The Hemp Building Institute partners with Savor The World on how to promote hemp building materials in Kenya
In late November of 2022, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Asia International Hemp Expo and Forum 2022 in Thailand. Upon arriving to Bangkok, tired from over a day of travel, I fell back into the bed of my hotel room. My phone buzzed and I found a message from an unfamiliar name, Kiama Robert, welcoming me to join him for dinner on my first night in town. After a much needed nap, I ran down the street to a local bar to meet Kiama and watch the World Cup match that was being aired on TV.
When I arrived, the open air bar was showing the match on a projector screen. I spotted Kiama, who I recognized from his social media photos, and sat down. He introduced himself and his colleague who was with him, Angel Israel. Angel described to me what her and Kiama were doing in Kiama's homeland of Kenya. After the first night, they had convinced me of the good work being performed by Savor The World (STW) in Kenya. I told them I would help them if I could. I spent the majority of my time at the conference with either Kiama or Angel and we solidified a bond that gave me confidence in what we would accomplish.
Jacob Waddell, Kiama Robert and Angel Israel at a Japanese Tea Ceremony in Thailand.
One of the first things I did when I returned from Thailand was contact Kiama and Angel to work out how the newly formed Hemp Building Institute (HBI) could work with STW to promote hemp building in Kenya. Angel told me of the plans for a demonstration at an event set up by a Kenyan government research institute. I was happy to advise them on the easiest route to success and connect them with people within my network to forward their cause. What they produced was an award winning booth and connections they needed to take their project to the next level.
Savor The World Wins Awards with Hemp-lime Wall
Savor The World Foundation is a global foundation with a vision to bring unity, spread peace, support global prosperity, and protect the rights of the underrepresented while advancing the economic growth and development of underrepresented groups. STW has been awarded a ten year project by a Kenyan government research institute to promote industrial hemp and its purposes including hemp building materials. As part of this project, STW was invited to host a booth at the Kilimo Bisharo Expo 2023 organized by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to demonstrate the uses of hemp.
At the Kilimo Bisharo Expo, STW created a hemp-lime wall from blocks that they procured from Afrimat Hemp in South Africa. They also displayed other industrial hemp products and some TwistBlocks, which are an innovative block system being used in Kenya. The hemp-lime wall amazed the attendees, including local Chiefs and government officials, and brought home the message that hemp building materials were a viable product for the future of Kenya. The booth was so highly regarded that it won two awards: Best Demonstration and Award of the Year.
Local Chiefs and representatives from Savor The World, Angel Israel and Kimika Garrett, in front of the hemp-lime wall.
Building Hemp-lime Schools and Affordable Housing
As part of their initiative in Kenya, STW is planning on building 100 classrooms and developing affordable housing made of hemp building materials. STW has a passion for helping those that are the most vulnerable and sees a great need to promote education and provide better housing for these groups. Kenya is home to Africa's largest urban slum, Kibera. This is an ideal location to promote prosperity and opportunity in hopes of creating a better future for everyone.
STW went to Kibera where TwistBlock has established a production facility and recently completed a new school. TwistBlock is part of Start Somewhere, a design and construction team comprising of a German social enterprise and a Kenyan Ltd company. STW toured their facilities and discussed the shared vision of a better future for construction in Kenya and other nations of Africa.
The Twistblock team describes their manufacturing process to Savor The World.
“The first tour I took when I visited Kenya was a tour of the Kibera. My life has not been the same since that day, I took a vow to make sure Savor The World played a part in the success and development of the Kibera”, said Angel Israel the Founder of STW.
HBI to Continue Advising STW in Africa
The HBI wants to congratulate STW on all of their progress in Kenya and is planning on advising them as they develop a roadmap for establishing hemp building materials there. The award winning demonstration of a hemp-lime wall is a good start to what we are sure will be an amazing success story.
"We are so excited to work with Savor The World," said Jacob Waddell the President of the HBI. "We believe their team has the capability of making a major difference in Kenya and the whole of Africa."
To learn more about Savor The World, please visit their website.
