Breaking the Cycle of Poor Rebuilding in Afghanistan: A Mission Behind Lana
In this article, I highlight the urgent need for a sustainable housing need in Afghanistan and present Lana as a viable solution to this pressing issue. I discuss the inspiration behind creating Lana, the housing challenges in Afghanistan, and how Lana aims to provide a sustainable, prefabricated housing solution designed to meet the urgent need for safe and secure homes, addressing both immediate humanitarian needs and long-term community needs.
I talk about open sourcing Lana’s data, the current progress, the cost of implementing Lana, and invite contributions to this mission.
Home, our Physiological Need
When I talk about "home," I don't just mean a physical structure. I refer to the profound impact of having a home—or not having one—on someone, especially our children, who are tomorrow's generations. A home is among our most basic needs, as outlined by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: air, food, water, sleep, and shelter. Beyond these physiological needs, a home provides safety, a sense of belonging, esteem, and a foundation for self-actualization. This is why we have architects and engineers to study, design, and build such homes where the community and its members thrive.
The Housing Challenge in Afghanistan
The number of urgently needed homes in Afghanistan is growing, leaving more children to sleep in the mud and endure cold nights under tents. Nearly a million people are in urgent need of approximately 150,000 housing units since mid-2023. It includes the Oct 2023 Herat earthquake victims, 2024 flash-flood victims, and the returning refugees from Pakistan.
I first encountered the term "IDP" (internally displaced people) around 2010, when a large number of people fled their homes in Helmand and other provinces because of war and settled in empty lands in Kabul and some other provinces. I was a member of Hadia, a voluntary group of Afghan youths dedicated to social reform. Along with other organizations, we organized fundraising campaigns, clothing drives, and food distributions to help the displaced people. We thought that these displacements were temporary and they would soon return to their homes and resume their lives.
However, as the war grew, so did the number of IDPs, and temporary shelters turned into long-term irregular, mud-made residences built by themsleves, with little to no access to essential services like electricity and water. The children we once helped are now adults, many without education, starting work as early as six years old, trapped in a cycle of poverty and hardship.
The Cycle of Poor Rebuilding and its Consequences
In addition to internal conflicts, natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods continue to exacerbate the housing crisis in Afghanistan. The October 2023 earthquakes in Herat is a stark reminder of how lives lost could have been saved if homes were built properly. In rural Afghanistan, mud homes are common due to their low cost and accessibility to materials, but this method still requires some technical analysis and skilled labor to be safe.
The construction industry has moved towards modern methods since 2001 and there is a small number of skilled workers who are experts in mud houses. Majority of the people in Afghanistan do not have the financial capacity to hire architects and skilled laborers or use reinforced concrete, therefore they take the account into their own hands.
The current efforts to rebuild homes for the recent displaced people by the individuals and various organizations will only address a small portion of the need. As a result, people will start rebuilding on their own, led by adults with little to no construction knowledge and children serving as laborers. It will take these families generations to rebuild using the same outdated, unsafe methods, perpetuating a cycle where poorly constructed homes collapse in future disasters, killing or injuring them, again. Breaking this cycle of poor rebuilding in Afghanistan is one of our missions behind Lana. Human lives are invaluable, and everyone deserves access to the basic needs of life to become better individuals and effective community members.
Lana, Part of a Sustainable Solution
Lana represents an opportunity to provide communities with proper, parmanent homes—homes that meet a family's needs and help them rebuild their lives with dignity.
Lana is a prefabricated, self-sufficient home that uses solar energy for lighting and heating, features a hygienic kitchen and washroom, and offers thermal and noise insulation to maintain comfort year-round. The steel screw pile foundations and the steel body frame ensure the home can withstand natural disasters. Learn more about Lana.
While prefabrication has some limitations in terms of flexibility, its advantages—speed, cost efficiency, and the ability to mass produce—are critical in addressing the urgent humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Lana is designed to be part of a sustainable solution that not only provides relief but also contributes to the long-term fight against climate change.
The Design Approach of Lana
While designing Lana, I considered what kind of a home I would want for my own family. A home with permanent free electricity, not reliant on burning fossil fuels for warmth or power. It should have running cold and hot water, a clean and hygienic kitchen and washroom to keep my kids healthy. My home must be warm in winter, insulated against wind, dust, and noise, and, most importantly, safe against earthquakes and other natural disasters. My home is my fortress!
Having a secure and comfortable home allows parents to focus invest more time on raising their children, teaching them the core values of life. We cannot build the next generation of communities without first building its members.
The Mission
Addressing Urgent Housing Needs in Afghanistan
Approximately 150,000 housing units are urgently needed for families affected by earthquakes, returning refugees, and victims of the flash floods in Afghanistan. This challenge must be solved by the end of 2030, to avoid another cycle of generation loss. It requires collaborative efforts from governments, organizations, and other stakeholders. Prefabrication, as a method, can potentially cover half of this need—75,000 homes or more.
Open-sourcing Lana and Developing a Skilled Workforce
Once our production rate reaches 20 units per month, we will make all our technical data related to Lana open-source, inviting others to use and improve upon them with our guidance and support. Our data is meticulously refined every step of the way. We will develop drawings, codes, standards, processes, manuals, BIM materials, research, studies, and other necessary materials.
We will also train, test, and certify skilled workforces to work with Lana and other projects. These skilled individuals and teams will not only earn a living from the production and installation of Lana but also from the regular future maintenance of these homes. We will encourage residents of areas where Lana homes are installed to learn these skills and offer maintenance services, ensuring long-term sustainability.
Where Are We Now?
Building our MVP
We are at a crucial stage where we must build our Minimum Viable Product (MVP), our first home. Following the lean startup methodology, we have conducted the research and completed the designs; now it is time to bring them to life. To build our MVP, we are raising $35,000 through Aseel's platform. This initial funding covers many one-time costs and will decrease as we scale up production. Do visit www.aseelapp.com/Lana now and donate an amount.
Lana Pricing and Roadmap
Our initial estimation places the cost of each Lana unit at $10,000 if we produce five units per month simultaneously. As we increase our production rate, the cost per unit will decrease. At a rate of 12 units per month, the cost will drop to less than $7,000 per unit. Our major goal is to build each Lana unit for $5,000 when we reach a production rate of 20 units per month.
This will be achieved through building a main Production Plant in the country, and at least three Assembly Points in multiple zones across Afghanistan. Modules such as walls, ceilings, doors, windows, and other items will be built in the Production Plant and assembled at our Assembly Points, reducing time and cost while increasing quality and efficiency.
Calling for Action
I am calling on those who want to be part of this mission and support us to solve this critical issue. Join our campaign at Aseel's platfrom and help us spread the word and raise funds to build our MVP. This is the most critical part and must be finished as soon as possible.
Additionally, I am inviting organizations to join our cause, invest a small amount, order at least one Lana through Aseel Institution, follow it until the family moves in, and if you find it valuable, order more units to maintain the momentum and help us reach more families.
Collaboration and Support
There is so much to do in so little time. This is a small step on a long journey, but we cannot do it alone. We need partners, supporters, and ambassadors. Our team is rapidly growing, which gives us motivation and energy. Our team members are spread across the world: Afghanistan, Turkey, the US, Canada, and Europe. I will introduce the team separately in another article.
We need more skills, both technical and non-technical. Lend us your time and skills and join us as an ambassador. If you are an architect or engineer, contribute your talents to our work. If you are a marketing professional, social media expert or influencer, technical writer, or have any other expertise that can positively impact our mission, come join us. We are a team of architects, engineers, strategists, marketers, and other professionals eager to exchange ideas and learn innovative ways to solve the challenges quickly and efficiently.
If you want to know how you can contribute, email me at ferdous@tahdab.com, and let's have a chat!
Conclusion
The urgent need for safe and sustainable housing in Afghanistan drives the mission behind Lana, a prefabricated home designed for security, comfort, and resilience against natural disasters. Lana addresses immediate humanitarian needs and promotes long-term environmental sustainability, offering a solution to break the cycle of poor rebuilding in Afghanistan and improve countless lives. As we refine and expand our efforts, support and collaboration from individuals, organizations, and professionals are crucial to achieving our goals and creating a lasting and tangible positive impact on Afghan communities. Join us in this mission to build homes and rebuild lives.
Comentarios