The Pulaar returnee village of Goural is about 4 kilometers outside of Aleg, the regional capital of the Brakna, in southern Mauritania. In 1989, the village decided to leave their village and land for N'Dioum, Senegal in the best interests and safety of their families, as what is now known as 'the Events' of 1989 were underway. Eight years later, a few villagers returned to what was once the place of their homes and fields to find destruction of their houses and occupation of their land. The people did what they could and constructed makeshift homes out of sticks and hay, and began to establish themselves again in Goural.
Woodless Construction is a method of building houses that originated in Niger and has worked its way west among Sahelian countries through various trainings and projects that Peace Corps has participated in collaboration with numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It is an economically and environmentally sound method of construction that utilizes the virtually free material of mud and clay mixture from the ground in the region, banco, which produces a sturdy brick used for building. Being that the Sahel region of Africa lacks the trees for lumber combined with the high cost of cement, the banco bricks are used as a practical, sturdy, and affordable means of construction. The technique combines a sturdy four wall house with a double-layered dome roof all constructed from banco bricks that also keeps the temperature cool due to the mud content of brick and maintains a strong structure that can withhold the weight of dozens of people on the roof, as well as, withstand the harsher weather during the rainy season.
In the months of May through July the village of Goural as well as 14 masons took part in a training that constructed 15 houses in this technique of woodless construction. Two experienced trainers, previously trained in woodless construction in the Trarza and Assaba regions, led two teams of masons for 8 weeks to assist the reconstruction of the village of Goural into twice the size it was.
The trainers Moctar Kamara and Ibrahima Sy worked from the start to ensure the success of the project. Purchasing the materials at the correct non-toubac [1] price, picking the teams to ensure each team had the equal amount of talent and skill from the masons trained at all different levels, motivating the village to help with the manual labor during the hot season and monitoring the progress of the trainees were just the some of the main tasks they performed. Moctar and Ibrahima were absolutely vital to the success of the project. Almost daily the three of us would gather for a meeting and discuss the issues of the day, questions, the progress and performances of the group, ensuring that there were enough tools and supplies, as well as discussion on motivating the village to participate and assist in the project.
For the first month, the two teams built 6 houses. Due to the nearing rainy season, the project goal of completed construction of 15 houses did not look possible. fter 5 days of suspended work due to the religious holiday, the group reassembled at the beginning of June with a new sense of focus and family teamwork aimed at completing the goals: to learn the skill of woodless construction and help rebuild the village of Goural. The young people were finished with the scholastic year in Nouakchott and returned to the village for their summer break. This brought many new people to contribute to the difficult work. The head masons and I decided that each family that was receiving a house would provide 5 people to support the labor needs. This new rule in collaboration with the paid laborers from nearby villages proved to be effective.
It became evident that the level of active support by the community increased. It seemed that everyone was helping and the project became a social event. Tea and zurig [2] were being made at every house near the sites. Kids of all ages, women, elders, and men carried mud, bricks, and water for wall and foundation construction. This significantly decreased the time it took to raise the walls and soon the houses were being finished twice as fast as during the first half of the project.
On July 2, 2001, the last roof was completed on the 15th house and left approximately one day to install the metal drains and plaster the dome roofs. By the fourth of July the village was twice the size it was two months earlier. The people couldn't believe their eyes, as it became a stop for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) going to and from Nouakchott to see the project and find out if it was possible to construct houses without wood and out of mud banco. The village of Goural had a new sense of pride and accomplishment, as it was with the participation of everyone that it was a huge success.
Each trainee received a certificate from the Peace Corps congratulating their successful completion of the training. The true sense of accomplishment really came from seeing the completion of the houses they had built for the people that they will now consider family. In addition, these trained masons may now take the skill they've refined and return to their villages and replicate the project on a smaller scale for profit.
With the large contribution from the Friends of Mauritania (FORIM) the project was a huge success. It provided homes for former refugees of Goural, increased the marketability of the masons by providing the opportunity for newly trained and experienced masons to use the Woodless Construction method, and raised the awareness of environmental issues as well as the economic benefits of Woodless Construction in this wood-deficient region of Africa. Specifically, FORIM's contribution of $2,500 paid for the doors, windows, and other materials used for the completion of the homes in the project.
I want to extend my appreciation and gratitude to the members of FORIM that made this project possible and enhanced the lives of many in Mauritania. I would especially like to thank Julei Kim for all of her hard work, coordination, and correspondence throughout the entire project. On behalf of the village of Goural and the masons, thank you.
[1] Toubac is a term for "white person" commonly used in Mauritania and other areas of West Africa.
[2] Zurig is a refreshing drink made from fresh or powdered milk, water and sugar.