And so I correct my dedication: TO BEATRICE WHEN SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL

About the Author : Born and raised in India, the uncertainity of social impacts of any creation fascinated him. In regard to this, in 2017, he worked in Kenya in the domain of pedagogical transformation of childhood education in informal settlements. This masters thesis is a continuation of such explorations of the future of education.

Education : Bachelors in Architecture [B.Arch] School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal.

Achyut Siddu +91 789 324 71 60 achyutsiddu@gmail.com

Masters in Science [M.Sc] Architecture and Planning beyond Sustainability [MPDSD] Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg

Figure 1. Author’s picture, Sandy Kalleny (2018). Gothenburg

Acknowledgements I would start off by expressing gratitude to everyone who have helped me reach this point in time. While the list is long I would like start off by laying stress on the people who have contributed to the direct/indirect execution of this project. Chronologically, I would start off by thanking my supervisor Emilio, who has been more than just his title. Thank you for having faith in me, for faith has no rational to it. Then come scores of people across the globe, many of whom I have never met , and yet have donated to the crowd-funding campaign “Help a 100, count to 100�; your contributions have had a reinforcing effect on my self belief.

Next, I would immensely thank Alex, Sena and Bane, without whom this thesis wouldn’t have taken such form. Thank you for teaching me and contributing towards the well being of the project both in terms of knowledge and resources.

A special shout out to Anne, Evance, Apollo, Pamela and the children of Future Hope Academy, for keeping the spirits high. Steve and Andreas, for teaching me, by being themselves, how to be a better human being and then a better professional.

Coming to the people who have done the thankless job behind the scenes not by virtue, but with love. My diplomats, Sara, Camilla and Virginie for their relentless supply of motivation. Titis and Zhang, for all the humor and support.

Apoorva Mishra, for unconditionally being my shadow and shade, in sunshine and rain. My parents and Anuj for ensuring the eradication of potential odds against this journey.

Lastly, but most importantly, my best friend, the Caroline Moser of my life, Vineetha Nalla, thank you for always being the truest mirror there is. For refracting light when I saw none, and reflecting it in times of delusion. For building the foundations of this adventure. Thanks Baap.

PS: For all the people I have missed out on mentioning (including God), I have you in my heart.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 1 Where 2 Why Education, Why Kenya?

When 12

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PART I 13 Understanding the Context 14 Historical Structural Development 15 Colonial Hangover 16 Insight into Obunga 18 HIV in Obunga: A Social Challenge 19 Child Vs. Context 20 How? 22 Nature of Conversations 24 Networks of change 25 Crowdfunding and Funding applications PART II 30 Congregating Forces 32 Multiple Persona’s 34 Site Justification 38 Site Synthesis 39

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Breaking Ground 44 Budgeting and Accounting 45 Installing a water supply connection 46 Concrete filled mild steel columns 50 Food Security 56 Drafting Terraforming Plans 57 Biology 101: Seed Germination 58 Physics 101: Water Management 60 Biology 102: Compost Training 62 Impacts of Terraforming 63 Modern versions of Indigenous craftsmanship 68 Backbone Collaborators 69 Projects intersecting at Future Hope Academy 70 In-Situ Mild steel roof truss fabrication 73 Thermal Insulation 77 False Ceiling : Out of Ceramic cooking stoves 79 Future Plans 86 PART III 87 Critical Reflection 89 The next big question 90 References 91 List of figures 92 Appendix 94

Liberating learning from the circle of despair and hope

Abstract: In Kenya, a child is orphaned every two minutes. That is 700 children every day. A third of them are orphaned due to HIV / AIDS. The social stigma attached to the disease and their condition has made society impervious to these children. Having no parents to look after them and being ostracized from the society, has left them vulnerable to exploitation at a very tender age.

Carol Coombe aptly suggests metaphorically enough that poverty, HIV/ Aids, and education together create a circle of hope and despair. While poverty and HIV/Aids thrive on each other creating the air of despair, education on the other hand which is known to provide some hope for a way out of despair finds itself tangled in social challenges which prevents itself from finding the necessary ingredients to sustain itself.

For countries caught in its grip, for families devastated by its onslaught, and for children affected by the pandemic. The big question that then arises is how do we achieve a sustained development of education essential for an effective response against the despair of poverty under conditions where a pandemic[HIV/Aids] and its consequential social challenges are destructive of the capacities essential for that response.

How can the service of education then thrive, let alone survive this attack of the pandemic, when the recipients and the providers of the service have much more complex material, emotional and learning needs? To nurture and reinforce, if not create; existing networks and agencies that enable this sustenance of education is what my thesis aims to achieve.

In relation to Carol Coombe’s notion of the circle of despair and hope; this master’s thesis aims to create conditions where hope exists despite environments of despair. To create conditions for education to thrive amidst and despite the corrosive forces of poverty and HIV. This Master’s thesis is neither a sad story of orphans, nor a pornographic documentation of informal settlements. But a story of what is possible when environments of despair are met with a platform of opportunities.

It is importantly also a story of how to provide these opportunities.

Hopefully this also becomes a story of empowerment.

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WHERE ?

Context : Where on Earth did the project take place?

This Masters thesis finds its context in Kenya, within the Kisumu city which is the second largest city in Kenya. Kisumu finds itself along the banks of Lake Victoria which is the biggest freshwater lake in the African continent. More than 50% of Kisumu’s urban fabric is composed of informal settlements poorest of which is the Obunga informal settlements. This is where the project site is situated 2

‘For over 50 years education in Kenya seems like it has been failing year after year. Almost 20 years after independence with Kenya having one of the highest budget spending on education in the world (20% of GDP), the Kenyan education system still lags behind in terms of quality.

The Kenyan government spends the equivalent of $258 per child on primary education, yet accomplishes less than the government Zimbabwe ($100 per child). If the problem is not the lack of money, then just what has gone wrong? It is this failure at such colossal scales that interests me to investigate what really went wrong apart from the obvious stated reasons of corruption and ineffective executions of policies.

[Were, P (2015). Reforming Education Systems in Kenya. Nairobi: TEDx.]

Why education?, The reason why education is such an important pillar towards Kenya’s development pathway is because a proper education remains the only way to break the cycle of underdevelopment and poverty in which majority of Kenyans are still caught.

A proper education system has the potential to increase the employability or income generating capacity of Kenya’s majority poor thereby enabling them to be employed or be entrepreneurs in their own right mitigating on the high inequality levels in Kenya.’

[Were, P (2015). Reforming Education Systems in Kenya. Nairobi: TEDx.]

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‘My story started in March 2017, when I first visited Kisumu, Kenya as a part of our master’s course called ‘Reality Studio’. During our time there, we dealt with transforming pedagogues within early childhood education by introducing the aspect of learning by playing. Our project aimed at pedagogically transforming formative education by including creative play in both the teaching and the learning process of a child. To encourage diversity of perception and intelligences and the creation of an environment where a child can be a child. The project was not just a narrative exercise of our experiences, but was a revelation of a school of thought called Playocracy. Playocracy is a tool we developed, to inject playful learning into conventional and obsolete forms of teaching. It helped us bridge the gap between the limitations of teaching and the curiosity of a child. Playocracy in this project has been manifested in the form of a playground that was built together with the children, local craftsmen and our team in twenty days along with the help of generous donations [1300 US dollars] from across the globe over a very short period.

This intervention was built using participatory methods, engaging the primary users (OVC: orphans and vulnerable children) so as to give them a sense of responsibility and a safe place to learn and grow within the informal settlements of Obunga, Kisumu.’ [Siddu. A, Lundström.C, Mohammadi.S and Mure.V (2017) Playocracy: Where a child can be a child. Göteborg : Arkitekter utan gränser]

Reality Studio 2017 Project : Playocracy

Figure 2. Playocracy opening day, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

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Inspired by what we achieved last year, this year as a part of my masters thesis, I revisited the idea of building safe spaces for children along with the provision of early childhood education and its effects on the community and settlement. The plan was to scale up the contribution towards addressing early childhood education.

Figure 3. Playocracy playground, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

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Figure 5. Playground-cum-outdoor classroom, Anne Olieba (2017). Kisumu.

OPENING DAY

Figure 4. Playocracy opening day, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

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ONE YEAR LATER 7

FORESIGHT

Figure 7. Playground post construction, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

The Playground was built around a 90 year old tamarind tree which was within the property of Juliana Primary school, being run for orphans and vulnerable children. The playground was received immensely well by the community as it was an social oasis for hundreds of children, which proved to be a boon to single mothers as they would leave their children in this new found public space and head to work.

This bought with it challenges towards regulated play and surveillance. It revealed voids in our then naive processes of community engagement and scratches in our foresight. Frequent issues of vandalism and unsafe playing conditions were popping up and that is where failures were revealed.

Figure 6. Playground before construction, Camilla Lundstrรถm (2017). Kisumu.

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HINDSIGHT

Although the process of creating the playground was intensive in its approach towards the engagement of children, it was developed devoid of an in depth understanding of the nuances of an inherent social fabric. The nature of the creation of this place of self-expression for the orphans was highly non inclusive of the immediate social fabric of the context. The process majorly relied upon acquisition. Acquisition of knowledge, material, experienced creativity of craftsmen and the spontaneous creativity of children. The form of participation was placatory in nature.

Hence it was initially met with elation, suspense and eventually disappointment.

Just as sandcastles are swept away by the waves, social fabrics will seep through the cracks of architectural denial, eventually degrading the hopeless purity of the forms within- because those forms conceived in a political vacuum, can put up to no resistance.

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Figure 7. Playground post construction, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

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What came as a wonderful surprise was the addition of toilets in close proximity to the playground. Owing to the increased footfall of children in the playground. Local NGO’s and community organizations [1.Practical Action: Technology challenging poverty, 2. Umande Trust: Innovative Solutions, sustainable communities and 3. Nyasayeber] got together to improve the sanitation infrastructure of the area by installing WC’s and urinals for the children coming to play there. This synergy of agencies with diverse competencies in our absence was heartening, but more importantly led to my realization for the need of such synergies to address complex social challenges.

This was my strongest “why” to go back to Kenya. To create a synergy of agencies and change-makers to address the issue of sustaining education in such environments. To create a network that would ensure the sustainable development of early childhood education.

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WHEN ?

Project Timeline: The Masters thesis can be grouped into three major chunks of time: 1. Conception, Hypothesis and Networking: [January & February] 2. Field Trip in Kenya: [March & April] 3. Record and Theorize: [May & June] It is to be noted that the project has a trans-disciplinary nature to it, entering domains of organic farming, craftsmanship and Architecture.

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PART I

UNDERSTANDING HYPOTHESIZING CAMPAIGNING NETWORKING

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UNDERSTANDING THE.CONTEXT

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Historical structural development ‘Founded in 1898 as Port Florence, Kisumu became the terminus for the Uganda railway and, as a port, overtook Port Victoria at the mouth of the River Nzoia. At the time, the town was ideally located on the shores of Lake Victoria, at the end of the caravan trail from Pemba, Mombasa and Malindi, and with the potential for connections by steamers to the whole of the Lake Basin. Over time, Kisumu developed as a colonial town to serve as a railway terminus and a lake port, a legacy that subsequently created the present structural problem resulting in the broad “slum belt” in the built-up area of the town. In 1908, an outbreak of bubonic plague led to the zoning of residential areas in the town, which in my opinion was the genesis of the present day challenges that the port town faces. The zoning was done on principles of a ”Garden city concept” which was coincidentally initiated in 1898 as well, as a movement by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. One can hence deduct that Kisusmu was the testing ground for Britain’s contemporary urban planning.’

[UNHABITAT, (2005). Cities without slums: Sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. pp.16-36. Nairobi: SIDA.]

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Colonial Hangover Kenya was among the 62 nations that were under the rule of the British Monarch and like any other colony, Kenya too has visible systemic manifestation of the rule. Kisumu’s vicinity to Lake Victoria, made it a strategic location for colonial administration in the from of a port. ‘Colonial administrative settlements of the British rule all over the world had two basic functions: a) as a source of control of the local population and establishment of British rule, and b) as a center for collection of revenue and development of economic enterprises for the mother country.’

[UNHABITAT, (2005). Cities without slums: Sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. pp.16. Nairobi: SIDA.]

The only thing that has changed after the colonial period is the concept of mother country. Kisumu’s economic development is still controlled from a national core that swings and sways to the tunes of global markets and trade which tends to have very little trickle-down effects on the city. Central government still sees the local authorities as revenue bases and remains somewhat wary of their potential for independence.

Kisumu still successfully functions on the principles of industrialization.

Hence if one is to looks at Kisumu as a system with certain features designed to accomplish certain things, then one shouldn’t be surprised if it actually accomplishes it. Kisumu is a town still functioning on the foundations of colonial administration, whose visible implications can be observed in its urban fabric.

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Figure 8. Kisumu CBD, Africa Briefing (2018). Kisumu.

Block A

Figure 9. Kisumu town, Fidel Okoth (2017). Kisumu.

Block B

Figure 10. Kondele, CKUAA (2018). Kisumu.

Block C

The segregation was done as follows: ‘Block A: -Consisted of the port, official residences for colonial officers, government and railway headquarters, prison, police posts and hospital, together with residential areas for Indians and Europeans employed in the town.

Block B: -Developed as a buffer block between Block A and C. Block C: -Was the official African residential area.

However, beyond Block C, a new settlement of African villages was rising just outside the town boundary. The type of development in the area was poor, with semi-permanent housing structures and very poor sanitation facilities.

In 1930, the town boundary was reduced “to make it more manageable”.

This reduction in town boundary effectively excluded the settlement areas beyond Block C. Therefore, the residential area developed as a peri-urban unplanned settlement, without any basic infrastructure. On the other hand, the areas in Block A had infrastructure, grew in an organized manner and housed the better-off urban residents. After independence in 1963, Block B merged into Block A as demand for land within the central parts of the town grew. Eventually, what initially was Block B merged into Block A, in the process becoming part of the inner city Subsequently, Kisumu’s slum area continued to expand outwards. However, in 1972 the surveying and issuing of land title deeds in areas newly acquired for municipal expansion gradually reined in this expansion.

By that time, more than 50 per cent of the population lived in the slum belt.

As the expansion of the central parts of the town had accelerated, so had the density of population in the slum area.

Kisumu has grown from humble beginnings as a railway terminus in 1898 to a haphazardly growing town today. Being a relatively young town, its concentric pattern of expansion is breaking as the city extends to new areas.

The slum belt forms the outer ring of the old town as a residential area for the poor working class that is in rapid transition. The transition is making itself felt in the urban structures, affecting the capacity of existing access roads to cope with changes. Thus in conclusion it would be safe to deduct that the challenges that Kisumu faces today in a consequence of incompatible concepts injected into its fabric during colonial times.’

[UNHABITAT, (2005). Cities without slums: Sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. pp.16. Nairobi: SIDA.]

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Insight into Obunga: ‘Being located on the edge of the industrial zone, the informal settlements of Obunga majorly comprise housing and retail for a significant number of lowly paid blue-collar workers. Many of these are on short-term contracts that give them little job security, and therefore they can afford only very low-quality housing. Over 80 per cent of households live in semi-permanent housing structures. Rents in Obunga are comparatively lower than in Kisumu’s other slum settlements because of the access problem and proximity to industry. Rents are a function of house sizes.

In most cases, houses are poorly built with little ventilation, broken walls, and drainage right upfront. Most houses have neither electricity nor piped water connections, due to poor planning and the low incomes accruing to landlords. The desire to maximize on rental income has seen landlords put up many small, congested houses with no vehicular access at all and no consideration for sanitation facilities. To top all of the above inconveniences, is the perception that this settlement holds in Kisumu. Obunga has a reputation as a “robbers’ den” There is a saying that “it is only the exterior of Obunga that is ugly but the inside is quite good.” Stolen goods, illegal liquor and people of mixed and dubious professions are the hallmark of the sub-zone. Insecurity is high in Obunga and is only compounded by lack of streetlights. The vast majority of residents earn relatively low incomes from occupations that include brewing of illicit alcohol (a major income earner) and fishfrying (Mgongo Wazi) which acts as a source of both food and income.

Sale of firewood for cooking and fish-frying is also widespread. Bodaboda cyclists and handcarts act as means of transport and sources of employment. Itinerant trade is the easy way of earning income, as little capital is required to start the business. A few people seek employment outside the area as construction workers, Jua Kali artisans, running kiosks, hawking, as well as formal employment in services and manufacturing. A number of residents are jobless at any given time as most employment opportunities are on a casual basis.’

[UNHABITAT, (2005). Cities without slums: Sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. pp.33. Nairobi: SIDA.] 18

HIV in Obunga : A social challenge

[UNHABITAT, (2005). Cities without slums: Sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. pp.35. Nairobi: SIDA.]

‘HIV/AIDS is rampant in Obunga, which in my opinion must be perceived as a social challenge rather than a medical challenge. The fuel that fires the spread of the disease lies in the social fabric of Obunga. Since Obunga is near Lake Victoria, the opportunity to buy and sell fish should be a great one. However, the factories get the fish first, remove the fillets, and then sell the remains of the fish to women called fishmongers. These women then fry these fish and sell them within the settlement. What seems on the surface, as a source of income and food to a community, is actually makes it a cultural reason for the spread of the disease.

Among the populations most at risk for HIV/AIDS are the people in the fishing industry because the transactions between the fishermen and the women who prepare and sell the fish often involve sexual favors.

Largely, if the women don’t sell fish, they brew alcohol. The bad news: the two brews made in Obunga, chang’aa “kill me quick” and busaa, are both illegal. The worse news: the brew contains substances such as jet fuel, formaldehyde, and battery acid to make it more potent, and in turn incredibly lethal. Because it is illegal, the women who brew the alcohol have to consistently bribe police to stay in business and not go to jail.

Without bribes, a brewer might make upwards of $12 USD per week.

The work of brewing alcohol is incredibly tough from morning to night.

Women haul molasses, take 2-3 days to make the brew, and are often harassed from customers that have had one too many drinks. It is a popular pastime of mostly male community residents who often create environments leading to non consensual sex, which further aggravates the spread of HIV. ‘

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Child Vs. Context: ‘Geographically located along Lake Victoria, Obunga is an informal settlement in the northwest part of Kisumu, Kenya; and like any other context possesses a unique character. Having a population of 15,00020,000 people. Obunga has a character of it’s own that brings it many challenges. Trade in stolen goods, brewing of illegal liquor, presence of people of dubious professions and lack of streetlights gives Obunga a reputation of being a “robbers’ den”; making it a zone of high insecurity. ‘[UNHABITAT, (2005). Cities without slums: Sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. pp.33. Nairobi: SIDA.] . Set within a hand to mouth style economy generation, children often do not get the opportunity to access education and instead help their parents in bringing food to the table. In addition to the environment of sustained poverty, these settlements in Kenya must also deal with the persistent pandemic of HIV/AIDS. While efforts of counterattacking HIV/Aids in the past two decades were focused principally on preventing the spread of the disease, the disease itself has transformed into a crisis at multiple scales. It has very quickly transformed into a vast complex set of social, behavioral, governance, economic and psychological factors that constitutes an entirely new phenomenon. With the government resorting to prevention schemes and vote bank politics, the consequences of the pandemic aren’t being factored into development planning -yet. ‘A child within such a context, is either infected or affected by HIV, thereby developing much more complex cognitive, social, and emotional needs. Aids-affected children may be ill and unmotivated. They must cope with trauma and stigmatization of Aids-related loss in the family.

Many are orphaned, isolated, and undernourished, and at greater risk of sexual abuse, violence, and withdrawal from school.’ [Coombe, C

(2001). HIV/Aids, Poverty and Education: The circle of hope and despair. pp115 Stockholm: SIDA.].Thus, the method in which education is imparted

within such contexts needs foundational renovations.

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‘The issues that need to be addressed include declining of school enrolments, delayed enrolments, erratic attendance, poor attention and performance, higher dropout levels. Perhaps the most difficult impact is the ‘inchoate unease’ that is said to characterize education system in Kenya as loss, isolation, grief, and stigmatization pervade learning institutions. Both educators and learners have difficulty concentrating in the face of illness, death, mourning, and dislocation.

Learners affected by the presence of HIV/ Aids have a widespread sense of anxiety, confusion, and insecurity. The psychosocial needs of affected children – manifested as visible problems like truancy or antisocial behavior, violence, and withdrawal – which are rarely met.

Figure 11. Future Hope academy: Typical classrooms, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

Despite the failed effective response, there are two resilient pillars of strength that have emerged, which I believe have a central role to play in counter attacking the effects of HIV on education. The first is the notion of accountability, as well as an environment of public activism, which is well and strong in communities that are hard-hit

by Aids. Communities where people are ill and dying are filled with initiatives that help strengthen their resiliency as they work together for survival, as the government ponder over their next moves. The second pillar of strength is youth who have shown they have the energy and confidence, the ability to learn from their experience, and the sheer dramatic audacity to fight this disease among their peers.

All then that is needed are platforms and agencies, interventions and policies, injected locally and globally, that acknowledge these pillars; and accordingly nurture and reinforce their nascent potentials.

In resonance to the quoted text below, it is not awareness that they need, but an opportunity for action. Opportunities that empower them instead of crippling them into dependency for transformation.’

[Coombe, C (2001). HIV/Aids, Poverty and Education: The circle of hope and despair. pp-115 Stockholm: SIDA.]

Figure 12. Juliana Primary School, Maxime Deschepper (2018). Kisumu.

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HOW ?

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RESEARCH QUESTION : How to ensure a sustained development of education essential for an effective response against the poverty trap, under conditions where a pandemic [HIV/AIDS] and its consequential social challenges are destructive of the capacities essential for that response.

OBJECTIVES : 1.To nurture and reinforce, existing networks and agencies that enable the sustenance of childhood education via capacity building of those who impart education.

2.To rationalise, institutionalise and consolidate upgraded learning environments, through appropriate infrastructural improvements, including design, delivery strategies and approaches towards learning.

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My journey back to Kisumu, Kenya was deeply rooted with an intention to equip myself with the competency of creating an environment of constant synergy between agencies and changemakers of diverse capacities. Owing to the success, learnings and shortcomings of the Playocracy playground. I already had a list of actors to start off with.

Experiences from the previous year created a nagging concern within me that conventional methods of architectural communication were radically reductive in their nature. Especially when the issue at hand doesnt necessarily require an built form intervention. Drawing while remaining fertile with possibilities for an architect remains mute to an outsider.

In order to achieve a form of synergy which was transformative ,long lasting and non-placatory; communication and conversations in my opinion had to transcend the rhetoric of drawings.

What is suggested here is the nature, that conversations should possess to create ‘networks of change’.

Firstly, conversations must move an architect from a detached observer to an active participant in an otherwise considered frivolous topics of dialogue. Secondly, create an environment where there is a constant anticipation of the future visuo-spatial possibilities in terms of time and occupation rather than looking at interventions as fixed and empty forms. Thirdly, conversations must bring into play the inception of social relationships because, as Rom Harre rightly suggests, ‘the primary human reality is in humans in conversation.’ Conversations hence must not only be limited to the issue at hand, or about an immediate problem to be solved, but also spill over into the mundane of what one had for dinner and like wise. Lastly, conversations must be openminded, for they give rise to unexpected consequences, that may lead us to paths that may never be found via logic.

In all these four ways, conversations can actually describe what architecture in such contexts must aspire to be, namely temporal, contingent, social occupation of space- a world left undiscovered in the reductive nature of drawing.

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NATURE OF CONVERSATIONS

NETWORKS OF CHANGE

STEP 1: Gather previously engaged actors, inform them of a plausible collaboration.

STEP 2: Ask the actors to gather the agencies and stakeholders within their domain of action.

STEP 3: Rewire their networks of agencies with one another, creating a transdisciplinary force for action.

Things to keep in mind prior engagement: 1. Acknowledge the imbalance of power and knowledge and accomodate diverse forms of networks, which may bring along with them diverse interests & conflicts, but ensure a holistic development of interventions.

2. Try not to dictate conversations when engaging with the stakeholders and their networks; instead softly direct it to bring out the citizen expert within the expert citizens.

3. Think long term when making desicions. Do not cut corners to ‘finish’ the project. Invest in people,invest in networks; for architecture is a skill of imagining human situations rather than fantasizing spaces.

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How to read this diagram?

The diagram illustrates the interaction between 3 elements [actors, agencies and their sphere of influence of their network] that combine to form a cohesive force towards a unified action. Each actor along with their commanding agency is denoted with a colored circle with a black dot at its center, more like an iris and a pupil. To begin with, the diagram is to be read from right to left starting from me in a faded red circle to Architect Sans Frontiers denoted by a grey circle. It is to be noted that both these entities are connected via a horizontal line [primary axis], above which are actors and below their commanding agencies and entities under their influence.

These actors and their entities are color coded based on their sphere of influence or the nature of their network. The further the distance from the faded red circle [Achyut Siddu],larger their sphere [circle, in this diagram] of influence. Starting from personal networks leading to community, local and regional level networks; each form of network encompasses the previous , finally ending at Architect sans frontiers which has an international circle of influence. The project aims to congregate these agencies across diverse circles of influence and rewire them to each other into this fabric or a web like synergy [ illustrated below the primary axis] which work as a collective.

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It is to be noted that this diagram plays a pivotal role is understanding the holistic vision of the design process.

Across different levels and means of engagement, the diagram illustrates the interaction between stakeholders, actors and their agencies working as a collective, among and across diverse spheres of influence.

‘If form giving is understood more deeply as an activity of making sense together, designing may then be situated in a social world where meaning, though often multiple, ambiguous and conflicting is nevertheless a perpetual practical accomplishment.’ [Forester, J (1985)] [Till, J (2005). “The negotiation of hope” from Blundell Jones, Peter and Petrescu, Doina and Till, Jeremy, Architecture and Participation pp.36, London: Taylor and Francis.]

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CROWDFUNDING & FUNDING APPLICATIONS Having to go back to Kenya in March 2018, with an intention to build a school, so as to accommodate at least a 100 of such vulnerable children; to facilitate this, I started an online fundraising campaign called ‘Help a 100, count to 100’ which aimed to raise money to procure materials and facilitate construction. Through this campaign I was committed to provide children an access to education within the informal settlements of Kisumu, Kenya.

Based on my experiences from last year, I had estimated a budget of 4000 US dollars for building the school, details of which are attached with this document.

50% (2000 $) of these required funds was raised via online campaigning and donations. The rest of which was gathered via funding from Architect Sans FrontieresSweden [ASF-Sweden] & contributions from student groups who collaborated in this venture.

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FUNDING APPLICATIONS

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PART II

EXPLORATION EXPERIMENTATION IMPLEMENTATION REINFORCEMENT 30

Figure 12. Juliana Primary School, Maxime Deschepper (2018). Kisumu.

Day 1 : Revisiting students of Juliana Primary school.

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Congregating Forces: The two month field trip in Kisumu kicked off by reconnecting with the actors that worked with the playground project last year. First of them being Mr. Lawrence Okongo. Lawrence is a pastor and the chairman of the Obunga residents association, he also owns the land on which the playground is built. Post the opening of the playground, Mrs. Beatrice, who was the key actor in the Playocracy project, the headmistress of Juliana School and Lawrence’s wife passed away owing to cancer. This left the social infrastructure of the school and the playground in shambles. After initial discussions assessing the damages caused, we set out to brainstrom the map of a better future, of more sustainable models of community interventions. This included ideas ranging from including lessons of waste management in the teaching curriculum to integrating microfarming infrastructure in the schools of informal settlements.

The lenghty conversations took off in multiple tangents, the essense of which I call as ‘The rule book’ where we listed out the basic guildlines of building interventions in Obunga that bypass the puddle of corrupt government bodies so as to ensure a sustainable and socially cohesive built form interventions.

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Reality Studio students meet the students of Future Hope Academy 33

Multiple Persona’s: Apart from carrying out my Master’s thesis, I undertook the responsibility of being a course assistant for the course ‘Reality Studio’ since of the studio’s theme for 2018 was ‘City, Child &Culture’ which was in congruence with the domain of my thesis and the studio’s field trip. My personal motivation to take up this role was to push the studio towards a more sustainable form of intervening and integration into the Obunga community, since most of the previous built interventions lacked the ability to last long enough to create a sustainable social impact.

Owing to this reason, I reconnected with Anne Olieba who works for a non-governmental organization called WERK [Women Educational Researchers of Kenya]. I met Anne last year while we were building the playground. She dealt with educational pedagogies and teacher training within the informal settlements of Obunga. We sat together to map out all the schools of Obunga, and eventually planned the filtered out the schools that are in need, through criteria mentioned below, so that if and when the students were to collaborate with any school, they would be in safe hands both in legal terms of land ownership and safe conditions of engagement.

During the students visit to Obunga, local craftsmen from Zingira community crafts [a primary local network for Reality Studio] volunteered to covertly background check the credibility of the schools proprietary as and when we stopped to visit different schools in the community. This ensured the future proofing of our interventions via trustworthy bonds and networks.

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Anne Olieba

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Local craftsmen covertly assessing the credibility of the information being handed out by potential stakeholders.

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Figure 13. Pre-primary classroom: Future Hope Academy, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

Pre-primary classroom at Future Hope Academy 37

SITE JUSTIFICATION After an elaborate session of walk and talk among various schools in Obunga; representatives of the Zingira community crafts,W.E.R.K [Women Educational Researchers of Kenya] and the Obunga Residents Association [i.e.; regional, local and community networks] made a unanimous decision of choosing Future Hope Academy as the ideal site to intervene. Having a perception of the fastest growing school in Obunga, the school enjoys the proximity to the main road, thereby making it easier for the transportation of materials, infrastructural upgradation and resources. Subjectively, Future Hope in the perception of W.E.R.K possesses a dedicated team of teachers and proprietors who run it as educationalists rather than a business venture, which provides them with the will to persist in times of despair.

Adequate space in addition to and 10 year tenure document in the name of the schools Head teacher and all the above reasons sealed the deal for Future Hope Academy to be our future collaborators and partners in this collective venture of Education against all odds.

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SITE SYNTHESIS 39

Figure 14. Future Hope Academy: Site inspection, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

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Inspecting the site with local stakeholders and Reality Studio student collaborators[Bane Alsabawi and Sena Akcicek]

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Figure 15. Imagining future classrooms, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

BREAKING GROUND

A student illustrating her future classroom 44

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Our first meeting with Mrs. Pamela Amunga, the Head teacher of the school, was along with the members of Zingira Community crafts who took the responsibility of executing the built form interventions. What fascinated me was the points of departures in the dialogue between both the actors. They spoke in length about the perception of education in the eyes of the parents of the community and the challenges that hurt the progress of education. Spatial congestion was way behind in the priority as daily challenges of sanitation, the lack of a culture of reading and irregular fee payment gripped the school.

One major issue that affected the quality of sanitary infrastructure was the availability and cost of water. The school lacked a permanent water connection to it premises, which made the administration depend on purchasing water cans which costed 8 times to a government water connection. But due to lack of capital for installing it, the school had to choice but to pay that price. Installing a water supply connection was hence our first point of departure. This not only helped the school cut down its running costs, but also provided water for construction.

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Students curiously watch as the water connection is being installed.

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Figure 16. Site Excavation, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

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Our initial plan of excavating 1.5 feet deep came to a happy halt as we hit an existing concrete bedrock which happened to be the flooring of a building that once existed. This eventually immensely saved us labor and material costs.

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CONCRETE FILLED MILD STEEL COLUMNS

Frugal Innovation : To avoid the long waiting periods for building permits, the nature of construction was to be semi-permanent which can be built sans permits. Hence conventional R.C.C construction would not be possible. Since Steel based construction was considered semipermanent, we found a loophole in the bylaws and turned R.C.C inside out by reinforcing the steel columns by filling them with concrete.

Visually perceived as semi-permanent, these concrete filled steel columns achieve the strength of a permanent R.C.C construction.

Material Traits: -There were significant enhancements in the physical performance post the concrete filling in reference to ultimate load bearing capacity, stiffness and ductility. Altough not imperically tested, the desicion to fill concrete was taken after observing the results of a research paper titled “Experimental investigations on steelconcrete composite columns for varying parameters.�[V Aparna et al 2017 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 80 012029] which showed a 400% increase in strength [59.4 KN pre-filling to 245 KN post filling] 51

Figure 17. Structural Framework, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

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While waiting for the concrete within the columns to set, the team wasted no time in building the plinth with locally sourced Murum [soft stone].

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Figure 18. Structural Framework 2, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

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The presence of a regular supply of water could be perceived in two ways. One of scarcity, water was now 8 times cheaper, hence saving money; two of abundance, we now had 8 times more water for the same cost. We chose the latter and decided to add a new addition to the school, i.e.; a brand new farming infrastructure. The Kenyan government had recently bought radical changes to its education system and encouraged school to move towards more pragmatic ways to imparting education. What could be more pragmatic in teaching biology, than farming, we thought.

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FOOD SECURITY

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Humble beginnings : Our engagement with the primary users of our interventions started with a series of workshop which would eventually help the children nurture, modify and relish the farming infrastructure that we were going to build. We kickstarted the process by teaching the oldest of the lot the basics of seed germination, who henceforth under our supervision would teach it to the younger ones.

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Figure 19. Lessons ignored, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

The entire attempt to make children understand simple biological process can be summed up in 3 words : Elation, Suspense, and Disappointment.

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Lessons learnt : The seed germination workshop was our attempt to reveal a scaled down version of our eventual large scale terraforming vision for the school.

We expected the children to learn and replicate the learnings onto a larger scale. But that was not to be, as children either over-watered the plants or didn’t water it at all, It was like a game for them which soon lost its charm and their attention ran elsewhere. We soon decided against our apprehensions to take the workshop to the next level and actually start terraforming with the children.

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Volunteers from Make me smile foundation assist us as we commence terraforming the soil.

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Fixing the soil for life to thrive in abundance.

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April 2018: Planting Skuma Wiki [Kale] 65

Figure 20. Growing Shamba, Apollo Omondi (2018). Kisumu.

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June 2018: After we left in April, the school took over the farm and planted tomatoes, a very successful cash crop in Kisumu.

Figure 21. Multi-Cropping, Evance Odhiambo (2018). Kisumu.

July 2018 : The school has now starting multicropping, as it simultaneously grows ginger, watermelon, tomatoes and Kale.

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MODERN VERSIONS OF INDIGENOUS CRAFTSMANSHIP

Backbone Collaborators : The influence of regional networks on this project was immense. The constant synergy between Reality Studio and Zingira Community crafts formed the backbone of this venture. In addition to Alessandro Howe who took charge of creating the farming infrastructure, Bane Alsabawi and Sena Akcicek who were Reality Studio students took charge in making vital design and project management decisions. In close collaboration with local craftsmen, they developed thermal insulation, daylighting and fenestration solutions by adopting local indigenous techniques and giving them a contemporary twist.

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PROJECTS INTERSECTING AT FUTURE HOPE ACADEMY

Figure 22. Window prototyping, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

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Figure 23. Furniture prototyping, Oskar Lillo (2018). Kisumu.

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Figure 24. Classroom in use, Evance Odhiambo (2018). Kisumu.

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Figure 25. Classroom in use 2, Evance Odhiambo (2018). Kisumu.

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PART III

REFLECT RECORD THEORIZE NEW QUESTIONS 87

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CRITICAL REFLECTION ‘Education against all odds’ since its inception was my moonshot project. The intention behind setting such ambitious goal of sustaining the survival of education in challenging contexts lies in a strong, often clear and compelling sense of ‘why’.

We set ourselves goals we know we can’t reach yet because we know that by stretching to meet them we can get further than we expected. That is why it was paramount for me to go back to Kenya.

To stretch further than our previous attempt to release learning and educational institutes from the clutches of their context.

It would be arrogant to assume that we achieved what we set out on day one of this journey. Nevertheless, we did make progress; and unlike Playocracy, we need to measure quantitatively, by how much.

Goals, I realized needed to be measurable. It cannot be expressed through intangible metrics of happy children, beautiful pictures and tons of memories anymore. It has to be measurable, so that even bigger and better steps, tasks, activities and projects can be initiated with this project as a baseline. This is where a need for a measurable goal setting strategy needed to be developed.

Developing the metrics of success : Setting and achieving realistic goals is a tedious task for anyone with ambitous visions. This is where the OKR method helps. Pioneered by former Intel CEO Andey Grove, OKR stands for “objectives,” which is what someone wants to accomplish, and “key results,” or the plan to get that task done. John Doerr who further developed this method noted that the nature of the objectives must be “Significant, Actionoriented and Inspirational” in co-relation to which good key results are “ specific and time-bound, agressive yet realistic and most importantly measurable and verifiable” [Doerr, J (2018). Why the secret to success is setting the right goals.

Vancouver: TED.]

Impact Assessment through the lens of OKR : ‘Education against all odds’ relied on two compelling, actionoriented objectives. Firstly to nurture and reinforce existing networks and agencies that sustain early childhood education and secondly to upgrade existing learning environments through appropriate infrastructural improvements. This booklet is a compilation of the steps, tasks, activities and projects undertaken to achieve the set objectives. Here are the key results listed below.

Measurable/Verifiable key results : -By building the new 84 sq.m classroom for the per-primary section, the rest of the classrooms reconfigured themselves into larger spaces, increasing the average size of the classroom to upto 80% -The installation of a government water supply connection reduced the cost of purchasing water by 8 folds, thereby reducing the cost of maintaining the toilets and the farm.

-A total of 9 cubic meters of concrete was used to build the classroom.

As a counter measure to this, we terraformed 9 cubic meters of soil into a fertile farming infrastructure.

Results yet to be verified : -The school farm was initiated with an intention to increase the nutrition value per plate of the schools existing feeding program.

By what percentage did it actually increase?

- The relative building performance of the new classroom in terms of thermal insulation is yet to be deduced.

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THE NEXT BIG QUESTION The world in my perception has reached a point where we have built a series of government institutions around the world that are premised on the notion that the problems that we face are puzzles to be solved, hurdles to be overcome. It is premised on the acceptance that governments play an operational role via imparting good practices of governance with its primary task being collecting information and dispensing resources accordingly. But that is not the nature of the world we live in anymore.

Think about education.

It is pretty well expected that one of the most important responsibilities of governments in the modern world is to provide quality public education for their citizens. There is probably no important responsibility when it comes to preparing a modern economy to succeed than having a well educated population.

So how do you ensure that your education system is of the highest possible quality?

Until now, the governments used to think that it’s just a matter of spending enough money on education by making classes small enough or building more schools. We now understand more & more that the most critical person in the whole education equation is the teacher. Good teachers make an enormous difference to how good an education system is.

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How can a system ensure good teaching?

Good teaching primarily depends on the interaction between a teacher and the student, hence it requires a paradigm shift from thinking about students as groups, to students as individuals. It requires the education system to no longer think about serving a classroom of students, but serving a student.

On the other hand, it requires governments to learn how to treat people as individuals, to reassure people who are frightened and to motivate people to change their lives in meaningful ways.

While the world is increasingly being tangled in the whims of market forces and the strings of global trade for perpetual economic growth, how do we ensure that nations adopt more empathetic ways in addressing social challenges?

That is my next big question.

REFERENCES Coombe, C (2001). HIV/Aids, Poverty and Education: The circle of hope and despair. Stockholm: SIDA. Siddu. A, Lundström.C, Mohammadi.S and Mure.V (2017) Playocracy: Where a child can be a child. Göteborg : Arkitekter utan gränser Were, P (2015). Reforming Education Systems in Kenya. Nairobi: TEDx. Aparna. V, Vivek. D, Neelima. K, Karthikeyan. B (2017) IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 80 012029. Thanjavur: SASTRA University.

Till, J (2005). “The negotiation of hope” from Blundell Jones, Peter and Petrescu, Doina and Till, Jeremy, Architecture and Participation pp.2341, London: Taylor and Francis.

UNHABITAT, (2005). Cities without slums: Sub-regional programme for eastern and southern Africa. pp.16-36. Nairobi: SIDA. Doerr, J (2018). Why the secret to success is setting the right goals. Vancouver: TED. Gladwell, M (2018). The future of humanity.Dubai: World Government Summit.

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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Author’s picture, Sandy Kalleny (2018). Gothenburg Figure 2. Playocracy opening day, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

Figure 3. Playocracy playground, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

Figure 4. Playocracy opening day, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

Figure 5. Playground-cum-outdoor classroom, Anne Olieba (2017). Kisumu.

Figure 6. Playground before construction, Camilla LundstrĂśm (2017). Kisumu.

Figure 7. Playground post construction, Sara Mohammadi (2017). Kisumu.

Figure 8. Kisumu CBD, Africa Briefing (2018). Kisumu. Retrieved from: https://africabriefing.org/2018/03/decline-in-political-uncertainty-projected-to-boost-kenyas-gdp-growth/ Figure 9. Kisumu town, Fidel Okoth (2017). Kisumu. Retrieved from: http://nancyokutah.co.ke/2017/10/08/sustainable-employment-for-kisumu-youths-willmake-the-economy-grow/ Figure 10. Kondele, CKUAA (2018). Kisumu. Retrieved from: http://ckuaa.or.ke/index.php/kisumu/ Figure 11. Future Hope academy: Typical classrooms, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 12. Juliana Primary School, Maxime Deschepper (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 13. Pre-primary classroom: Future Hope Academy, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 14. Future Hope Academy: Site inspection, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

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Figure 15. Imagining future classrooms, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 16. Site Excavation, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 17. Structural Framework, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 18. Structural Framework 2, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 19. Lessons ignored, Alessandro Howe (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 20. Growing Shamba, Apollo Omondi (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 21. Multi-Cropping, Evance Odhiambo (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 22. Window prototyping, Sena Akcicek (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 23. Furniture prototyping, Oskar Lillo (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 24. Classroom in use, Evance Odhiambo (2018). Kisumu.

Figure 25. Classroom in use 2, Evance Odhiambo (2018). Kisumu.

*Note: Images/Figures/Illustrations not mentioned in the above list have the author as its source.

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APPENDIX

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