Observation Report: Housing Project Procomes, Cuscatancingo
(First draft)
Observation Report: Housing Project Procomes, Cuscatancingo
Location: Cuscatancingo
Date: 20/04/09
Time: 14:00- 16:00
Main topic: Risk reduction, Maria Auxiliadora, ‘Bindicion de dios’
(A new housing project for people of community Finca Argentina, Montreal, Mejicanos).
As part of the risk reduction program in the north part of Sector Montreal Procomes initiated a housing program for a 28 families of the people of the community Finca Argentina, who were heavily affected by hurricane Stan in 2005. Together with the municipalities of Cuscatancingo and San Salvador Procomes found a more safe (according to disasters) area to built 32 new houses for 28 families who were living in Finca Argentina and 4 families that were living at a high risk place in San Salvador.
The project was initiated in 2006, it took till the summer of 2008 till the last families moved into their new homes.
The people of community worked together under supervision of constructors to build their new houses, ending in a lottery to divide the houses over the families. The process of constructing the houses everyday from 7am till 4pm was not easy, especially for the people that had to work next to these construction hours to pay the rent of their old houses. This story is told by the woman who lives with her two kids in the first house. While constructing the new houses she still had to pay a rent of 32 dollars a month, while she was earning 7 dollars a day in the ‘Maquilla”. After she finished constructing these 32 houses she found a job as masonry, so next to a new house she found a new job with this program. Al though the difficult program constructing the houses together created a stronger community.
Comparing to her old house, she rented a cement house in Finca Argentina, the new house in a big improvement. The biggest improvement is the reduced risk; she doesn’t have to be scared of water coming to her house anymore. The place itself and the construction of the houses give the people a save spot to live. The connectivity to the centre of Mejicanos, where she goes for her groceries and medical help, is not different then in Finca Argentina; a 15-20 minute bus ride. The connectivity on the smaller scale seems to be improved. The passages and paths in Finca Argentina did flood and were covered with mud during the winter, while the new excess to the main road is hardened and even supplied with a hand rail. Although the women we speak to keeps on denying the fact that she puts less energy in reaching the main road, we can assume that especially elderly and children are better of with the new situation.
The plot is very small for the construction of 32 family houses; therefore the houses are built site by site with just a single wall to divide two houses. Procomes has five different blueprints of houses. It is depending on the situation and the money which type of house is being constructed. Within this program they include some of the basic services; water and sanitation, infrastructure, disaster risk reduction, but couldn’t include electricity. The electricity is illegally tabbed from the network. Cables hanging low and weak wooden poles are used to keep them up. The electricity company putted down steel poles in the area where houses appear or being constructed. The community now is negotiating with the municipality in order to get legal electricity.
Next to the process of slowly getting al the basic necessities, the community and procomes hired a lawyer to legalize their land rights. Every family pays 16-25 dollars per person to obtain these land rights. There is a good hope the process will be finished by the end of this year.
The first problems we come across are related to the surrounding of the houses. While in finca Argentina people had bigger plots and more room to grow some vegetables and fruits, they don’t have any personal space in the new area. The people together are Obtain the land around the area by growing plants and fruits. Another problem is a small piece of deserted land just above the settlement where people used to dump the garbage. When the spot gets too polluted they make a phone call to the municipality to clear the area.
Electricity poles put down by company, negotiating with the municipality
Pay 16-25 dollar family per person.
Contact: Maria Auxiliadora
Neighborhood: Bindicion de Dios
Observation Report: Housing Project Procomes, Cuscatancingo
Location: Cuscatancingo
Date: 20/04/09
Time: 14:00- 16:00
Main topic: Risk reduction, Maria Auxiliadora, ‘Bindicion de dios’
(A new housing project for people of community Finca Argentina, Montreal, Mejicanos).
As part of the risk reduction program in the north part of Sector Montreal Procomes initiated a housing program for a 28 families of the people of the community Finca Argentina, who were heavily affected by hurricane Stan in 2005. Together with the municipalities of Cuscatancingo and San Salvador Procomes found a more safe (according to disasters) area to built 32 new houses for 28 families who were living in Finca Argentina and 4 families that were living at a high risk place in San Salvador.
The project was initiated in 2006, it took till the summer of 2008 till the last families moved into their new homes.
The people of community worked together under supervision of constructors to build their new houses, ending in a lottery to divide the houses over the families. The process of constructing the houses everyday from 7am till 4pm was not easy, especially for the people that had to work next to these construction hours to pay the rent of their old houses. This story is told by the woman who lives with her two kids in the first house. While constructing the new houses she still had to pay a rent of 32 dollars a month, while she was earning 7 dollars a day in the ‘Maquilla”. After she finished constructing these 32 houses she found a job as masonry, so next to a new house she found a new job with this program. Al though the difficult program constructing the houses together created a stronger community.
Comparing to her old house, she rented a cement house in Finca Argentina, the new house in a big improvement. The biggest improvement is the reduced risk; she doesn’t have to be scared of water coming to her house anymore. The place itself and the construction of the houses give the people a save spot to live. The connectivity to the centre of Mejicanos, where she goes for her groceries and medical help, is not different then in Finca Argentina; a 15-20 minute bus ride. The connectivity on the smaller scale seems to be improved. The passages and paths in Finca Argentina did flood and were covered with mud during the winter, while the new excess to the main road is hardened and even supplied with a hand rail. Although the women we speak to keeps on denying the fact that she puts less energy in reaching the main road, we can assume that especially elderly and children are better of with the new situation.
The plot is very small for the construction of 32 family houses; therefore the houses are built site by site with just a single wall to divide two houses. Procomes has five different blueprints of houses. It is depending on the situation and the money which type of house is being constructed. Within this program they include some of the basic services; water and sanitation, infrastructure, disaster risk reduction, but couldn’t include electricity. The electricity is illegally tabbed from the network. Cables hanging low and weak wooden poles are used to keep them up. The electricity company putted down steel poles in the area where houses appear or being constructed. The community now is negotiating with the municipality in order to get legal electricity.
Next to the process of slowly getting al the basic necessities, the community and procomes hired a lawyer to legalize their land rights. Every family pays 16-25 dollars per person to obtain these land rights. There is a good hope the process will be finished by the end of this year.
The first problems we come across are related to the surrounding of the houses. While in finca Argentina people had bigger plots and more room to grow some vegetables and fruits, they don’t have any personal space in the new area. The people together are Obtain the land around the area by growing plants and fruits. Another problem is a small piece of deserted land just above the settlement where people used to dump the garbage. When the spot gets too polluted they make a phone call to the municipality to clear the area.
Electricity poles put down by company, negotiating with the municipality
Pay 16-25 dollar family per person.
Contact: Maria Auxiliadora
Neighborhood: Bindicion de Dios
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