Durable shelter for Lay Ein Tan Village

AMURT applied its concept of affordable cyclone resistant houses to provide homes to the village population of Lay Ein Tan, who had not received help from relief organisations. These survivors of Cyclone Nargis survivors, who had lost their houses, received shelter which could resist another cyclone and which can be easily repaired. The communities chosen were those which had at least 90% of destruction. 66 new houses were constructed with SELAVIP funding; and 30 more units were built with funding from Bibi Foundation (Belgium). The overall original target was to build 85 units; due to reduction in some materials price and reduction transportation cost, it was possible to build 13 more units, 8 of them with Selavip resources. The house design had been tested in other 7 villages with excellent results, especially during the 5 months' monsoon season. Again, people in these two villages were not passive beneficiaries, but active members in the decision making and implementation process. They fixed the roof, walls and floor of their homes, and now live in secure conditions after 22 month living in transitional self- made shelters. All the families have already moved in, just in time before the beginning of the rainy season, and AMURT accompanied them by helping to strengthen the local economy. Contact: Luis Alfonso Uribe, laliteshananda@gmail.com