The Yeheb Project

Helping local communities to domesticate Yeheb and other 🌿 species in the Horn of Africa. Restoring land, restoring lives. Join us!

[Shav Ngah ★ @shavnyuyngah]

Rwanda keeps setting the bar for what local materials can do when paired with genuine architectural intention.

Komera Leadership Center. Eastern Province, Rwanda. BE_Design.

The roof forms, brick patterns, and woven eucalyptus screens are drawn directly from Imigongo, a traditional art form originating from this region. The building does not borrow from a foreign visual language. It speaks the one that already exists here.

The flexible interior is the most intelligent part. Large hinging translucent panels transform the same space into three separate classrooms, a community meeting hall, or a large event space for performances and ceremonies. One building. Multiple functions. No wasted square footage.

The vast majority of materials were locally sourced. The workforce was local. Women made up an average of 40 percent of the construction team, with on-site skills training, fair wages, and safety equipment provided throughout.

This is architecture as economic intervention. The building did not just serve the community when it opened. It trained and paid the community while it was being built.

Komera means to stand strong, to have courage. The building earns that name.

BE_Design | Komera Leadership Center | Eastern Province, Rwanda
📷 BE_Design | Via Architizer

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

@iofc_uk @SpeciesFund Finally thank you, dear readers, who have stuck with us over the month. We will keep posting news of course (a little less frequently!) and please do keep in touch. We are always glad to hear from anyone involved in similar work and open to collaboration or just sharing ideas.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

The Yeheb Project mission to Ethiopia

Day 31

On this final day, we look back with gratitude on our visit and the sponsors who made it possible: @iofc_uk, the Irene Prestwich Trust and @SpeciesFund. We thank them for sharing and supporting our vision.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

@iofc_uk @SpeciesFund Mohamed's calm good humour was an inspiration and never left him, whatever the circumstances. We know that the conservation site is safe in his hands and look forward to returning soon, insha'Allah.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

The trustees of The Yeheb Project would like to thank the Irene Prestwich Trust, @iofc_uk and @SpeciesFund whose support made this project possible.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

The Yeheb Project mission to Ethiopia

Day 30 of 31 - the future

As we reflect on our Ethiopian journey, we are grateful for all that was achieved and, at the same time, acutely aware of the challenges faced by our friends and colleagues in Walwaal, Wardheer and Jijiga.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

We would be keen to hear from others working with communities in Somalia or the Somali Region of Ethiopia. There is always scope to learn from each others' experience and to collaborate on future projects. Please do get in touch via the website, or by replying below.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

The trustees of The Yeheb Project would like to thank the Irene Prestwich Trust, @iofc_uk and @SpeciesFund whose support made this project possible.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

The Yeheb Project mission to Ethiopia

Day 29 of 31 - lessons learned: growing yeheb

The main goals of our visit were to deliver training and establish a conservation area near Walwaal. During our time, we gathered valuable new knowledge about cultivating the yeheb shrub.

[The Yeheb Project @_yeheb]

What we don't yet know is how to achieve higher growth rates. Yeheb seedlings that we saw at two to three years old were only 15-20cm tall. Would organic fertiliser help or hinder? What about treatment with mycorrhizal fungi? Is shade important? We will seek to find out.