A Safer Home for Slum Dwellers in Metro Manila

Build Change has launched the prototyping phase of our preventative housing retrofitting (structurally strengthening) project in the City of Makati in Metro Manila in April 2016. Makati City has several barangays comprised of informal settlements which are on or near an active fault line. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake is predicted to hit Metro Manila; and in Makati City alone, the earthquake can kill 2,300 and injure 7,500 people. We are currently prototyping our initial assumptions about people’s motivations and financial capacity for retrofitting, which will allow us to develop and test models that will facilitate voluntary retrofitting among homeowners.

Makati has been implementing disaster management and risk reduction activities; however, there is still a misunderstanding among residents about disaster risk and the means they can take to strengthen their houses.

Nita (not her real name), a 40-year old housewife, lives in a barangay in Makati City, which stands on an active fault line. Nita wants to conduct minor upgrades in her existing house, which is made mostly of wood and some concrete materials. She feels that an upgrade is necessary so she and her son can be protected in the event of an earthquake, especially since her husband works overseas and may not be with them when the big one happens. However, she does not know where and how to begin the upgrade and does not see it as an urgent priority.

In the coming weeks, Build Change will work with Nita and her community to take the first step to help make their homes safer in the event of an earthquake, as well as typhoon. Through your support, we will raise their awareness about the risk they face and encourage them to retrofit their existing homes. This is going to be an exciting journey and we look forward to providing you with further updates about our project in the succeeding months!