Fuel efficient bricks for affordable rural housing

This brick-making venture located in northern Tanzania was recently established by an NGO that has over a decade of experience making high-quality, affordable bricks. The NGO established a for-profit company to provide low-cost, low-carbon building materials at scale. The bricks made by the company are produced from local clay, fired with the traditional fuel source of agricultural waste rather than wood.

The company’s bricks represent a much-needed alternative to poor, local communities. Previously, locals would need to purchase expensive, carbon-intensive concrete blocks, or use firewood to fire their bricks, causing further deforestation and desertification in this extremely arid region. The improved quality and consistency of bricks produced by the company will improve construction standards in the region. The business has also created skilled employment in the area. If replicated more widely, this technology could have a real impact in stemming deforestation and bolstering local livelihoods.