Blum Center for Developing Economies
News

Building Homes with Low-income Communities in Guinea

For Aboubacar Komara, a combination of cultural values inspired the mission behind Kaloum Bankhi–a registered NGO in Guinea that maximizes existing and limited housing space for people in the slums of Kaloum.
Blum Center
January 23, 2020
1 min
Four young boys sit on a wooden platform that is part of the framework for a new building under construction. The structure is made of wooden beams, forming the skeleton of walls and a floor. The boys, who appear to be around 5-7 years old, are dressed in casual clothes and look directly at the camera.

Aboubacar Komara, founder and president of Kaloum Bankhi, says his upbringing in Guinea and the United States has shaped how he understands architecture. Born in Guinea, Komara moved to the U.S. in 2013 and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in architecture in 2018. He explains that the combination of cultural values from both countries inspired the mission behind Kaloum Bankhi–a registered NGO in Guinea that maximizes existing and limited housing space for people in the slums of Kaloum, located within the capital city of Conakry.

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