How It Works.

Project Bayit is a partnership between Ikhayalami and Mensch. Ikhayalami bring their expertise in micro-finance, design and construction of building shelters in informal communities, and Mensch brings marketing, administration and project management support. Together we manage all the finances, admin, planning, design and construction – you and your domestic worker, cleaner, gardener, or simply someone you care about pay back the construction cost, 100% interest-free, over time. It’s as easy as that.

1. Chat.

Talk to your employee and ask them if a new home could make a real difference in their lives. If you want help facilitating this conversation, we’re there for you.

2. Apply.

Get in touch and we’ll do an affordability and needs assessment to find a design and repayment plan to suit both your needs.

3. Build.

Once a formal agreement is signed, you simply pay R3,500 or a 24% deposit, and all your hard work is done! We’ll now build the new home.

4. Pay.

Depending on your choice of financing, you and your employee pay back our 100% interest-free loan over 12 months.

Let’s Get Building.

We want to keep things as simple as possible for you. We’ll deal with all the admin, planning and construction, but here are a few details you might want to know.

Depending on the condition of the home that your employee lives in, we’ll either do a full or partial upgrade to ensure that their home is fire and flood resistant, secure, and has better ventilation. Then, based on the affordability check, the home may be fitted with extras if deemed necessary – such as alternative electricity sources, extra rooms, and if possible, running water and sanitation.

A life can be changed forever from just R18,500. A deposit of 24% (R3,500), is made upfront and we’ll provide an interest-free loan of up to R15,000. Depending on your financing decisions, either you alone or in partnership with your employee, have 12 months to pay off the loan. These funds will be recycled to finance future loans to needy homeowners. When you help one family, you help another down the line.

In informal settlements there are usually shared toilet blocks where on average 5 toilets need to service 25 households. Therefore, people do not have access to running water and flush toilets in their homes. The units built via this project will unfortunately not include own toilet facilities or running water, unless under favourable conditions where a hook up to running water is available.

The wait to receive a government subsidised home can be many years. Some people have been waiting for three decades. Project Bayit provides a more realistic approach to the housing situation to offer a more dignified, safe and secure upgraded shack solution that can be delivered quickly, efficiently and affordably.

We typically see three types of owners. First and least likely, the person living in the shack owns the land. Second, they own the shack they live in but the land is privately or state owned. Third, they rent from a landlord who may or may not own the land. 90% of people living in informal settlements do not own the land where they live. However, due to government legislation, it’s not easy to evict people, so in most cases these settlements exist for more than 30 – 40 years. If your employee lives in a backyard shack, renting the space from someone else, we’ll draft an agreement between them and their landlord to indicate that the structure belongs to your employee.

Meet the team.

Project Bayit is a joint initiative of Mensch and Ikhayalami, supported financially by The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Contact Us.