Hydraform Magazine Edition 1 - 2013

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Editor’s Note
The Hydraform story is a remarkable one – a story of
hard work, determination and the passion to succeed.
Beyond the success and hard work you will find in
these pages, I hope you will be inspired by the true
transformation and impact Hydraform has had on the
lives it has touched.
It is not often that a company can say it has truly
enabled and facilitated the empowerment of the people
with which it has worked. Not only has Hydraform been
an inspiring place where staff members have grown and
developed their careers, but it has also been a place
where we as individuals have had the honour of touching
the lives of others in a wholly positive and stimulating
manner.
Beyond these office walls, every single machine
Hydraform has manufactured and delivered has positively
impacted 20 to 30 lives. This is as true of those people
who gained invaluable skills using the machines to build
houses and other structures as it is of those who were the
beneficiaries of the buildings constructed.
It is also true of the entrepreneurs, builders, developers,
governments and international aid organisations that
have seen the potential of Hydraform’s simple yet highly
practical system as a vehicle for helping them or their
beneficiaries to realise their dreams.
People talk about sustainability but those of us who
work at Hydraform have been fortunate enough to have
seen it in action: taking soil from the ground, using it to
teach communities to make bricks out of it, creating jobs
(and possible careers), then building their own homes or
schools or hospitals.
My fondest memory is a trip to Nairobi where I visited
a children’s village called Nyumbani run by Sister Mary
Owens and occupied mostly by single mothers and
grandparents, each of whom ran a home comprising
six to eight children who would otherwise be abandoned
and alone.
We travelled for three hours on a dusty, pothole-filled
road and eventually I believed we were lost for there was
nothing around apart from bushveld and open land. We
turned off the road and seemed to be bundu-bashing to
nowhere when suddenly we came upon a most amazing
village, built entirely out of Hydraform blocks.
At the time of my visit there were approximately 50
houses already built by the people of Nyumbani village.
There was also a community hall, a clinic and a school,
and the local community had been trained to use the
Hydraform machines and were skilfully expanding their
village from an informal block yard off to one side of the
settlement.
Out of nothing, here was something so profoundly
touching and endearing – there was hope and love. This is
the true story of Hydraform: taking a simple blockmaking
machine and using it to give people skills, build homes
and create true empowerment.
An inspiring journey
Watching this magazine come; together over the past couple of months
has been amazing. Sometimes we forget the journey we have walked and
how far we have come – and the opportunity to work on a project like this
reminds us of the successes and lessons learned along this journey.
Editor: Nazlie Dickson |
Marketing: Sarah Jefferys |
Welmarie Bosman |
Sub-Editor: Narike Lintvelt
Designer: Carla-Lee Lawrence
Publisher: Brian Bakker |
CREDITS
Disclaimer:
Although every effort has been made to
ensure the accuracy of the information
and reports in this magazine, the editor,
publishers, printers and distributors do
not accept any responsibility whatsoever
for any errors or omissions or for any
effect therefrom. The views expressed by
correspondents are not necessarily those
of the editor or the publisher. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced without written permission
from the publisher.
Nazlie Dickson
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