Handover of LADUMA-Houses

When in 2000 representatives of the UN, World Bank and of various NGOs adopted their Millenium Development Goals, they were aware of the difficulty in realizing their ambitious guidelines. Today, 10 years after the release, the preliminary conclusion is: there is much more to be done.With it’s commitment in South Africa, the LADUMA-House Sustainability Project supports the Millenium Development Goals and their realization. Now, the first houses had been handed over symbolically in South Africa.


Left to right: Jil Dauphin, granddaughter of Allée Bleue founders Elke and Friedrich W. Dauphin, Helen Zille, Premier of the Western Cape Province, Bavaria’s Premier Horst Seehofer, Wolfgang Leyrer, Managing Director Allée Bleue, Antoinette Pospischil, CEO of crossmarket, Emilia Müller, State Minister for Federal- and European Affairs in the Bavarian State Chancellery (Foto: dpa)	Bavaria’s Premier Horst Seehofer is signing the handover-certificate Foto: dpa

Festive atmosphere at the Kolping Training Centre in Montana/Kalksteenfontein as honourd guests have announced their visit. The Premier of Western Cape, Mrs. Helen Zille, the Bavarian Prime Minister, Mr. Horst Seehofer as well as the Mayor of Cape Town, Mr. Dan Plate, have given notice of attending the realization of a project, which is to improve the living conditions of many people at the Cape. On this day, five so-called LADUMA-Houses will be handed over symbolically to the provincial government.
Football World Cup 2006: Germany indulges in it’s summer fairytale and industry takes stock. The meticulously planned spectacle does not only let FIFA to profitability, but also many other companies. Even small trade workshops benefit from the hype about Zidane, Ronaldino, Schweinsteiger and others. For crossmarket GmbH in Winnenden near Stuttgart the question arises, how to support a country like South Africa, the next World Cup host, in developing sustainably by means of marketing and football.
The project “LADUMA – Football with IQ” is born. A school contest is started, in which about 50,000 pupils participate. Ideas and concepts are required advancing the social and industrial development in South Africa. Moreover, the so-called World Café becomes a market place of ideas and opinions in various German cities. Then, the initiative’s first highlight in 2008: the invitation of the different project groups to German Bundestag, where the young pupils can present the results of their considerations, which later are handed over to the Parliament’s Millenium Commission. Thus, LADUMA is the only non-political project in 2008, which succeeded in getting into German Bundestag.
But not only school contests are to take the idea of a sustainable development in South Africa to broad parts of society. Moreover, the so-called Drive-Dialogues of the the DRIVE Business Magazine are another important pillar of communication. These discussions with participants from South Africa and Germany focus on sharpening the senses for the wishes and pecularities of the partners, thus contributing to a better understanding.
Key insight of the DRIVE Dialogues: The lack of training of the population slows down the social development of the country. Training centres as well as schools are needed.
crossmarket has gained Salzgitter Bauelemente GmbH as partner with the necessary know-how and social commitment in particular. In Salzgitter, houses are being developed which easily can be individualized according to different climates or purposes. The houses are manufactured by WIKON Bau & Systeme. The interior design of the first five houses is to be provided by Dauphin Human Design Group.
The project is increasingly taking shape. Mainly, because the Premier of the Western Cape Provincial Government, Mrs. Helen Zille, enjoys the idea and energetically supports it. Also the Bavarian Government is interested in LADUMA houses, since it has been maintaining a partnership with the area around Cape Town for 15 years. Five houses are to be allocated to various organizations in Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town.
The logistics group DHL, with an own branch in South Africa, could have also been won as partner and will carry out transportation of the houses, packaged in three containers, to Cape Town, where they will be set up and enlarged by local suppliers. Finally, the Bavarian Prime Minister intent a ceremonial hand over of the LADUMA-House-Project to the Premier of Western Cape on September 29, 2010.
A great first success. But not at all the end of the project, as crossmarket and its partners from industry and politics are to use South Africa only as a springboard to further enable the realization of the Millenium Development Goals allover Africa.

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LADUMA-House Project to Secure Future

Bavarian Premier Mr. Horst Seehofer consigns houses in township near Cape Town

As part of his South Afrika visit, the Bavarian Premier, Mr. Horst Seehofer, and the Premier of the Western Cape Province, Mrs. Helen Zille, are to give the starting signal for an important project for the sustainable development of the Khayelitsha township on 29th of September. Thus, the 15-year old close partnership between Bavaria and the Western Cape Province is again being confirmed.
Five houses will be consigned, which then can be used as education or professional training centres as well as for social purposes. In some of the houses, unemployed men and women will be educated in different trades. After a three-month training, chances of the skilled craftspeople will increase to find a living as employees or small-scale traders. “Just by basic and continuing education of the township inhabitants, the cycle of poverty and crime can be disrupted,” Mr. Seehofer says. Already in 2006, crossmarket GmbH established the initiative in collaboration with the Bavarian State Government, and it is to make use of the economic boom caused by the Football World Cup for improving the population’s living conditions. The so-called Laduma Sustainability Project together with business partners and sponsors from private industry provide a type of house especially developed for the demands of South Africa, which is to become a centre for offers by social facilities, communities und church organizations. The houses were planned and manufactured by Salzgitter Bauelemente GmbH and WIKON Bau & Systeme, Germany.
The establishment of the five houses, the interior finishing of which will be carried out by local craftsmen, lays the foundation for a sustainable development project for the whole of South Africa.
The houses are also part of a conception having been supported by Mrs. Helen Zille for years.
By developing an efficient infrastructure and urban planning, Khayelitsha is to become a well-functioning community allowing its inhabitants a life in economic and social security.

Background:

Laduma is the African cheer for “Goal“ and simultaneously an unique initiative for the development of the African Continent. The project started as a school competition with the topic Africa and the Millenium Objectives of the UN. The results of the competition were the only non-political issue to make it to the Bundestag in 2007.
Initiated by crossmarket GmbH and the Drive Business Magazine in 2006, the competition fastly changed into a concrete project supported by the South African Embassy as well as by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The LADUMA House Project provides houses for civil services, communities, NGOs and churches, which are sponsored by companies or private persons from German economy. Construction of the houses allows utilization in all climate zones and is ideal for the use as workshops, schools, medical centres and church premisses.
Moreover,the initiative is fostering the German – African understanding by joint events together with African associations and organizations. The LADUMA House Project is in dialogue with organizations and foundations such as Unesco, the “one“ foundation or the initiator of the “Schools for Africa“ Unicef project.