It was not long in the making, however ZOMA’s first successful blockyard & construction
business in Cameroon is on its way to becoming a model business in Africa.
ZOMA Blockyard & Construction Business was established in January 2013 to address the funding needs of Aumazo Inc, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organisation whose mission is to empower girls in rural Cameroon with educational opportunities to attend high school in order to enjoy more successful lives as young adults.
Aumazo Inc is building a community-based boarding high school that will benefit girls in Bankondji and the neighbouring villages. The organisation started construction of its first school in the village in 2007. The school’s green design includes its own water filtration system, sewage management (possibly composting toilets), and renewable energy.
Funds from the founder and a number of individual donors were sufficient to start the first phase of the
school construction. Aumazo needs to raise more funds to complete the infrastructure development of the administrative-classroom building and the dormitory. Anticipating that the school will become self-sustaining, Aumazo developed a major sustainability program that includes the ZOMA blockyard & construction business.
The machine we acquired from Hydraform in 2010 produces 1 500 interlocking dry-stacked, soil-cement environmentally friendly blocks daily. It uses lateritic soil and less cement and construction does not require using reinforcement iron bars in the structure. We use the machine to produce and sell blocks as well as build houses, thus raising additional funds for reinvestment and
sustainability of the school operating costs.
We have developed strong relations with local communities and are currently concentrating our operations in western Cameroon where the construction business is located. We are already taking advantage of the increased demand for housing in the region
and around the country. So far we have completed six housing projects and more potential homeowners are contacting us through www.zomabuild.com.
In collaboration with RM Sovich Architecture firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, we worked on the new school design that is relevant to the rural environment. Together, we also designed other house floorplans including our own model house floorplan under construction that will be completed in January 2016. We have also developed other floorplans that we introduced to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in Cameroon regarding possible construction contracts for houses, schools and health facilities.
Currently our focus is to complete construction of the Aumazo first school in Bankondji. ZOMA’s ultimate goal however is to expand beyond the borders of Cameroon and introduce this unique business model to other countries in Africa.