When the earthquake hit the Ecuadorian coast on April 16th, thousands of rural and urban-rural families fell immediately into homelessness. These conditions translated into domestic and family violence, sexual abuse, drug addiction and dependence. An amazing Ecuadorian family decided not to wait for outside assistance for their fellow Ecuadorians, and started CAEMBA.
CAEMBA seeks to help farmers, fishermen or rural and small business owners, by providing an immediate housing alternative. By doing so, people will be able to resume family life in a single day, thus returning to a productive lifestyle as well as other family activities. CAEMBA homes can be assembled in hours with the applied labor of four to six local people and supervision of a trained person.
CAEMBA uses ancient materials such as Giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) and combines them with resistant high-tech elements such as sun reflective resistant plastic. The plastic cover has duration of between two to three years. It has white outer face which reflects 95% of solar radiation, and a black inner surface that creates shade and absorbs the energy reflected from the floor. As a result, the inside of our homes remains cool and fresh. The modular design of the homes are being used for schools, mobile hospitals, kitchens, etc. This initial structure gives people immediate protection against rain and insects and allows safe collection of rainwater.
What better way for VSI to protect women and children than to join with CAEMBA in providing shelter for the homeless.
