The story
A village of homes, learning, and mentorship supports young people rebuilding their lives.
Zwakala Youth Village was envisioned in Nigeria for one hundred teenagers displaced or separated from family by Boko Haram violence. Its campus model avoids a single institutional block, organizing young people into smaller homes with a consistent adult mentor while connecting them to a school, health center, dining hall, library, entrepreneurship hub, sports facilities, and shared outdoor space. Vocational training and a village farm support practical skills and greater operational resilience, while solar power reduces dependence on unreliable infrastructure.
The combination of domestic, educational, clinical, productive, and recreational spaces recognizes that recovery is not one service; it depends on safety, routine, choice, trusted relationships, and opportunities to plan for adulthood. The reviewed Drive archive did not contain a final architectural book or construction record, so the project remains a proposal and outcomes should not be claimed. Its trauma-informed promise is to create ordinary, dignified daily life—places to sleep, study, eat, play, work, and receive guidance without allowing violence to define a young person’s identity or future.