A year in review

2023, what a year! We’ve been working to reach even more families living in housing poverty – delivering design and construction training, providing housing advice, and scaling up our building work. Here are a few memorable moments:

JANUARY

Kicked off our a project to build decent toilets for families without. We’re working across Rangpur division in Bangladesh, which has the highest rate of open defecation.

FEBRUARY

Collaborated with Engineers Without Borders UK to deliver ‘Reshaping Engineering’ virtual design challenge, for the 3rd year running. We’ll be setting engineers a new challenge in 2024 →

MARCH

Delivered our Designing with dignity course in Abergavenny, rural Wales. This hands-on course inspires students to design more ethically and collaboratively. Join our next cohort in Devon, UK on 9 and 10 March →

APRIL

Milestone: We have raised over half a million pounds since AzuKo began in 2014 – to help end housing poverty. If you believe in building a fairer world, please consider a regular monthly gift →

“I think this journey is going to be one of the most memorable journeys of my life. I’m not going to ever forget it.”

— Maharoof (student, UK)

MAY

Welcomed four new trustees – Jakhya, Jeff, Ray and Emma – to the team. They bring expertise in social impact, finance, sustainability and engineering.

JUNE

Trustee, Jakhya visited our projects in northwest Bangladesh, connecting with the women we work with and listening to their ideas for change. Read about her trip →

“There are so many benefits [of this toilet]. My girls can easily access it. It’s private and safe... It’s ours.”

— Tithi (Bangladesh)

JULY

Word spreads about our women’s savings groups, which offer access to low-interest loans for housing improvements. Regular finance workshops began in summer.

AUGUST

Analysed feedback about building healthy kitchens. Floor upgrades are seen as the most impactful, not only for health, but also saving time due to reduced maintenance. Hear from Sumita →

SEPTEMBER

Jess and Darren took on Swim Serpentine, the two-mile open water challenge around the world-famous lake, in London's Hyde Park. They raised over £600. Set yourself the challenge of a lifetime, in aid of AzuKo →

OCTOBER

Led the next stage of consultation, to support the community of South Woodford create a vision of development. We built a digital platform to drill down into their ideas for greenspace, public space, sustainable infrastructure, and amenities.

“We lack one central multipurpose inclusive space that serves all ages and communities.”

— Resident (South Woodford, UK)

NOVEMBER

Launched our Big Give fundraising campaign, raising over £20k to build more toilets in 2024. Thank you to everyone who donated to our appeal – we couldn’t do it without you!

DECEMBER

Won the Gender Just Climate Solutions Award, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28). The award recognises our contribution to gender equality and climate justice, by training women in construction.

With the New Year, comes renewed energy.

Get in touch if you’d like to make a difference in 2024.

Fighting for gender equality and climate justice

Our Build for safety training won the Gender Just Climate Solutions Award, which was announced at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28). Our training supports women, and their families, build climate-resilient homes in rural Bangladesh.

AzuKo is one of three organisations (Dastak Welfare Foundation in Pakistan, and Paran Women in Kenya) from across the world, to be recognised for our contribution to gender equality and climate justice.

Read the Awards publication →

We were invited to the United Nations conference to present AzuKo’s work and impact, campaign for housing justice, attend workshops on climate advocacy, and network with climate conscious organisations.

(Photos: Annabelle Avril / WECF)

“We work in an area of Bangladesh that suffers from floods and storms, where housing poverty is acute. Our Build for safety training provides women with knowledge, skills and confidence in construction. It offers solutions that are affordable, appropriate and available locally, and empowers women and their families to build safer homes.”

— Jo Ashbridge, CEO, AzuKo

It was a fantastic opportunity to share AzuKo’s work on such an international stage. We’re so pleased to join the UNFCCC Women & Gender Constituency, which ensures that gender equality and human rights are at the core of climate action.

After the conference we returned to Bangladesh to celebrate with the amazing women we work with.

Read more about the Awards:

• Navigating COP28: Key Takeaways for Architects from the Dubai Summit (ArchDaily)

• Gender Just Climate Solutions (IISD / Earth Negotiations Bulletin)

• Finance and Energy Kick Off Thematic Days at COP 28 (IISD / SDG Knowledge Hub)

• Gender Just Climate Solutions Awards 2023 – Meet the winners! (WECF)

• COP 28 logbook: songs and initiatives that really change the lives of women (Usbek & Rica)

What is time poverty?

We've all said it... "there's just not enough time in the day!" Our lives are packed full, juggling work and family life. But imagine if on top of all that, you had to search for fuel and harvest your own crops to cook breakfast, walk miles to source water each day, repair your house which is continually eroded by flooding... what time would be left to focus on you?

Low income means less investment in the basic infrastructure of our lives, meaning people become time poor. Time poverty is linked to lower wellbeing, physical health and productivity. Ultimately lack of time stops people improving their circumstances, making it much more difficult to rise above poverty. It's a vicious cycle.

“The most difficult part of my day is collecting food to feed my cows. I walk between the padi (rice) fields, cutting grass for a couple of hours, every day after breakfast. It’s back breaking in the heat.”

— Ranu, Bangladesh

This burden falls disproportionately on women, who often face additional responsibilities at home. On an average day, women spend three times as many hours on unpaid domestic and care work as men. Too busy to visit the doctor, go to school, or earn money to support their family.

At AzuKo, we recognise this invisible currency, and help reduce the time it takes to complete 'unpaid work' in the home. We teach housing design ideas and share products that are more efficient, and we promote construction materials and techniques that require less maintenance, last longer and have high returns (cheaper over time). Read about our construction training in Bangladesh →

An extra hour saved each day, over the course of a year, would free up more than two weeks. Over a lifetime that would mean three years – precious time to build a brighter future.

Imagine what you could do with that extra time?

Author: J. Ashbridge