Blocks

My Uncle Wayne is an expert at making compressed soil blocks. For twenty years he worked with Habitat for Humanity and helped to perfect methods of using local materials to build houses around the world.

On Friday we toured Global Village and Uncle Wayne demonstrated the block machine. Despite the rain we made two blocks from red Georgia dirt and a little cement.

Getting the correct mixture is essential for producing a block that doesn't crack.

Carrying water is women's work in most parts of the world and Amanda was the watergirl.


Amanda made a block of her own. The first block was too moist and cracked. But she added some dry dirt and tried again.

Amanda said she felt qutite a sense of accomplishment at making a block.