Australian not-for-profit charity One Heart Foundation is running a competition to design a Kenyan children’s village.

The organisation is offering entrants the chance to submit masterplan ideas for an eco-village to house and educate abandoned and orphaned children in the Kenyan Provence of Soy Kenya.

The challenge comprises of two parts; first, a holistic children-focused eco-village complete with homes, schools, farm and playing fields; and second, a unique design for each facility. The village and facilities will be located on an eight acre lot of land in Provence of Soy Kenya.

Partnering with Melbourne based architecture firm Clarke Hopkins Clarke, One Heart will see the winning design brought to fruition. The goal of the completion is to see an environmentally sustainable, low cost, simple to build project that is contextually relevant to the building site and culture of the Soy Provence.

The winner of the completion will be awarded $2,000 for their design and the chance to partner with Clarke Hopkins Clarke on a pro bono basis to deliver the project over a two year period. Second place will be awarded $1,500, and third place $1,000.

The competition will be judged by an international panel including Clarke Hopkins Clarke Architects, Dean Landy and Breathe Architecture founder Jeremy McLeod. An entry fee of $60 is required for individuals and $80 for teams to enter the competition with all funds going directly to support the final project construction. 

The village will serve as a sister campus to the One Heart Village in Turbo Kenya which is currently home to 75 children and primary school with 180 students. The new village will provide homes for 100 children as well as both a primary and a high school, a skills training centre and a farm for growing crops.

One Heart is an Australian based not-for-profit organisation in Kenya. The foundations focus is to provide and positively impact the lives of Kenyan children who have been abandoned and are living in poverty.

Key Dates

  • Registration opens 28th October
  • Registration closes 18th November
  • Submissions due 16th December
  • Winners announced early 2017

For more information on the One Heart Foundation and to enter the competition please click here to visit their website.