News

After nine days of intense collaboration, the gatehouse now stands – solid, impressive, and nearly complete. Students and local craftsmen worked side by side, planning, building, and toiling late into the evenings.

What remains will now be completed by the local community – but the result is already visible: a shared structure and a powerful statement for sustainable construction in Ghana.

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In Accra, we had the opportunity to present our project to the German Ambassador, Daniel Krull. Together with our partners from ABC and HSRM, we shared updates on the construction progress in Guata, discussed planned expansions, and highlighted the importance of bamboo and clay as climate-friendly building materials.

A valuable exchange that helps raise the project’s visibility on a political level as well.

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A special part of this construction phase is the clay workshop with ISOPTERA. Together, we’re learning how local soil can be turned into a strong and breathable building material – entirely without cement, but with plenty of experience and teamwork.

As we mix, tamp, shape, and fill, one thing becomes clear: working with clay is physically demanding – and it brings people together. Participants get hands-on experience with the material and develop a real feel for its properties.

This workshop is more than just technical training: it connects theory and practice, people and place – and makes the sustainable vision behind our building concept tangible.

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Every morning, we head to the construction site together – passing through beautiful landscapes at sunrise. Once we arrive in Guata, we have breakfast on-site before diving straight into work: sawing, drilling, adjusting, and refining. The structure is steadily taking shape.

Based on a modular “Bamboo Construction Kit” developed in Jonathan Neulen’s bachelor thesis, the new gatehouse is emerging piece by piece – our first building made of bamboo and clay, which will later serve as both an office and a reception area.

What makes us especially happy: the atmosphere is fantastic. There’s focused work, plenty of laughter, and open learning – from and with one another. The collaboration with the local team is not only effective, but truly enriching.

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After the kick-off in Accra, we arrive in Somanya and finally at the Guata project site – for some, a return to familiar ground. The excitement is high: finally on-site, ready to get started.

Vincent from ABC Ghana enthusiastically guides us across the site. Together, we get an overview of the existing structures, discuss the schedule for the coming days, and prepare ourselves for the construction site.

Now, it’s time to get to work.

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After a productive start to the weekend – with shopping and taking care of necessary formalities – the second Ghana expedition with Hochschule RheinMain begins.

Before heading to Somanya on Monday afternoon, we visit the INBAR office and participate in the “Bamboo Knowledge and Skills Exchange Workshop 2025”.

The focus is on professional exchange about bamboo as a building material for climate-friendly construction, its local processing, and the next steps in the construction of the training center in Guata. The students come with plenty of questions and fresh energy – the excitement for the upcoming construction phase is clearly palpable.

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As part of our fundraising campaign “Bamboo Modular House” that started in December, nearly €4,000 have been raised – and it’s already making an impact: The prototype of the modular house in Guata is being built with bamboo, clay, and combined efforts.

Thank you for joining us on this journey and making the project possible!

The bamboo storage is getting fully completed. A big thanks to everyone involved!
(Bildquelle: DeBleen Ltd)

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The foldable frames for the bamboo storage are being transported to Guata and assembled there.
(Photo credit: DeBleen Ltd)

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The required materials are being sourced, and the first frames are being pre-assembled.
(Photo credit: DeBleen Ltd)

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The formwork for the foundations is being prepared. After that, it is being transported to Guata, directly to the construction site of the bamboo training centre. There, the formwork is being aligned and half-filled to bring everything to a uniform level.
(Photo credit: DeBleen Ltd)

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We wish you a Happy New Year 2025!

The contract for the construction of the bamboo storage has been given to Jan and his new company, DeBleen Ltd. Preparations for the construction are starting in Accra.
(Photo credit: DeBleen Ltd)

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Our donation campaign for the next construction phase in March is online: Donate now!

We are delighted to have gained socialarchitecture e.V. as a supporter and professional partner!
The non-profit organisation supports construction and planning projects to provide housing, schools and utility buildings in developing countries, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. One focus is the reduction of inequality through better access to education, housing and basic services.

Homepage: https://www.social-architecture.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialarchitecture_e.v/

For our bamboo training centre in Guata, socialarchitecture e.V. is contributing 3,000 euros to the construction of the bamboo drying station, which will start in December. The organisation is also offering technical support for future construction phases. This co-operation not only strengthens the current construction phase, but also opens up new long-term perspectives. We are very pleased about this partnership!

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Our first online meeting with Jonathan takes place. As part of his bachelor’s thesis at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, he is developing a house made from renewable building materials in a modular construction system that is specially adapted to the climatic and socio-economic conditions in Ghana. This building will be constructed on the project site in Guata in March and will serve as accommodation for staff and guests of the bamboo training centre in the future. We look forward to working together and realising this innovative concept!

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Antonia is travelling to Ghana for several weeks to represent GROW Colourful Ghana e.V. (GCG) on site. After a few weeks in the office of our partner organisation ABC, she visits Ejura to collect data for a potential project site, strengthen networks with local stakeholders and promote the visibility of GCG in the region. These activities provide valuable insights into local conditions, create strategic partnerships and serve to prepare future projects. The measure is supported with 200 euros to cover transport, catering and material costs.

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We presented our info booth at the Cityfest in Herzebrock and enjoyed a great day full of dialogue and activities. We were particularly pleased with the great response to our offer to build your own bamboo bee hotel – only two of the 22 prepared construction kits remained. A big thank you to everyone who came along and made this day so special!

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Online meeting for the design presentation of the students of the seminar ‘Climate-friendly building’ of the Rhein-Main University of Applied Sciences in the summer semester 2024. The focus was on the design of the main hall of the bamboo training centre in Ghana. In close cooperation with GROW Colourful Ghana, a circular building was designed as a central meeting point and workshop area and initial implementation considerations were discussed. Part of the supporting structure is to be realised as a 1-to-1 model as part of the summer school.

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We are starting the tendering process for the urgently needed drying and storage area for treated bamboo on our project site in Guata. We still need around 4,000 euros to complete the operation of the treatment plant that has already been built. This infrastructure is essential to drive forward the next construction phases and promote the use of bamboo in the region in the long term. The designs are ready, we just need the money to realise them.

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Chris and Rabea visit the summer school on the HSRM campus in Wiesbaden and surprise the hard-working participants with ice cream. As part of the project, the ‘Bamboobar’ was built as a 1:1 mock-up for the concept designs of the Mainhall of the Bamboo Training Centre. The 13-square-metre pavilion made of bamboo, clay and wood uses various building and construction methods to gain practical experience with sustainable materials. The ‘climate swing’ from the previous year was dismantled, but the materials were sustainably reused.

We are launching our social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn! From now on, we will regularly share news and insights into our projects there – follow us to stay up to date!

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Rabea represents Empowerment Bamboo at the ‘Bouw met Bamboe’ symposium in Rotterdam. The first of its kind in the Netherlands to focus on bamboo in architecture, construction and design. Expert presentations, workshops and an exhibition offer exciting insights and opportunities for dialogue.

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Two of our members, Robert and David, are taking on the role of assessors in order to support the organisation even more intensively in future. David would like to contribute his artistic skills in the area of media and publicity, while Robert is offering his manual skills for various construction work, such as building bamboo frames for our information boards. We are delighted with their commitment, as helping hands are always welcome. An assessor position is still open – anyone interested is welcome to contact us!