Association la Voute Nubienne (AVN)

Mission

In sub-Saharan Africa, and other regions with similar environments, to promote the construction of vaulted earth brick houses which are environmentally friendly, affordable, and comfortable, using a now well-proven technique: la Voute Nubienne (VN). The VN technique, a simplified, standardised, adaptation of traditional methods from the Nubian region of Egypt, is relatively unknown in the Sahel and West Africa. The project is an exemplar of South > South technology transfer.

Programs

AVN's 'Earth roofs in the Sahel' program has grown exponentially since 2000, with 200 masons trained and 1000 vaults built by 2010: mainly for rural houses, composed of 1 - 3 vaults, but also for communal buildings (guest houses, schools, literacy centres, mosques, a church, health centres...). The program has spread from Burkina Faso to Mali and Senegal, and a new program was launched in 2009 in Zambia.

Current Projects on GlobalGiving

Help build affordable houses for Zambian villagers

Build Sustainable Housing for Families in Africa

Sustainable housing for rural communities in Mali

Personnel Overview

Thomas Granier - President, Association la Voute Nubienne (AVN)
Thomas Granier was a builder in France, specializing in restoration of old buildings. In 1998, at the invitation of Konaté Bomavé, in Burkina Faso, he tried adapting the age-old Nubian vault technique to building houses in the Sahel. The success of these trials led him in 2000 to set up the Association la Voute Nubienne (AVN) to promote this technique in Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries

Séri Youlou - Program Director, Burkina Faso
Séri Youlou, originally a farmer, from Boromo, Burkina Faso, was the first person to train as a VN builder, in 1998. He is responsible for coordinating the ‘Earth roofs in the Sahel’ program in Burkina Faso: organizing the training of apprentices, liaising with NV clients, setting up a NV builders’ cooperative, supervising NV building sites. He is helped by six support staff, in Boromo.

Antoine Horellou - Development Director, AVN
Antoine Horellou is a specialist in social entrepreneurship; he has led several international missions to Africa for NGO's, and decided in 2006 to design a development strategy for the AVN. Currently, he is seeking to improve the social impact of the NV technique, to develop an innovative delivery strategy, and to improve the productivity and number of NV builders.

Personnel Statistics

Thomas Granier,
Director of Operations
Founded in 2000
Employees: 11
Volunteers: 12

Financial Statistics

Budget (2009): £ 253,606
Budget (2005): £ 18,822
Maximum Budget: £ 253,606
Overhead: 10 %
Other funding sources: some clients (e.g. NGO's) give 20% of the total cost of their buidling project to support our Program; we also receive some public and private support (e.g. Veolia Foundation, individual donations).
Religious Affiliation: None