Backstory to the 100 houses project
In November 2020, hurricanes Eta and Iota flooded the Caribbean coast of Honduras: 3,907,229 people were affected and more than 437,000 had to leave their homes, which were under water. Around 5,817 houses were completely destroyed.
In view of this disastrous situation, the “Yo quiero ser...” foundation acquired in 2022 a plot of land in Monte Grande, Aldea de Agua Sucia, judicial district of Quimistan, department of Santa Barbara, with a total area of 7.99 manzanas (55,754.24 m2).
In 2022, we started the construction of the Unión y Esperanza project with 104 houses to help around 500 people by giving them prospects for the future. This includes 300 children under the age of 15 who suffer from extreme poverty.
Site development
Sewage and drinking water system
In the first months of 2023, the installation of the wastewater system with sewerage, house connections and drinking water system was completed. Drinking water is supplied via a well (groundwater borehole), which delivers the water via a pump and a water filter. According to laboratory tests, the water is suitable for human consumption: All parameters are within the range of the national technical standard for drinking water.
Septic tank
In March 2023, construction began on a wastewater tank into which the project's wastewater will be discharged and later pumped out by a licensed company. The tank consists of watertight inner walls made of concrete blocks, cast columns, foundations and ceilings made of reinforced concrete, which are reinforced with iron in the lower and upper areas. The area of the structure is 283.88 m2 and was completed in September 2023.
Electricity
In the first months of 2023, the electrical installations were also carried out, consisting of the connection to the main line, a secondary line, transformers and LED street lighting. On September 6, 2023, the contract for the handover of the electrical installations was signed between the foundation “Yo quiero ser...” and ENEE (Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica)..
Pilot project for prefabricated houses
At the end of 2022, 3 containers with 14 prefabricated houses arrived from China, which were assembled at the beginning of 2023. The houses were built as part of a pilot project to test their feasibility. Each house consists of two bedrooms, a living room and a bathroom with toilet, washbasin and shower cubicle. The walls are made of sandwich panels (metal-insulating material-metal), the floor of laminate and the roof of corrugated iron.
The houses stand on 9 pillars and have a floor area of 36 m2. As this is not an optimal form of housing considering the climatic factors and the mentality of the local people, the foundation has decided to continue the construction of 90 houses with materials commonly used in Honduras, such as concrete bricks, cement and gutters made of galvanized aluminium.
Building the houses
In 2023, the foundation built 90 houses using local labor and materials from local businesses to boost local employment and the economy.
Each house consists of two bedrooms, a living and dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a veranda and an open laundry area behind the house. The houses have a living space of 40 m2.
The houses were built with walls of masonry concrete bricks, poured concrete floors and roofs of metal beams and sheets. All windows are sliding windows with mosquito nets. The houses are equipped with toilets, washbasins and kitchen sinks. Behind the house there is a washbasin made of poured concrete in the open washing area. Each house is connected to the electricity grid via a concrete base with a meter. In addition, all houses are connected to the project's water and sewage system.
Selecting the families
A social worker carried out a social study to identify suitable families for the project. The most important requirements that had to be met were: Having children under the age of 15, being affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota or their aftermath, living in poverty, having no assets and not being registered on the criminal record. The social worker visited each family and conducted in-depth interviews to get to know them. By December 2023, 22 families living in cardboard houses, tents and other temporary accommodation had been selected for the “Unión y Esperanza” project and resettled.
Move in of the families
The anticipation was overwhelming. Some families needed a little more time to pack, others took the opportunity to get rid of unwanted and accumulated “unusable” things.
As no “pets” were allowed apart from cats and dogs, most of them also sold their chickens, horses, pigs, cows or whatever other pets and farm animals they owned.
We organized the transport to their new residence Unión y Esperanza with trucks or pickups.
In their new home, each family received a welcome package consisting of buckets filled with household utensils. Some families even received furniture such as sofas, dining tables with chairs and complete bunk beds with mattresses.
Activities to promote the community
The parade day was also a time to get to know each other, as the community numbered almost 100 people. The first joint activity was decorating the Christmas tree, with each ornament being a wish ornament. So everyone decorated the tree with their wishes and at the end of the day the tree shone in beautiful colors.
There was an afternoon of games for the little ones, while the parents listened to lectures. We are aware that we must continue to support and “educate” these families. Otherwise, the families will not be able to live together...
Christmas party
The children's home “Yo quiero ser...” organized a Christmas party for the families of the project with a delicious lunch, dessert and sweet drinks. Each child received a toy, the women jewelry from the Santa Rosa de Copán jewelry courses and each family a basket of food and cleaning products.
The joy was immense and the expressions of happiness and gratitude from the new residents were indescribable. Don Ramon said it was the promised land of the Bible... Most of them told us how they used to live and that they had never thought of owning their own house.
At the end of the day, everyone was allowed to choose clothes, shoes, handbags, teddy bears, etc.