Carrying It Out
Providing Technical Assistance to Homeowners

Source: Staff Appraisal Report Mozambique Urban Rehabilitation Project, July 1, 1988, World Bank. The support program is based on efforts of the Direccao de Construcao e Urbanizacao of the Maputo City Council through the Sector de Apoio a Auto-construcao, 1982.

Support may be provided in the following four ways for self-builders improving their dwellings:

Technical Support

• Provision of technical documents and plans: A variety of set plans could be provided to interested self-help builders.
• Possible construction of ‘show houses’: New and/or improved techniques can be easier shown in a full-scale model. Both the process of construction and the competed building
• Overall technical supervision
• Construction training courses
• On-site technical supervision of construction, with building control linked to material supply

Material Support

• On-site provision of building materials: A contract for direct material distribution from a local depot could be let for local building merchants, with preference to existing small suppliers.
• On-site fabrication of building components: These could include latrine slabs, sand-cement blocks and prefabricated lintels and doors and windows. These could be provided by an existing cooperative or small company or as an extension of an existing company.
• On-site availability of equipment and tools: Small tools are better sold and heavier equipment for transport, block making, and scaffolding could be on a hire basis.

Financial Support

• Building loans to cover material and/or construction costs

Organizational Support

• Formation of collective groups for building loan applications
• Training of collective groups for administration and accounts.