Loco children’s centre building charity win prestigious award for sustainability

​As we near the end of our first year of Loco’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre in Uganda, we’re delighted to hear that Haileybury Youth Trust (HYT) who constructed the building to such a high standard last summer, has been awarded an Ashden International Award for Sustainable Buildings 2017.

Like all buildings from HYT, Loco’s ECD Centre was built using ‘Interlocking Stabilised Soil Blocks (ISSB) Technology’. This method uses only 5 - 7 % cement which is added to soil and compressed in a block press. The bricks are air-cured rather than fired, recyclable and produced onsite which reduces carbon emissions. Their interlinking design means they can be ‘dry stacked’ which is a quick and easy method. With no kiln, workers are not subject to air pollution or accidents from fire.

This prestigious international award was presented on the 15th of June at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London. There were more than 200 entries from all over the world for this year’s Ashden Awards  and after a rigorous process HYT was selected as the international winner in the sustainable buildings category.

​The ceremony was attended by a large number of people connected with sustainability and development, where former US Vice President, Al Gore, gave the keynote address.

​HYT trains young Ugandans in this innovative, carbon-saving building technology, giving them construction skills that improve education, opportunity and livelihoods. 

They transform communities, building low-cost school buildings and installing rainwater storage tanks and sanitation facilities. This is done in a way that preserves rather than damages the beautiful Ugandan landscape.

Mauricia Nambatya, Country Manager for HYT says “We are at a really exciting moment in HYT’s journey and are thrilled at this recognition. None of what has been achieved however, including this wonderful award, would be possible without the help and encouragement of our supporters and friends. That is YOU”.

​We’d like to congratulate HYT on an extremely well deserved award. Find out more about their work, the ECD Centre in Loco and our Child Protection Teams, working in the slums surrounding Jinja.

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