The story
A network of small centers designed around care and belonging.
African Solutions for African Problems supports children and families affected by HIV in the Eastern Cape through counseling, resources, food, learning, and community programs. Kamile Kesylyte’s proposal develops a drop-in center that can feel safe and welcoming without resembling an institution. Flexible activity rooms, private support spaces, food and service areas, and protected outdoor places are organized for both individual care and group life. Research into Matatiele’s climate, indigenous architecture, earth construction, and low-cost precedents informed a system intended to be affordable and replicable across more than one site.
The design treats local materials and passive comfort as parts of dignity, not simply budget measures. Developed with ASAP and Journeyman International, the 2016 work is a design and construction proposal; replication and completion are not assumed. Its strength is the model: a small, familiar place embedded in community life, capable of offering practical help while allowing children and families to be known for their relationships and abilities rather than only by illness.