Prior to the devastating earthquake that struck January 12, 2010, Haiti had an estimated housing deficit of 1,000,000 homes (Habitat for Humanity). As a result of the quake, at least 200,000 additional homes were severely damaged or destroyed, and 1.2 million people are homeless or displaced. At the same time an unparalleled wave of reverse migration of as many as 1 million people (Christian Science Monitor) from the capital to outlying provinces is taking place.
Helping to Address the Need for Housing in Haiti:
To help address the massive deficit of both housing and rural schools, CO2 Bambu has teamed with WBO (World Bamboo Organization) to manufacture and assemble Guadua bamboo ecological low-cost homes and rural schools for Haitian communities. CO2 Bambu and WBO are in conversation with foundations and in-country NGOs to help coordinate this effort.
Pre-Fab Bamboo: A Rapid, Safe Alternative
Taking advantage of their experience in Nicaragua and near-lying location, CO2 Bambu and WBO are creating 20 square meter and 47 square meter bamboo and wood units for assembly in Haiti. While environment friendly, the bamboo solutions offer key advantages:
- * Pre-fabricated: the kits allow for rapid assembly in post-disaster areas by minimizing the need to identify and supply local building materials
- * Earthquake safe: bamboo is among the most flexible and strong of organic building materials; earthquake victims feel safer
- * Price and scale: the bamboo kits are available at relatively low price-points and production will be scaled to handle large volumes
Pre-fab Guadua bamboo housing
