Postcards from Côte d'Ivoire: Entry 7

Ou sont les pieds d’Alicia cette semaine?
(Where are Alicia’s feet this week?)

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

Our caretaker Koblan at Lac Labion setting up his bed for the night- really the only shelter one needs in this climate. Koblan and his wife have a nice hut on the beach, but he stayed the night with us to make sure we were okay.

Sekou and I are back in Abidjan today after camping at on our property at Lac Labion on Monday night in our tent. A couple of updates from the lac. First, that bird I saw on the shoreline and lily pads is DEFINITELY an African Jacana.  They have the most amazing feet that are adapted to allow them to run across the lily pads like they are walking on water. Second, it was hot in our tent so around 2:00 AM I got up and sat by the lac in a camp chair and was able to record these night sounds (also why sleeping was not easy). It sounded like heaven even though it was hot as hell.

Today I’d like to share a little bit more about housing, home construction, and the impact on the issue of homelessness here. I’ll start by saying homelessness doesn’t really exist here. Because of the temperate climate and the wide-spread poverty (again, less than $200/month is the low-end average salary here) most people live in what we in the U.S. would consider to be “substandard” housing. Very poor people do not expect to have running water or electricity in their homes, and because so many people live without those things, the services and supplies to survive that way are abundant. Just as an example, every neighborhood has a hardware store that sells plastic washtubs and washboards because most people still wash their clothes by hand. No need for a laundry room in your home when your washing is done outside in the courtyard. 

Sekou visiting one of his construction sites to meet with his caretaker Soro.

 If your family is lucky enough to have a monthly salary, you might be able to afford to rent one of the new apartments that are being built all over the city. We are constructing affordable housing in the neighborhood of Bonikro, as an example. We are just now finishing the last of the seventeen 1-bedroom apartments there. Each apartment has a small kitchen and a bathroom with running water and electricity. We will rent the 1-bedroom unit for $140/month. As proof of how in-demand affordable housing is here, when the lady from the water company came out to give us an estimate on hooking up water service to the last 7 apartments, she got so excited about our units she rented one for herself and referred her friend to us who wants to rent another one. 

Soro is raising ducks in a pond he dug at our Bassam Property.

The other thing that prevents homelessness in Abidjan is how homes are constructed. Again, because of the heat and the environment, homes are constructed with concrete block. (Only very poor people build their shacks from wood and black plastic.). Because of the concrete block construction, homes can be built little by little over time without the need to borrow money or mortgage the property. For example, Sekou has been building a mixed-use dwelling on one of our properties in Bassam for almost four years now. As he saves up money, he has another floor built. Also, building codes aren’t being enforced if they exist, and residential building inspections don’t happen here (the concept of an occupancy permit before moving into a building is completely foreign). So, it’s very common for a partially completed apartment building to have one or two finished units where the property owner or manager is already living while the rest of the building is completed. If, like Sekou, the owner can’t live in the building while it’s being completed, then a caretaker is hired to live there. In Bassam, we’ve hired a caretaker to live in the mixed-use building and watch over the place & we pay him $60/month plus a place to stay for free. Soro, our caretaker, lives in one of the completed rooms on the first floor (without electricity because the electrical service hasn’t reached our neighborhood yet). The water table is so low in the neighborhood he just digs a hole to get fresh water, and he purchases his drinking water from one of the many ladies walking the neighborhood selling plastic bags of “de l’eau” from pans balanced on their heads. For Soro, this bachelor pad is a step up from continuing to live with his parents. He is happy to have a free place of his own and a little cash while he does day labor and saves up money to find a better home and start a family. There are literally thousands of Soro-s here, and some continue to live for free as caretakers even after they start families. With free housing, men doing day labor, and women selling goods at market, a family can survive here quite well- even affording to send their children to school. 

Neighborhood under construction in Bassam. The electrical polls are advancing slowly up the street. Once electricity reaches here families will start to move into these buildings, even if still under construction.

The issue of homelessness is, I think, one of the best examples of how my Western, white-privileged perspective on the world colors how I perceive this culture, and how this country challenges my most basic assumptions about life. It’s hard not to ask value-laden questions like, “Is it better for everyone to have a home, even if some have very modest homes that lack amenities? Or Is it better to have city codes and permits and inspectors to ensure that all homes meet some basic requirements, even though that means some people sleep on the streets?” I don’t know if there is a right answer to those questions, but I know that my understanding of myself and the world is enriched by having pondered them. Want to get a different perspective on yourself and the world? Join us for our next Travel with Purpose tour of Côte d’Ivoire! - Alicia

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