Construction of Houses for Widows and Orphans
EPM has been building houses in Kayové with the help of SELAVIP since 2004. This project added 25 units to complete a total of 100 houses for widows and adopted orphans. The beneficiaries were chosen by the local authorities, the parish of Kayové, a representative of EPM and the association of widows. The widows carried the sand to the construction site to keep the construction costs as low as possible. Considering that many other widows still are in critical need of shelter, we suggested during our field visit to reduce the cost of each house by building smaller units. In a meeting the still homeless widows fully agreed with our proposal to build "less for more". But EPM continued with the conventional approach of a home of 3 rooms. During December the widows can move in. The total cost will be divided between SELAVIP (48%) and EPM (52%). Another issue we discussed on the field was how to formalize future use of these houses. A realistic approach is needed to preserve the original purpose if a widow decides to sell the house and/or re-marry, at the same time respecting her right to access a more independent life. Contact: Inge Quatraro famille.quatraro@skynet.be
