Objectives
- Reducing the population's vulnerability to seismic risks ;
- Strengthening training centers ;
- Promote building systems that guarantee healthy and safe living;
El Salvador lies on the Caribbean Plate, in a highly seismic region of Central America. Since pre-Columbian times, builders have developed simple, intelligent and adapted construction techniques that take into account the dangers associated with earthquakes. However, in the face of modern construction principles, these local cultures of risk and the associated know-how are rapidly disappearing. They are no longer recognized by university courses, and current administrative rules in the construction sector are not in their favor. This is creating a gap with people's expectations of housing in buildings that are both affordable and earthquake-resistant. El Salvador's earthquake-resistant housing construction program for poorly housed rural and peri-urban populations began in 1994.
For over 15 years, and based on a local coordination network (Caritas network, la Plataforma), local partners have been made aware of the need for long-term thinking to cope with a permanent seismic threat. Existing skills are strengthened with support for training and research centers, which are provided with information and appropriate tools (production/construction units, educational and awareness-raising materials). The know-how of local building cultures is also promoted. A strategy for raising awareness and disseminating the results obtained is being developed to promote access to better housing for local populations.
Demonstration buildings were built: an earthquake-resistant module on the UCA University Campus (1995); three prototypes (“La Semilla”) distributed throughout each region of El Salvador and two Bahareque Cerén Mejorado modules (2001) in the central region (Zacatecoluca) and the eastern region (San Miguel). This helped to ensure a real understanding of the proposed technical approach, based on the study of the seismic characteristics of pre-Columbian housing (Joya de Cerén archaeological site). (Research on the Bahareque Cerén Mejorado, W.Carazas-Aedo, CRATerre-ENSAG.
Over 100 craftsmen, 50 engineers and architects, and 20 technicians were involved in training activities. More broadly speaking, it is estimated that over 100 communities have benefited from the program, and thousands of homes have been built throughout the country according to the technical specifications developed.
An evaluation of the program demonstrated the relevance of the proposed approaches, the key ideas of which are to take account of local building cultures to enable optimum use to be made of local knowledge, know-how and materials, to prepare for disasters so that institutions and the population are in a position to anticipate seismic risks as effectively as possible, and to strengthen skills chains to democratize knowledge by giving it to all and as close as possible to the beneficiaries.
Results
- 11 institutions reached (1 donor; 2 universities; 8 NGOs)
- 170 construction professionals trained
- 1,000 families rehoused
- Teaching materials available
Partners
La Plataforma (Caritas El Salvador network), Salvadoran Foundation for Development and Economic Housing (FUNDASAL), Association for the Spiritual and Economic Recovery of Man (CREDHO), Simeón Cañas University of San Salvador, Misereor
