What Human Settlements Development Workshop does

Development Workshop France (DWF), founded in 1973 and headquartered in Tréjouls, southwest France, is a non-governmental development organisation that has worked with poor communities in more than 30 countries to improve housing, livelihoods, and resilience to environmental and natural-disaster risk. Its portfolio centres on community-led training, technical assistance, and capacity building rather than on a unified technology product; core programmes include the Woodless Construction Programme (Sahel), the Vietnam Typhoon Damage Prevention Programme, the Women Potters Support Programme in Burkina Faso, the Indonesia Safe House Programme (with British Red Cross), the Myanmar Cyclone-Resistant Housing Programme (with Save the Children), and a publications/films library.

DWF's underlying technology is built on adaptation of pre-industrial construction traditions to modern disaster-risk-reduction needs. The flagship is woodless construction — Nubian-style earth vault and dome roofing using unfired mud bricks and no shuttering, refined with techniques such as wire-drawing of the catenary curve, simultaneous construction from both ends, and a radial-arm dome guidance system. In Vietnam, the organisation codified a complementary '10 Key Principles of Typhoon/Cyclone Resistant Construction' methodology (roof structure, wall connections, foundations, orientation) that has been adopted into provincial guidance and endorsed by national authorities. Field delivery combines hands-on community animation (puppet theatre, school-based DRR campaigns, demonstration buildings), structured builder training (3-week theory + 5-week practical), institutional partnerships with governments and INGOs, and credit-finance mechanisms via the Vietnam Bank for Social Policy to enable poor families to fund strengthening retrofits.

DWF operates as a grant-funded non-profit with revenue sourced from international donors, foundations, and development agencies (e.g., Ford Foundation, ECHO, UNDP/UNCHS, UN-HABITAT, IFRC, EU, Canadian and French government funding, Building and Social Housing Foundation). Services are delivered free to beneficiaries; pricing to donors is project-based. The organisation maintains offices in France (HQ) and Hue, Vietnam; its Burkina Faso operations were handed over to a locally registered partner (DWBF) in 2014. Per the website footer, Development Workshop France has formally ceased activity, with archives preserved at dwarchive.com and programmatic continuity assumed by partner entities.

Name

Human Settlements Development Workshop

Legal name

Development Workshop France

Website

https://dwf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Development Workshop France is an international NGO that improves housing and disaster resilience in poor communities through proprietary woodless construction techniques and typhoon-resistant building methodologies, operating across more than 30 countries in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International development and disaster risk reduction services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC), Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)

Keywords

• Disaster risk reduction
• Woodless construction
• Typhoon resistant housing
• Community development training
• Humanitarian shelter programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Lauzerte

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. International Development Funding: DWF operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through grants and donations from international donors, governments, foundations, and development agencies. Revenue comes from project-based funding for disaster risk reduction, shelter programmes, and sustainable development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Development Workshop France is a non-governmental development organization that delivers training and technical assistance to enable poor communities in more than 30 countries to improve housing, livelihoods, and resilience to environmental challenges and natural disasters. Its core offerings include the Woodless Construction Programme (earth vault and dome roofing without timber) for the Sahel, the Vietnam Typhoon Damage Prevention Programme promoting cyclone-resistant house construction, and the Women Potters Support Programme providing fuel-efficient kiln technology in Burkina Faso. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiary communities and funded through international grants, foundation support, and partnerships with governments and humanitarian NGOs.

Product overview

Development Workshop is an international development NGO offering community-focused development programmes rather than a unified technology product. Its core portfolio consists of the Woodless Construction Programme (earth vault and dome roofing without wooden beams), the Vietnam Typhoon Damage Prevention Programme, the Women Potters Support Programme in Burkina Faso, and various training and capacity-building services. The organization also produces publications, films, and educational resources. These programmes are implemented through field projects, training workshops, and partnerships with local communities and international organizations, rather than through a software platform or modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Woodless Construction Programme Programme delivering earth vault and dome roofing techniques that build durable roofs using unfired mud bricks without any wooden beams, designed to address deforestation and desertification in the Sahel and to enable poor communities to construct climate-appropriate housing. Services are provided free to beneficiary communities through DWF staff and trained local builders.
• Vietnam Typhoon Damage Prevention Programme Programme focused on preventive strengthening of existing rural houses, training local builders, and disseminating cyclone-resistant construction techniques in central Vietnam, supporting government efforts such as Programme 48 across 13 provinces.
• Women Potters Support Programme Women's economic empowerment programme in Burkina Faso that supports female potters with fuel-efficient kiln technology and improved pottery production methods, reducing fuelwood consumption by over 80% and enabling expanded ceramic production and income generation.
• Woodless Construction Training for Local Builders Structured skills training delivered to local builders in woodless vault and dome construction, combining classroom theory with full-scale practical building where trainees construct their own houses. The training is free to participants and forms the backbone of DWF's builder-network multiplier model.
• Aceh Safe House Programme (Indonesia) Community-based safe housing programme developed with the British Red Cross Society to design and train local teams in earthquake- and tsunami-resistant construction for affected families in Aceh Province, Indonesia.
• Myanmar Cyclone Resistant Housing Programme Programme with Save the Children Alliance Myanmar providing technical training, design, and monitoring for cyclone-resistant houses and schools in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis (2008), including 533 new houses at Middle Island and 700 new houses plus 150 strengthened houses at Hlaing Bone.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% energy savings for women potters using improved kilns
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British Red Cross SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPost-tsunami partnership in Aceh Province, Indonesia (2005-2006). DWF designed the British Red Cross Safe House Community programme and trained an Indonesian 'Safe House' team to implement community-based safe housing for tsunami-affected families.
• Save the Children Alliance MyanmarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCyclone Nargis response (2008-2010) including safe schools initiative, safer house campaigns, Middle Island Shelter project (533 houses), and Hlaing Bone Shelter project (700 new houses + 150 strengthened). DWF provided technical training and monitoring while Save the Children handled funding and institutional support.
• Vietnam Ministry of Construction (Programme 48)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on safe house programme across 13 provinces of central Vietnam. DWF provides technical support through the Dipecho Project, contributing to the national effort supporting 25,000 families with typhoon-resistant housing.
• Vietnam Bank for Social PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCredit partnership providing loans to poor families for house strengthening. Supported by Ford Foundation since 2009, with loans repaid over 5 years. Demonstrated high demand and good repayment rates from beneficiary families.
• GRETminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementation partner for first international DRR project in Vietnam in 1989 (Binh Tri Thien Province, UNDP/UNCHS project following Typhoon Cecil of 1985).
• International Labour OrganisationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerILO adopted woodless construction techniques developed by DWF to build cereal banks in Niger.
• Politecnico di MilanominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner and only NGO in KNOW-4-DRR EU FP7 project (June 2013 - June 2015) exploring how knowledge on mitigation and adaptation is produced, shared, maintained, and used by various stakeholders.
• Thua Thien Hue Provincial Department of ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration on testing and applying 10 key principles of cyclone resistant construction in central Vietnam provinces. Provincial authorities issued edict in 2006 encouraging adoption of DWF approaches.
• Association Kologh NabaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal partner organization in Burkina Faso that continues to work with woodless construction and builders trained by DWF after DWF transitioned operations to locally registered DW Burkina Faso NGO.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian and development organization with significant disaster risk reduction and resilience programming. Comparable to DWF in DRR focus and community-based approaches but operates at much larger scale across more countries.
• Aga Khan Development Network / AKDN Housing: Network of development agencies focused on improving living conditions and housing in low-income communities across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Comparable to DWF in appropriate-construction focus and use of local materials and skills, but with substantially greater funding base.
• CARE International: Major international humanitarian organization with extensive disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and community resilience programming. Comparable to DWF's mission and target population but with significantly larger scale and broader thematic coverage.
• Concern Worldwide: Ireland-based international humanitarian organization focused on extreme poverty, with substantial DRR, livelihoods, and climate adaptation programming. Comparable in mission and geographic focus on vulnerable communities in Africa and Asia.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): World's largest humanitarian network coordinating national Red Cross societies on disaster response and resilience. Comparable in DRR/shelter focus and is a known DWF partner/funding source, but operates as an umbrella federation rather than as a programmatic NGO.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Large global non-profit building affordable housing in low-income communities worldwide. Comparable to DWF in housing-focused community development but operates at vastly larger scale and scope across disaster response, reconstruction, and shelter advocacy.

Direct peers

• Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation: Swiss-based development organization focused on poverty reduction in developing countries through skills training, income generation, and disaster risk reduction. Closely comparable to DWF in scale, geographic focus, and emphasis on community capacity building and appropriate technology.
• Cord (formerly Christian Outreach): UK-registered charity working with local partners on disaster risk reduction, shelter, and livelihoods in Southeast Asia and Africa. Comparable to DWF in scale, programmatic focus on disaster-resilient construction, and community-led approaches.
• ShelterBox: International disaster relief charity providing emergency shelter and essential items to families displaced by disasters and conflict. Directly comparable to DWF's Myanmar/Indonesia post-cyclone/tsunami safe house programmes and shared focus on community-built resilient shelter in disaster-affected regions.
• Practical Action: UK-based international NGO focused on applying appropriate technology to poverty challenges in developing countries. Highly comparable to DWF in mission (technology-based community development), geographic focus (Africa, South Asia, Latin America), and emphasis on disaster resilience and training local practitioners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/development-workshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Human Settlements Development Workshop