« A Day at the (Camel) Races | Main | Friends and Partners »

January 29, 2007

Rebuilding the broken walls

A few photos of the rebuilding work we are doing in Gorom-Gorom after the flood:

1. Most of the 31 houses we are building are like this – built of mud brick with a tin roof, but with tarmac plastering to waterproof it, and a cement “belt” round the bottom to protect the first 40cm from flooding erosion. This was the first one completely finished, and the owner, Diao, has already moved in.
2. We chose the most vulnerable people, like Aisetou here, looking at her house, which is about to have its roof put on.

3. Five of the houses are of woodless construction like this, being built in collaboration with the Development Workshop. The houses need no wood, with even the roof being made entirely of mud bricks, formed into this domed shape.
4. This is one of the teams working on the domed roof of the woodless house. Each brick is placed carefully in its exact location. The whole process is great to watch.

5. Although the work is well over half-way finished now, the Gorom authorities were keen on having a “stone-laying ceremony”. We did this for Alaye’s house which we were about to start building, and the Prefet of Gorom-Gorom, the Mayor’s representative, and the General Secretary for the Province of Oudalan all came. We also happened to have with us this week visitors from my church in Cardiff, Glenwood church, which was the main donor for the flood victims. The brick is being laid by The Secretary General and Peter Cole from Glenwood.

6. Me with Alaye, for whose house the stone was being laid.

Tags: burkina faso africa burkina flood building woodless construction sahel emergency housing aid

Posted by Keith at January 29, 2007 02:40 PM