The earthquakes
that rocked El Salvador in January and February, 2001, left
more than 300,000 families homeless, including 2,500 in
the region where the FSSCA
and Coordinadora
work.
The generosity of many individuals
and organizations is helping people recover one of the most
basic of necessities: shelter. By June, the Coordinadora
had built 12 flood-proof homes (in addition to 25 Roundhouses),
with dozens more on the way.
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A new home under construction
for this family
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Rear view of a new home under construction
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Beneficiary
families participate directly in building their homes: learning
skills, reducing costs, and instilling a sense of ownership
and pride. |
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These concrete homes are well
suited to the region: not only do they withstand earthquakes,
but they are also flood resistant (many of the communities
remain vulnerable to flooding nearly every year).
On behalf of the children
and parents who now have a safe, permanent home, thank you.
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A finished home for this family that the earthquakes
had left homeless.
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Project Report
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Project Objective
This project seeks to help
families that were left homeless by the earthquakes in January
and February, 2001, build new homes.
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Kids pose for a photo
while their parents work with masons to build their new
home.
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Resources
The Coordinadora-Mangrove Association
received a total of $182,044.40 for this purpose from a variety
of sources for the express purpose of building new homes for earthquake
victims. Major donors included The American Jewish World Service,
The Overbrook Foundation, and The Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
The Coordinadora will use an additional
$22,000 from funds directed towards general earthquake recuperation
to complete the construction of a total of 68 homes.
In addition to the 68 homes funded
by this project, the Coordinadora has begun a new relationship with
CHF (the Cooperative Housing Foundation), which will provide matching
funds for the construction of additional homes (outside of this
project). Likewise, negotiations continue towards increasing the
number of Roundhouses in the region.
Project Execution
1. Design and scheduling
The original architectural design
of the homes consisted of an enclosed 18m2 (194 ft2) living area
divided into two rooms and an additional 18m2 (194 ft2) roofed
porch (which the beneficiary family would have the option to enclose
later if they chose).
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This first design has undergone
some changes because it proved limiting for the needs of some
families. The second design eliminated the division between
the two enclosed rooms. The third design incorporated the
porch area into the enclosed area and reduced the total size
of the structure, creating a 30m2 (323 ft2 ) single room home.
Finally, the homes under construction on Isla Méndez replaced
a window with a door to facilitate expansion of the home later
on.
The home construction schedule
proceeded in the following stages: preparation of the site
and foundation, raising of walls, raising of roof, laying
of floor, and the addition of doors and windows.
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2. Budget
Due to the modification of the
architectural design, the budget per home has been slightly modified.
The average cost per home is $2,600.
3. Assemblies with beneficiaries
The Coordinating Commission (the
Coordinadora's executive committee) assigned priority in home
construction to the following communities: San Marcos Lempa Canton
(which includes Papalota, Caseta, and El Mono) (30 homes), Buena
Vista (30 homes), and Isla Méndez (8 homes).
The Coordinadora held assemblies
in each community to explain the project and to define the beneficiary
selection process, the work structure, the beneficiaries' obligations,
and the distribution of work. The communities agreed that each
beneficiary family would provide the unskilled labor, that each
community would provide safe storage for supplies, and two or
three families would work together to carry out the different
unskilled labor tasks.
In each community, the ADESCO
(the Community Development Association - a legal entity) formed
a housing committee to supervise the distribution of materials,
hire the skilled labor, and handle the funds from the Coordinadora
for paying the skilled labor. This arrangement of the Coordinadora
paying labor indirectly allowed the local communities greater
control over labor quality. In the case of communities that did
not have an ADESCO, the closest neighboring ADESCO served as an
umbrella organization (the Río Roldán ADESCO provided this service
to La Papalota, Las Casetas, and El Mono).
In order to build local skills
in project administration on the part of the housing committees,
it was arranged for them to progressively build a larger and larger
number of homes in their communities, beginning with four, then
8, and then more as the committee's capacity and resources permit.
For example, in Isla Méndez, following
the construction of the first four houses, the Coordinadora will
increase the next set of houses to 8, thus also saving money on
the high cost of transportation to that remote community.
In Buena Vista, the community
agreed that it would not only be responsible for unskilled labor
but that it would pay for the skilled labor, making it possible
for the same resources from the Coordinadora to help more families.
3. Signing of agreements
Each beneficiary family signed
a project contract with the Cooridnadora-Mangrove Association,
agreeing to provide unskilled labor for home construction.
Signing
the agreement
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Receipt of the house
after its finished
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4. Contracting Skilled Labor
Due to a labor shortage in San
Marcos Lempa, it has been difficult to hire and keep skilled labor.
On more than one occasion, other NGOs (non-governmental organizations)
working on projects in neighboring communities have approached
the project's workers and taken them away by offering them better
pay.
This problem did not occur in
Buena Vista or Isla Mendez as no other NGOs are working in that
region. Buena Vista has had the benefit of an ongoing potable
water project, which community members have also participated
in. In March, a brigade of students organized by the American
Jewish World Service assisted in preparing the land and demolishing
homes that could not be repaired.
5. The initiation of activities
Work began on the following dates:
La Papalota: March 5
La Caseta: April 26
El Mono: April 26
Buena Vista: March 5
Isla Méndez: March 5
Progress
As of June 5, home construction
has progressed as described in this chart.
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Finished Homes
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Awaiting Roof
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Under Construction
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| Buena Vista |
8
|
8
|
0
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| Isla Mendez |
0
|
12
|
0
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| La Caseta |
0
|
4
|
4
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| La Papalota |
4
|
0
|
4
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| El Mono |
0
|
4
|
4
|
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12
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28
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12
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June 5, 2001
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