María’s story

 Development worker María (right) with a local leader in Ica, Peru.

When Progressio development worker María Eugenia Lacarra arrived in Ica, Peru, three months after an earthquake in 2007 that killed 550 people, she was faced with a distressing situation. More than 90,000 homes were damaged. 75,000 were completely destroyed. Reconstruction efforts had barely begun and lacked coordination and resources.

Local people, who before the earthquake had lived in adobe (mud-brick) homes, were now living in temporary shelters made of rush mat and plastic donated by NGOs. “Children and old people were getting ill. People were desperate,” says María.

“If you don’t have a decent home, if your environment is not secure, the rest of your personal development is impossible,” explains María.

María, an architect from Spain, set to work with the local community to design and build earthquake-resistant houses that would be safe, easy to put together and would meet the needs of individual families. “Everyone took part – women, men and children,” says María.

Previously, people believed that more expensive materials, such as bricks, would give better results. But María focused instead on combining modern agricultural techniques with natural resources – such as wood and reeds – to design homes that are earthquake-resistant.

Melania Quiñónez, one of the local leaders involved in the project, says: “If another earthquake were to happen, we are convinced that the houses would not collapse, so keeping our families safe.”

Flor María Quillas, a single mother of three, also took part in the project, which won first prize in the Social Habitat and Development category of the 2009 Pan-American Architecture competition for the level of participation by the people and the simplicty of the technique. “I have participated as much as I could,” says Flor. “Now I have a really nice, safe house for my children and me.”