In Guatemala's highlands, hope is built with concrete
17 students from School of Architecture will build houses in a village in the municipality of Santa Apolonia, Guatemala.
"It is one of my first experiences in the world of construction and it is satisfying to be able to do this work and help someone in need," says Uxue Erado, a student from Pamplona. This University of Navarra student, along with sixteen other students from School of Architecture, volunteers from the Escuela del Istmo (Guatemala) and monitors from the NGO Fundación para el development Integral (FUDI), will participate this year in the VI project "Architecture and development".
During the month of July, the students will work on the construction of at least five houses in the village of Parajbey in the municipality of Santa Apolonia, Chimaltenango province (Guatemala). "Compared to the houses that exist in the village today, the ones we are going to build are much safer. They are prefabricated concrete blocks, with pillars and foundations. This makes the housing more dignified," explains Saioa Martínez.
The students who will be leaving for the Guatemalan highlands are Uxue Erado, Miren Biurrun, Carmen Miranda, Marina Monreal, Enrique Fernández, María Pérez and Saoia Martínez from Pamplona; as well as Marta Gómez, Marta Pérez and Mikel Silió, from Bilbao; Adriana Preciado, Maitane García de Salazar and Sandra Villanueva, from Vitoria; Irene Téllez, from Urretxu; Christian Bragado, from Burgos; María Estrada, from Murcia; and Carmela de la Hera, from Madrid.
30 homes in six years
The VI project "Architecture and development" will continue the path initiated years ago for the full recovery of nine rural Guatemalan communities affected by storms Stan (2005) and Agatha (2010). Since its inception, more than 100 volunteers from the University of Navarra's School of Architecture have participated in the construction of 30 houses in disadvantaged communities in the highlands.
Recently, FHA (Fomento de Hipotecas Aseguradas), a Guatemalan state institution dedicated to facilitating the acquisition of housing for Guatemalan families, has awarded the project "Construyendo esperanzas" (the name by which project is known in Guatemala). This award is awarded annually to projects that work to provide people with decent housing.
The project "Architecture and development" welcomes donations, which will be used to purchase building materials, through RODE (Fundación de programs of study y Actividades de Interés Social).