Even in 2019, there are still many people on our planet that live in extreme poverty. Especially on the African continent there are still many regions where people live in primitive huts without electricity and water, and barely have enough to eat. Even when the number of people living below the poverty line has steadily declined over the past decades, there is still a huge difference between escaping extreme poverty and actually building up a decent living. In order for people to really build a future for themselves, we need to empower people so they can take control over their own destinies. This is definitely not a new insight, but it seems more important than ever when we take the still ongoing refugee `crisis’ into consideration.

We as Archifair want to help underserved regions by creating structures that directly benefit the local communtities. Our focus therefore lies on (social) entrepreneurs and organisations that operate in these regions. Because we want to push local or regional development forward, it is essential that a project has a social impact (local or regional), by either directly improving the local infrastructure (hospitals, schools etc.), or more generally, by stimulating local economic and social development (e.g. employment opportunities).

In the planning and realisation of a project there are three important aspects that define our approach: Incorporation of the local community ( Acceptance), the inclusion of students and universities ( Awareness and Research) and the use of local building materials and techniques (Innovation and Application).