In 2009 TIFIE noticed an enormous market need for not only quality building materials but also quality builders. After extensive research it was decided to begin Jamaa Construction, a company that would not only create bricks for buildings but also employ quality architects and builders to build those buildings.


TIFIE searched for a solution to solve the problems of poor material and construction quality and found an innovative new concept, interlocking earth blocks.  The typical dwelling in the capital city is a block house made from a mixture of sand and cement.  This is the most expensive way to make blocks because of the high cost of raw materials and the intensive labor process involved in laying the mortar to each row of blocks in the walls.  TIFIE found an interlocking block solution made of soil, clay, and only a small percentage of cement. Because it is interlocking with a tongue and groove system, it does not require cement or mortar to hold the wall together, greatly decreasing labor costs. The bricks are made using a Hydraform hydraulic press imported from South Africa. There is no heating required. After they are pressed the bricks are watered and left to dry over a period of about 3 weeks. The strength and quality of these earth bricks actually exceeds those of the typical cement variety.

Since the creation of Jamaa Construction in 2009, over 40,000 bricks have been made and sold. Jamaa Construction has also been the general contractor on 2 warehouses, one business, and a home. In 2011 construction will begin on the first Jamaa built spec home, which will of course use Hydraform bricks and will include a full Solar Power installation from jamaa Energy.

The sale of bricks has been so successful during the past 2 years that Jamaa recently increased its production capacity by purchasing 2 addition Hydraform machines. This will eventually allow production to increase from 2,500 bricks a day to over 10,000 bricks per day. Following the TIFIE model, Jamaa Construction uses a percentage of its profits to support local humanitarian efforts. Current projects include the building of a school using Hydraform bricks in the village of Mosabo. Time and money have also been donated to the TIFIE Orphanage in Kinshasa, the captial city, as well as to the TIFIE farm in Dumi, Congo.