Residents renew houses with the help of SOMONCA

The truck pictured here contains a type of marl stone used in construction. The residents of La Cienega (a small town near Cabarete) stand with their wheelbarrows and shovels ready to move the soft stone into their homes. The Ambassador of Germany has donated 400,000 pesos for this project. SOMONCA (an environmental organization working in Sosua, Montellano and Cabarete) is coordinating this work and financial management. Neighbors help each other to raise floor levels, so that no homes are flooded when it rains. Hopefully, raising the floors by 50 cm will be sufficient to prevent further flooding. The floor is then leveled with sand and covered with a layer of cement, resulting in ,nice, raised, flat floors.

The rest of the houses are built on top of these foundations. The first house is almost completed and will soon be painted. The residents are currently moving from one house to another until they have all been renovated.

The house next door is being repaired as a result of damage to property belonging to a poor woman and her two children. The walls consist of palm leaves and the floor is made of lime. The first house will be completely demolished, then the soil level will be increased in the same way as described above, and covered with a layer of cement. The original house will be rebuilt, but will now have a kitchen, bedroom and living room, and be constructed of wood. Since the roof is in good condition, the materials can be reused for the new house. Residents plan to renovate the other houses in this manner until funds are exhausted.

They hope that new sponsors can also be found, because although 400,000 pesos (donated by The Embassy of Germany) seems like a lot of money, stone and loam alone costs 200,000 pesos (for 40 truckloads). The rest of the money is spent on wheelbarrows, shovels, paint and wood.

Would you like to sponsor a house?

These people can do much with only 5,000 pesos per house (timber only costs that much). However, we also need experience - people who have worked in the construction sector, or those who know plumbing and health care. Would you be willing to donate time or money? Contact us