This is the fifth time that I’m thinking and writing about the kind of questions posed by the Berkeley Prize committee. However, it is only the second time that I am doing it as a semifinalist. I have been awarded a Berkeley Prize travel fellowship before to participate in Global Studio Bhopal. It was a terrific experience. Since I was in first year, it set the bar for the years to follow. Even at that time I knew that I wanted to experience this again. These words from my travel fellowship report confirm that, “I still have 3 more years of undergraduate studies and during this time I want to build on the knowledge that I gained in Bhopal, and hopefully win another travel fellowship…”
Now in my final semester, the curtain will draw closed on my time in architecture school in 3 months. So this is the last time I’m doing this. But five years is quite enough time to influence a mindset. I have found myself thinking critically about architecture’s social dimension, both in my curricular and extra-curricular work. My dissertation looked into the condition of sanitation facilities in a refugee camp here in Uganda. I have worked as a volunteer creative writer for Rebuild Global, an organization focused on building for a social purpose. It’s how I think and feel about architecture. I can’t change it. I don’t want to change it. In reality the journey seems to have only begun for me.
Today I find myself with another opportunity to continue this discussion and on a theme that I can relate with personally- poverty. In my essay I shared the story of architects confronting poverty in rural Uganda by designing educational facilities. During the research it was when it dawned on me that poverty has no permanent roots; that through education a community can actually defy poverty. Now I propose to travel to Guatemala to work with the non-profit Hug It Forward. This is a special opportunity for me to continue my research on the link between design, education and poverty eradication.
Like my home country Uganda, Guatemala is a developing country which has had several dark chapters in its long history of military and autocratic rule. After the end of the Guatemalan civil war in 1996, socio-economic and political reforms followed, however the country still struggles with high rates of poverty, crime, drug trade and instability. According to the World Bank, Guatemala has one of the most unequal income distributions and highest levels of poverty in that hemisphere (Taft- Morales, 2014).
Expanded and improved education is inextricably linked to more equitable economic growth, reduced poverty, and strengthened democracy and civil liberties—all of which Guatemala desperately needs (USAID, 2004). Unlike economic strategies, the impact of education on poverty eradication tends to be less direct, although providing long term benefits. Nonetheless, education is pivotal in breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and social exclusion that is the reality for many people (UNESCO, 2001). Hug It forward is aware of this link. Over the past 5 years they have facilitated education and awareness by empowering communities in Latin America to build “bottle schools”. Their vision is of a world where every child has the opportunity to get an education, and to create a better life for themselves and their families; a world without trash, where people don’t mindlessly through things “away”.
Current Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzhai says that one book; one pen can change the world. She may be right. However, in Latin America as Hug It Forward is proving through their work, several empty plastic bottles can mean the difference between literacy and illiteracy. They can positively transform a child’s future. As described in the organization’s website, “”bottle schools” are built using plastic bottles stuffed with inorganic trash, together becoming “eco-bricks”. The schools are much cheaper to build than traditional schools; they clean up the environment, teach lessons about environmental sustainability, and involve the entire community in their construction, resulting in a sense of pride and ownership.”
Details about my exact project site have not yet been finalized. But I intend to be an active participant in the project to which I will be assigned, to literally get my hands dirty. I want to be involved in translating a “bottle school” from the drawing to the actual classroom. I want to work with the kids to carry the trash bottles to site and stuff them with the inorganic materials. Besides the building of a classroom, I want to understand the planning process. How are teams put together? Who takes on what responsibility, why? How is community mobilization done? Understanding these would be crucial for any future attempt to do a similar project back home.
At a time when market forces are eclipsing architecture’s social value, it is imperative not only for organizations to hold onto their visions, but also carefully consider their approaches to realizing them. Like many around the world I’m still confounded by the news of Architecture for Humanity’s sudden closure. But every great vision is bigger than its visionary. It must outlive the visionary. How you do what you do then becomes just as important as what you do. I find Hug It Forward’s approach unique because it starts from a position of being culturally sensitive, innovative, empathetic, thoughtful and reflective. I would learn a lot from their values and principles as I head towards the field of practice.
Guatemala would be about much more than “bottle schools”. It would be about playing with beautiful children, speaking broken Spanish; it would be about real hugs and big smiles. I expect to immerse myself in the country‘s rich culture, characterized by the fusion of Spanish and indigenous influences. The capital (Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción or Guatemala City) has moved thrice, two of which due to volcanic activity and an earthquake. I want to see what else ‘moves’ this city, besides nature’s forces. During free times I’ll mingle with the people, listen to their music, pray in their churches, taste their cuisine, wear a cowboy hat and visit their ranches. I want to feel their architecture as well. I expect to visit the Antigua, a UNESCO heritage site with spectacular ruins of ancient churches and other Spanish Baroque architecture. It served as the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Guatemala. I have seen pictures of this place. They reminded me of the Stuppas at Sanchi, another UNESCO heritage site I visited during Global Studio in India.
In his essay titled “Personal Choices, Social Purpose”, Berkeley Prize committee member Michael Pyatok challenges architecture students to ask themselves this fundamental question, “How do you want your past, and emergent values (those presented by your school) to shape your career to meet the needs not only of your country, but of all humanity?” By constantly asking myself this question and participating in the essay competition and many other competitions, I have become increasingly conscious of the architect’s responsibility to individuals, to community, to humanity. I can’t say I’m there already. In a nutshell, working with Hug It Forward is an opportunity to learn more, and apply what I have learnt before.
Author: Benard Acellam
