Habitat for Humanity: Mexico Earthquake response

General objective

• Housing reconstruction in the Frailesca and the Central region of Chiapas affected by the 2017 earthquakes, by means of a recovery process to build resilient communities, through the strengthening of capacities for coordination, planning, management, and monitoring the process.

 Specific objectives

• Provide a habitable and durable housing to families affected by the earthquake, providing the necessary constructive technical advice and supervision during the process.
• Strengthen local organizational capabilities through the process of social and educational participation with the affected families in order to organize themselves for the reconstruction of the houses in the different intervention zones.

• 1. Community and housing assessment: Family selection

• Family selection and file integration were carried out as well as the damage diagnosis, and the requirement mapping in the municipalities of Villaflores, Jiquipilas, Cintalapa. We identify 80 families that met the eligibility criteria, and we have in process 20 more families in Ocozocuautla and Villaflores.

           2. Social Intervention: Community organization and workshops.

At this time, we already have 8 committees and they are integrating two more. A total of 39 workshop sessions have been given in the following topics: 

• The Identity of Habitat for Humanity Mexico - 10 workshops 
• Organization and Strengthening of Local Communities - 8 workshops
• Housing and Habitability - 8 workshops 
• Housing and Healthy Habitat - 8 workshops 
• Resilience - 8 workshops
• Construction Key Principles - 1 workshop

         3. Construction Technical Advice

Technical Advisory activities have been carried out by architects in all municipalities with the following progress:

• Assessement, survey and detection of construction needs - 80 actions
• Architectural proposals - 65 proposals
• Self-construction and supervision of housing - 60 actions
• Construction closure - 30 actions

Architectural Proposal

• The architectural proposals have been developed according to the needs of each family considering the resources of materials and labor that the family has. Part of the resources come from the Government of Mexico, through the National Fund for Natural Disasters (FONDEN), who provided support to the affected families, and other resources such as labor are contributed by the affected families. So far, a total of 65 architectural proposals have been completed.

Self-construction and supervision of housing

• Once the architectural project is available, the purchase of materials and distribution of them begins. Then beneficiaries start the construction of the house, the labor is provided by the family and advised by the Habitat for Humanity Architects. In this point, through community organization, the Social Promoter has carried out 4 activities of mutual help for self-construction, in which he has also be trained in the application of stucco in walls (finishing in walls).