Donders City: a new housing project for Suriname

by hbmadero | Oct 17, 2026 | Projects | 0 comments

Aerial render of Donders City neighborhood

Donders City is the housing project that Mandatum is preparing for Suriname: a green, walkable city where families can live in peace, with homes, schools, a hospital, shops and sports facilities a few steps from their door. The project has its own website, where anyone can register their interest free of charge and with no commitment.

A home for those who serve the country

The project takes its name and spirit from Peerke Donders, who gave his life in Suriname to people society had set aside. Today, the promoters say, those left out of housing are often the ones who keep the country running: teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters, public employees, working families and Surinamese who want to return to their homeland. Donders City is meant for all of them.

What the city will include

Render of the Donders City hospital — Illustrative render: the second-level hospital.

Render of a school in Donders City — Illustrative render: schools at every level.

Render of the Donders City sports field — Illustrative render: sports complex and parks.

Homes with a porch and a front garden. Subsidized rent in stage 1, purchase with financing in stage 2.
Schools at every level, from early childhood to technical and higher education, run by other orders with a long humanitarian and educational tradition, under agreements to be signed later.
A second-level hospital with 24-hour emergency care, general medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, dentistry and telemedicine.
Sports complex and parks, so young people have somewhere to go and a future ahead.
Walkable streets, with sidewalks and bike lanes separated from cars, plus public transport.
A gated residential neighborhood for the safety of families, a commercial area open to everyone with shopping centers and business incubators, and flood protection built into the design.

How it works

Render of walkable streets and bike lanes in Donders City — Illustrative render: sidewalks and bike lanes separated from cars.

In stage 1, homes are offered for subsidized rent, adjusted to each family's income, to every kind of public employee and to the general public. In stage 2, residents can buy with financing: the installment depends on income, not on the cost of the home, and is subsidized. The terms will be agreed with the Government in an additional MOU. The criteria and the points system are still being defined together with the authorities and will be published on the project site.

The funding is non-repayable, with no debt or State guarantees: the cost to the State is none. Every payment goes straight to the supplier, only for work certified by an independent auditor.

Why register now

Extra points in the allocation of homes.
Be the first to know about every step, announcement and opening of each process.
Have a say in what families need: homes, services, hours, shops.
Make it count: every registration shows the city is needed.

Registering takes about a minute. It is not a reservation and does not guarantee a home; it earns extra points and keeps people on the list of those who will make the city real. The site also invites builders, technicians, professionals and Surinamese companies to register as suppliers.

The community it is looking for

Render of the Donders City community — Illustrative render: a community built on help, respect and solidarity.

Donders City aims to be a community built on help, respect and solidarity between neighbors: residents with civic spirit, responsible toward nature, careful with property and supportive of one another, where young people have a future and the elderly are looked after.

Who is behind it

The project is led by Ordo Supremus Pro Causis Humanitariis INC (Mandatum), a non-profit humanitarian organization that will manage the city permanently and reinvest any surplus in it. It has the help of UnASDG, an intergovernmental organization that provides the funding and oversees every payment. Locally, Stichting Mandatum Suriname will lead the project and seek ladies and gentlemen of honor to join the Order.

Where the project stands

Done: treaty between Suriname and UnASDG, signed on 12 September 2023.
Done: MOU with the Government of the Republic of Suriname, February 2026.
Done: Stichting Mandatum Suriname established in April 2026.
Pending: a bank opens the project account, which will manage the funds.
Pending: the Government sends UnASDG the letter with that account number.
Then: disbursement of the project funds begins.

There is no start or delivery date for homes yet, and the location is still to be designated. The images on the site are illustrative renders: the final city may differ, depending on the work of architects and engineers and on government approvals and permits.

Learn more or register at the project site: sur.emandatum.com.

This project has a detailed technical document covering the investment costs, the break-even point, maintenance and operating costs, financing, and ownership structure. The document is available to the members of the Order. Interested members may contact the Chancellery of the Order in their country to request the information.