Women's economic empowerment in Haiti
I was a shop owner before January 12th. After Jan 12th., everything ended. We lost everything. I discovered (this programme) Grupo Sofonias* and received training in construction and civil engineering.
We learned how to manufacture building materials and then how to construct houses. We have other construction projects in the works, including a church, a school and a healt clinic.
For the future I want to keep learning. Now I can think about making my dreams come true. Because I feel like this type of work is my calling.
With this words, Natasha Laforest describes her situation after receiving technical training and mentoring at the construction workshop of EcoSur Network in Haiti, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.
EcoSur classified as "Best Practice" by UN-Habitat
From left to right: Paul Moreno, Estuardo Quispillo, Diego Coloma (Fundación EcoSur Ecuador) and Kurt Rhyner (Sofonías Switzerland)
The United Nationa Habitat program, UN-Habitat, has classified as a Best Practice, EcoSur, the network for a economic and ecological habitat, and "applauded its significant impact in improving the living environment" for its "significative impact to improve the habitat".
The EcoSur Network emerged through synergies of Latin American professionals dedicated towards investigation and development of solutions for the habitat. In its 20 years of existence, the EcoSur Network has united thousands of users and is a point of reference for economical and ecological construction materials, EcoMaterials.
Read the complete information of the program in www.UNHabitat.org
When the flow of oil stopped (VI): Housing
The shortages had a great impact on the ongoing social housing programs and, as housing is a constitutional right for the Cubans, the government had declared that the housing program would continue to be a priority. The dramatic reduction in availability of materials like cement and steel and the closing of prefabrication prompted a local movement for the production of “low energy consumption materials”.
Ferro10: International Symposium on FerroCement
In Octobre 2012, some 150 participants from 28 countries met during three days at the International Symposium on Ferrocement (Ferro X) in the Convention Palace in Havanna, proceeded by a series of classes with renowned international specialists at the University.
Ferrocement panels gain acceptance
A new UN habitat publication highlights the Cuban experience of building with ferrocement panels, while a series of apartment houses are under construction with this technology in the Dominican Republic, as well as two community buildings in Haiti.
The “International Ferrocement Society » (IFS) organizes its 10th International Symposium on “Ferrocement and Thin Reinforced Cement Composites” (www.ferro10.com) in Havana, Cuba, in the month of October.
When the flow of oil stopped (V): Transport and food supply
During the 1980s Cuba achieved decent levels of mobility, particularly public transportation. A local factory could assemble the so-called “Giron” buses, a bus resting on a chassis of a Russian truck, vehicles that became the backbone of local and medium distance travel.
Estuardo Quispillo
