Rythm Foundation, the social impact arm of the global QI Group, embarked on a Sustainable Community Project (SCP) in Sri Lanka in 2019 to rebuild the lives of 500 low-income families in one of the country’s poorest districts post the Sri Lankan civil war.

A legacy of the project is a brick manufacturing facility that has contributed to gradually rebuilding the lives of residents in Mullaitivu district, where more than 70 percent of households live below the poverty line.

The project is a collaboration between Rythm, LEADS Sri Lanka, and Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka. The NGOs LEADS and Habitat are actively involved in transforming lives and building homes for low-income families across Sri Lanka.

The facility is far from a conventional brick factory. Instead, the plant produces compressed stabilised earth bricks (CSEB) – an eco-friendly alternative to cement blocks. Raw materials used in the production of CSEBs are responsibly sourced. In addition, the bricks are cured naturally with solar power instead of wood-fired furnaces that contribute to deforestation and air pollution.

The plant has changed numerous lives in the district.