"Woodless Construction" is the name that has been given in the Sahel countries of West Africa to the construction of vault or dome roofed buildings using ordinary hand made mud or adobe bricks. The bricks for the walls and roofs are formed in simple rectangular moulds, smoothed by hand and dried in the open, using the same technique found in all the villages of the region. Both the vaults and the domes are built using techniques which have their origin thousands of years ago in Iran and Egypt.
DW has been working in West Afica since 1980 and today is also a locally registered NGO in Burkina Faso as DWBF, and has been active in Burkina Faso since 1995.
In the countries of the Sahel, DW has promoted the development of sustainable housing and human establishments based on respect for existing values and on the availability of human, material and financial resources which are fundamental to a durable approach and to good management of the natural resources of the region. Needs and the availability of resources of the countries of West Africa are changing rapidly.
Helping women potters in West Africa save 90% energy and make a better living
Nearly every small dusty village in northern Burkina Faso is home to one or more small groups of female potters. These hard working women produce the ceramic water jars, the pots to store food and other objects, and the traditional tubular gutters used on flat mud roofed houses. Selling their surplus is a vital complementary source of income, bringing in much needed cash in the harsh dry season and helping stave off starvation for the family.
