We are a super-efficient social innovation programme in real world fight against poverty. We do a post-research spin-off: we build simple concrete floors in rural and slum schools and family houses. It brings to life impressive SDG output in public health, self-employment and inclusive education. We started with an academic SDG3 research. Now we master also in SDG8, SDG4 and SDG1 in Africa

F4A BLOG
Sierra Leone

Simple Pandemic Prevention

London, 4 December 2021

British NHS started unusual campaign. They inform not only about washing hands and wearing face cover to prevent COVID-19 spreading. Now it's also such a basic solution as opening windows included. Have a look: YouTube... The ad asks for opening windows to stop COVID19 hanging around... In fact, it's exactly what we do in Floor4Africa project to reduce the risk of almost all kinds of pandemics in rural areas of African continent. We build inexpensive but durable concrete floors in family houses and we do say: Now you can really clean the floor to live much healthier life at home!

Soil-transmitted NTDs

London, 2 December 2021

There's a fake information spreading among school children at most: "when a good food drops on the floor, it can be still eaten unless 3 seconds have gone". That strange rule has different version in rural African areas, where people experience poverty and shortage of nutritious food. Almost everything falling on the floor can't be just thrown away. Imagine now there are local communities that use e.g. cow waste for covering dirt floors inside their family houses to prevent dusting... Do you know over 1 billion people in the world are infected with Ascaris, up to 800 million with whipworm and almost the same number with hookworm? All three parasites are soil-transmitted kinds of Neglected Tropical Diseases. Our research shows that it is possible to reduce new infections, especially among children, up to 25% thanks to introducing simple, inexpensive concrete floors to rural African family houses. You know we do it so efficiently that the cost is ca. $1/person a year, with 25-year durability of our STAN FLOOR C16/20 standard. And all this with full inclusion of local resources only. Isn't Floor4Africa a multiutility project supporting SDG3, SDG8 and SDG1? Yes, it is indeed!

Our way of pandemic prevention

London, 30 November 2021

Who had imagined that simple washing hands and basic face covering were the most efficient ways of an early-stage response to the global COVID19 pandemic? Only Public Health professionals realise how important are easy, low-cost solutions in preventing development of any pandemic. It relates not only to COVID but even to Ebola. Our research shows that COVID-19 virus can last over one week on dust particles you can breathe in in the most of rural Africa family houses. Up to 80% of inhabitants of African villages experience living in a dirt-floor environment. It means their houses can't be cleaned almost at all to remove not only insects like jiggers but also bacteria and virus from the floor. Moreover, the environment of germs breeding escalates in high temperatures when people have to use water to reduce the level of dust coming from the dirt floor. But imagine, everything changes when such a basic solution comes into the house as our simple concrete floor. Only then people are able to clean efficiently even with a bucket of the rain water. It creates a completely new public health environment in the rural African household prism. The cost is so low that it can be easily introduced to all those over 500 million people experiencing poverty and living in houses with dirt floors. We are excited about our social innovation we carry out for SDG3 in Africa with only local resources and even without carbon footprint.

CSR and SMEs

London, 27 November 2021

People seem to believe the Corporate Social Responsibility can relate only to huge, international organisations. In fact, it used to be their domain several years ago. In 2009 our Roman - now the Head of the AI institute, was awarded with "The Best in CSR" title for his strategy of modern labour market development in SDG5 prism. It was over 5 years before the UN introduced SDGs. This way we follow his approach to responsible business and we include SMEs like "STEFAN BAUSERVICE" into our work for public health good in Africa. Small and medium enterprises are usually more operative and it takes less time to make them co-operate. We realise they have also very good professionals like Stanislaw, who worked out the STAN FLOOR C16/20 standard we implement in the Floor4Africa project from now on. His small construction company based in Germany has just received "The Best CSR Practice for SDGs in Africa" certificate. How many big companies with such a proof of successful work? Not many yet, even though - as you see thanks to our activities - the market is very big.

SDG3 joy

London, 25 November 2021

It's so moving when you realise how big SDG3 job you can do in this world with 400 EUR budget only. Can you see the joy of the Aminata's family of 16? They got nothing more than a simple concrete floor. Not all of them were able to come to express their thanks to us now. People have to do their duties to live their life. What they are saying is: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Aminata is speaking in her native Temne language. Most of us living in the West don't even know such a language exists and people speaking Temne live on the same planet as we do. Now we know more about it. First of all, Aminata appreciates that "the dust is gone" from the house. You know how dust is affecting public health rates in rural African areas, incl. COVID19. Watch the footage to the very end. It's so nice to see the SDG3 joy, also preventing from migration to informal urban settlements in Africa and from illegal immigration in general.

This is the floor!

London, 23 November 2021

Here we go! All rooms inside Aminata's family house of 16 have been covered with our concrete floor. STAN FLOOR C16/20 - the standard designed by our Stanislaw based in Germany, has been implemented by our Sierra Leone team led by Abdul - local construction professional in Northern Province. All floors have long-term durability exceeding 25 years. It means that an average cost of enormous change of living conditions for each inhabitant of that house is: 1 EUR / 1 GBP a year! Yes, ONE only. It means that we also changed significantly the SDG3 preparedness for any kind of pandemic in that particular household, including the COVID-19 one. You realise that coronavirus is much more transmittable in a dusty environment. It can reach human respiratory system much easier when attached to particles of dust. Simple possibility of washing the floor with rain water only implies the risk of transmission goes down by over 80%! Imagine what happens when a person infected with COVID-19 coughs even when alone in the room with soil floor. The virus lands on the floor and can last at least one or even two weeks over there. When a rural African house has easy-to-clean concrete floor, dust with COVID-19 can be washed out at once. The same with other germs and bacteria. It's so exciting what a scale of public health good we do achieve with this simple Floor4 Africa.

Stairs...

London, 22 November 2021

We are excited about the size of change we bring to the village we carry out the Floor4Africa project in. Truly amazing! This is what happens to your mind when you usually stay in an airconditioned office, far away from the real-world issues. Have a look at those stairs on the left and the new ones unexpectedly funded by us. Our project is strictly focused on changing the lack of concrete floors in family houses in rural Africa. You know, no concrete floor means a lot of public health problems. But lack of safe entry stairs can mean a lot of additional problems. Aminata's smart relatives mentioned about the need of new stairs to prevent constant risk of injuries relating to them, as the fastest and the most active members of the family. Due to the fact we really squeeze out the £400 budget with value-for-money implementation, our local construction team led by Abdul found enough of cement, stones and sand to create new entry stairs. No added cost but a lot of added good!

SDG1 - the key to education about poverty... [Part 2]

London, 19 November 2021

(...) Migration from rural villages to overcrowded suburban informal settlements is not a long term solution. Families fall apart. The responsibilities of feeding the youngest and supporting the mothers and elders rest on the shoulders of the eldest sons. With no equal chances for permanent employment, the young people make drastic decisions to risk their own lives and like wanderers set off into the unknown in search of better living and working conditions. And suddenly Africa feels like everything except home… Their young lives are the only hope in their own eyes. And when they travel in fear and uncertainty, the journey is always longer than expected. They feel tired of watching the road as they pass from town to town, from border to border, dreaming about a better place, their bodies drift between quietus and consciousness. They are people, they are humans, they suffer and they love just like all of us. They deserve a good existence, a helping hand... We have only two choices - do something or do nothing.

SDG1 - the key to education about poverty... [Part 1]

London, 18 November 2021

Humanitarian crisis that is arising across the globe particularly affects migrants. People who seek a better future. Recent unrest on the EU’s eastern border, clashes between refugees and border guards are making us wonder where this world is heading. Among tens uncertain of tomorrow, in whirling groups we can notice Africans. What are they doing in this part of Europe? What a dreadful journey they had to make to get to this place, everyday being exposed to danger. What pushed these young people to make such a difficult decision? The only answer is extreme poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa, 41% of the population is living at less than £1.25 a day. Many of them live on the edge of existence. In the annual report on human development published by the United Nations (UN), the African countries of Malawi, Liberia, Burundi, Eritrea, Chad, Sierra Leone and Niger are constantly in last place. Lack of education, health care and an unstable economy make the lives of nearly 500 million people impossible to manage. (...)

Power (up) Africa

London, 17 November 2021

The Sun sets around 6:30pm in Sierra Leone. Abdul's team obviously never at work so late. We promised to meet ILO's R205 recommendation with carrying out the Floor4Africa. However, our local professionals are so excited about doing such an important project with us that they stayed a while longer one rainy day. What a lesson for us? First of all, you can't rely on electricity in many many African villages at all. It's even no blackout issue. People just have no access to the electricity. Yes, in 21st century so many of us are still deprived of electrical appliencies at home. Solar panels are not available to all. Poverty is a real-world fact in Africa. We change only what we can in SDG3 prism of the public health. We are really sorry that we can't do anything about access to a fridge or washing machine. But one day, who knows... First things first!

E2C2 = Easy to Create and Easy to Clean

London, 15 November 2021

Today a few words about the floor standard we created for the Floor4Africa project. Can you imagine what first came to our minds, when we started to think how important is such a facility to improve SDG3 issues in rural Africa family houses? We wanted it to be easily cleanable; like you can clean the floor at least with a bucket of rain water. This way we've got this "STAN FLOOR C16/20" standard our local teams implement in rural Africa family houses right now. It lets people clean floor just with rain water (if nothing else available). It is also very long-lasting, with durability over 25 years. Isn't it nice we bring such a big change to comfort of life for generations? And it costs less than £25/person, because we rely on products you can buy in local area. Cement, sand, stones, everything comes only from local SMEs.

ABDUL IN ACTION

London, 14 November 2021

We are real-world researchers devoted to SDGs. 2030 is coming so soon but our world is still full of inequalities and exclusions. Therefore, the Floor4Africa project - in our opinion - has to have very universal dimension. We focus not only on SDG3 but we also really engage all local resources in action. People always can benefit from what we do in their neighbourhood. So, let us introduce the leading specialist in our construction works in our Mabanta village - Abdul, who is professional in building not only concrete floors in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. You can find details about him on our "Recommendation" page. Let us know, if you'd like to meet him. It's very important to us to boost labour market in rural areas of Africa now, after COVID pandemic. We know how to let indigenous people restore employment history in EIIP of our SDG8 approach.

REAL-WORLD CHALLENGE

London, 11 November 2021

Our works started in a family house of 16, in rural area of Northern Province in Sierra Leone. The head of the family is Aminata, 60. The SDG3 challenge is to improve the quality of life of entire family for at least 25 years, and it can't cost more than £25/person. It means the budget for almost 100 sqm house is £400, incl. the cost of work. Our Stanislaw, who is construction professional, says he'd build less than 10 sqm concrete floor with such a limited amount of money in the EU. In fact it's a German SME "STEFAN BAUSERVICE" that funded this crucial project chapter. So, in Sierra Leone we really can do 10 times more of good. And we are going to achieve it! When materials have been purchased and they brought them to the village, Ms. Aminata said on behalf of all the family: "I still think it is a mere dream!". You should also see children coming to watch what's happening over there. We'll share their opinions soon!

MEET OUR TEAM LEADERS

London, 9 November 2021

Hello to everyone! Let's say something about our team leaders managing the chapter of Floor4Africa project we in Sierra Leone. Roman is university director and head of the AI institute. Stanislaw is professional in construction industry. Sheka is our best at intercultural communication. Grazyna deals with public health issues in academic prism. Lidia is a very good university lecturer. Anna also delivers good lectures and she even builds school in Kenya. Teresa leads Africa Studies Unit. Daria creates future of our world as SDGs activist. All of us have academic bacground. We understand Africa well enough to realise that not much is required to change a lot, in fact. Stay with us, this project is so unique!

LONDON, 16 MAY 2022 / 15 April 2023
We are proud to announce our Floor4Africa project is among social innovations the British Partliament is presenting as a proof of the efficiency in international development and fight against poverty... DETAILS: International Development Committee + Parliament.UK

Google Sites

Report abuse