Human Needs Project

Human Needs Project builds infrastructure for opportunity.

Our overriding objective is to provide basic services (clean water, sanitation and energy) and empowerment services (business skills training, microcredit, a wifi, health kiosk, and a green marketplace ) to slums around the world through the creation of replicable, self-sustaining Town Centers. These services are designed to be synergistic, creating economic growth while providing sufficient income for Town Centers to maintain and manage themselves as a co-op structure.

HNP is dedicated to building self sustainable centers that will prosper far into the future by working in complete partnership with locals to find the best solutions for the unique challenges we encounter in each center location.

Each Town Center is built on three pillars:

• Innovation—Clean technology + social innovation
• Community—engagement with all stakeholders, community ownership and capacity building
• Sustainability—environmental, financial, technical

Our theory of change is that if strategically combined services are provided in a centralized setting, it saves time, money and effort. Residents will be able to obtain the skills, information and credit they need to create opportunity for themselves. Human Needs Project is based on the premise that with access to the right combination of services, anyone who is motivated can work to better their own lives and provide a sustainable future for their families.

HNP has an extensive group of collaborators that are key to the design, construction and management of Town Centers and their services. HNP believes its Town Centers are platforms that are well-suited to connect institutions, nonprofits, academia and corporate partners with local residents, providing each with networks of opportunity.

HNP’s pilot project is currently under construction in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Once proof of concept is and funding in place, HNP plans to scales up its operations and replicate Town Centers around the world. Strong monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to ensure effective service delivery, maximum impact, and the best possible replication.