House Strengthening
Demonstration
DW collaborates with individual families to strengthen their existing home. Each beneficiary house is surveyed, the weaknesses discussed and a contract drawn up detailing the work to be done to make the building safe and defining the contribution that will be made by the family and by the project. The project makes a subsidised contribution in the order of about 150 US$ and since the beginning of 2002 the family has access to a small credit fund to help in their contribution to costs. Overall the family covers about 50% of the costs, and, using trained skilled labour and their own help, manages the strengthening work. See family case studies
No two buildings have the same strengthening needs, but typical actions include
ensuring that all parts of the structure are solidly tied together, that the
roof covering is securely held done with reinforced ribs or bars, that the
building has strong doors and shutters and that walls are made more water
and wind resistant.
Public Facilities
DW
also collaborates with the commune to strengthen small public buildings, including
primary schools, kindergartens and markets, as these buildings provide additional
exposure for the same techniques that can be used on homes. These buildings
not only demonstrate safe building techniques, they also provide the opportunity
to creat safe spaces in the event of typhoon and flood, so that basic services
continue to function. Kindergarten’s provide an interesting example,
since the buildigns are similar in scale to many houses, and they provide
safe infrastructure in the village and even hamlet level. Since the start
of DW activities in Thua Thien Hué, 40 public buildings have been built
or strengthened.
See also: Access to safe public facilities
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