A roof for my country
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A Roof For My Country (“Un Techo Para Mi País”) is an institution leaded by youngsters who through volunteer working, are working since 1997 together with the marginal settlements populators, to improve their quality of life; making, as a first step, the construction of emergency households and developing afterwards social habilitation plans by giving microcredits and enabling in basic occupations.
The institution wills to contribute and compromise the whole society in the construction of emergency households for the poorest of the poor in Latin America, by conjunct work between populators, volunteers, enterprises and media.
[edit] History
[edit] Consolidation of "A Roof For Chile" (UTPCH, in Spanish), birth of "A Roof For My Country" (UTPMP, in Spanish) and motivation to create a Latin American institute of Volunteers.
The Latin American institute of youth volunteers, "A Roof for my Country", is born from the experience and the impulse given for A Roof for Chile, one of the principal and most successful projects of volunteer social labour of that country. A Roof for Chile in 1997, based on and maintaining to date its work, thanks to the force which thousands of young volunteers realized, which have to date built around 26,000 minimal housing or emergency housing, for the poorest families of the continent. ARCH (UTPCH) works with more than 18,000 volunteers year in and year out for campaigns of building houses, and social intervention focused principally on giving microcredits, levelling education, technical training, health plans and legal orientation. The consolidation and the national recognition reached by A Roof for Chile, and moreover the vast necessity of thousands of families, lacking a dignified home in where to live in the whole continent, motivated to create the program A Roof for my Country, with the object of sharing the model of volunteers successful in Chile to different nations of Latin America.
[edit] 2001, Starts the history, Earthquakes in El Salvador A Roof for El Salvador is born.
The first incursion at an international level of ARFMC (UTPMP) arose after the earthquakes that hit El Salvador population in July 2001. That year, young volunteers belonging to ARCH (UTPCH) decided to share what they had and help in what they knew, to give a dignified roof to those that didn’t have. That was how the first campaign of building ARFMC (UTPMP) in the Salvadorian locality of Cojutepeque in which they built 77 houses with 120 volunteers.
[edit] First simultaneous buildings. The projects of Argentina and Colombia are born in April 2003.
After the success of the events of international building in the years 2001 and 2002, and the fortifying of the El Salvador teams it was decided to face a challenge even bigger. Coordinate the first simultaneous international building of ARFMC (UTPMP). To realize this, a series of foreign volunteers visited Chile in January 2003 with the purpose of attending the summer university constructions of ARCH (UTPCH) and learn the way that the work is carried out in Chile. The benefits of this, during Easter week of 2003, the first simultaneous constructions were realized by ARFMC (UTPMP) en 2 countries of Latin America. The projects of Argentina and Colombia were born, on that date a total of 51 houses were built, adding to those houses that were being built in Chile.
[edit] Uruguay ARFU (UTPU), December 2003
The benefits of all the work realized, now 3 local teams could be counted on in Latin America, for which it was decided to assume a great challenge. Realize the first gathering of volunteers of ARFMC (UTPMP) in Chile, of which would assist the teams that had constructed their first buildings and a team that would be starting to put into practice the stage (Uruguay), also some youths from different countries of Latin America who were studying in Chile. That gathering, in August 2003, was a complete success. More than 120 youths from all over Latin America, who shared with 100 volunteers from ARCH (UTPCH), and built 60 houses in the city of Valparaiso. Benefits of this gathering the team that was in the process of implementation strengthened the experience of the rest of the countries. That’s why in December 2003 the project A Roof for Uruguay was born, starting their first buildings in the district of Peñarol.
[edit] BID, August 2005
After 1 year and 3 months of work and presentations of the project to BID, in August 2005 A Roof for my Country received the technical cooperation from FOMIN (Multilateral Investment Funds) equivalent to 3.5 million dollars destined for the implementation in the area of Social Intervention of the countries that we are in.
[edit] Communicational Campaigns
During 2005 the first communicational campaigns were carried out by the local teams of Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador and Colombia. The results were extremely successful in as much as the positioning of the local marks. Two campaigns were developed in Uruguay (July and December), two campaigns in El Salvador (July and December), one campaign in Colombia (December) and one in Córdoba, Argentina in December.
[edit] New Challenges
Thanks to this work, they have built to date more than 26 thousand houses, thanks to the volunteer workers of more than 100 thousand Latin American youngsters. At the moment besides working for the consolidation of the local project of Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru and El Salvador already started, ARFMC (UTPMP) are in the process of starting to implement the project in Mexico and for the year 2006 it is hoped to incorporate 4 new nations.
[edit] Vision
“A Latin America without extreme poverty, where no family lacks a minimum household and where they all get the chances to improve their quality of life.”
[edit] Mission
To be the utmost Latin American institution of youngsters with the objective and common dream of working with the families in extreme poverty situation in our continent, achieving to improve their quality of life by the conjunct work in constructing emergency households and complemented with social intervention programs for the benefited families. Denounce the reality of the marginal settlements where millions of families around every country in Latin America live, and involve each person and the whole society, making them compromise and be supportive with the duty of building a more solidary continent and without the poverty injustice.
[edit] General Objectives
- To consolidate this institution of volunteers by a concrete work and challenge:
- Build emergency households to all the families in Latin America who live in an extreme poverty situation and do not have a condign place to live.
- Develop social intervention programs for the benefited families, especially microcredits, enabling in basic occupations and working tables, with the objective of giving them better tools.
- Make "Un Techo para mi País", the utmost institution of youth volunteering with big impact in Latin America, achieving to unify, under the dream of a continent without poverty, thousands of youngsters participating and compromising in each of their countries for this common objective.
- Be able to make youngsters involve the whole society in this common labour, promoting the active participation of their governments, enterprises, means of communication, families, etc.
- Generate and transmit consciousness and compromise to overcome the poverty in which thousands of families around the continent live, denouncing, interpellating and getting people to know this situation in an inventive way and with strategies that lead to position the subject in national discussion of public politics oriented in extreme poverty and raise the interest and worry in public opinion.
[edit] Figures ARFMC (UTPMP) 2005
ARFMC (UTPMP) has managed to develop work projects in 7 countries of Latin America. In each of these the project by means of the intervention process, starting by the building of Emergency housing has been established. Until April 2006 they have built 2500 houses in Latin America without counting those in Chile.
| COUNTRY | Nº Houses | Nº Volunteers |
|---|---|---|
| El Salvador | 189 | 890 |
| Colombia | 205 | 330 |
| Uruguay | 165 | 950 |
| Argentina | 73 | 530 |
| Mexico | 56 | 320 |
| Peru | 39 | 240 |
[edit] Product
Emergency Household and Social Habilitation
- Emergency Household: Un Techo Para Mi País works out projects of emergency household constructions, hence, the households have the following characteristics:
- Low costing, in order to achieve the size of the project in number of houses as much as number of volunteers working.
- Previously built, as long as it can be constructed by youngster volunteers in two days, and which can be adapted to construction in emergency situations (natural disasters), allowing a quick capacity of responding by the working teams.
- Dimensions: 18 m².
- Social Habilitation: Alter a first stage in which local teams will be created and emergency households constructed, Un Techo Para Mi País starts with the execution of Social Habilitation plans, within 3 principal working areas:
- Productive Fomentation Plan: Give microcredits and micro enterprising enabling,encouraging populators to create their own enterprises in order to elevate their incomes, increase their savings and improve their quality of life.
- Communal Plan: Community’s development, promoting the active participation of populators and increasing the work of social leaders of the communities, through the execution of different initiatives that populators come out with, focusing their own interests and needs.
- Enabling in basic occupations: Enabling for populators of the settlements, in different basic occupations in order to make them improve their working opportunities.
[edit] Projections
“Un Techo para mi País” has built more than 25 thousand emergency households in different countries around Latin América, like Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay and expects to reach de 30 thousand by the end of 2006. Besides construction, we are in the process of establishing en each of these countries social intervention plans, whit the objective of developing abilities and competence in people and communities that live in these encampments, taking advantage of the opportunities that the Government, the market and society offer to overcome the poverty condition in an autonomous way. Un Techo para mi País was born by and for the fought against poverty in a continent where more than 220 million people live in unworthy conditions, to let this situation be known and integrate the whole society in the job of overcoming it.
[edit] Presence: Why these countries?
The actual presence and development that has had the project ARFMC (UTPMP) in the distant countries of Latin America, is principally due to two motives:
- As a Project, we work with the poorest within the poor.
- The situation of extreme poverty is a cross section problem in our continent, it is a must and an opportunity for the youth from different countries to work to change the situation.
- The different emergency situations that Latin America have lived in: Earthquakes, Landslides, Flooding, etc, have been the principal triggers to arise from the project in these countries.
- The experience of the foreign volunteers in ARCH (UTPCH), the spirit and philosophy of which they have lived and worked.
- Understanding the distinguishing characteristics of ARCH (UTPCH), and the delicacy. Requires a perfect knowledge of the program, the spirit that lies behind, the autonomy responsibility and promise that is behind the project.
According to the previous points the entrance from the project to Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay and recently to Costa Rica have been defined.
[edit] Main elements that are present in each country
- Elements that ARFMC (UTPMP) look for in each one of the countries:
Although it is certain that ARFMC (UTPMP) is nurtured of the cultural wealth that each country members gives, there are work elements that make ARFMC (UTPMP) distinguish from other types of organizations, and they are those that ARFMC (UTPMP) looks to give in each new country it invites to participate. Central elements exist and work philosophies that mark the relationship of ARFMC (UTPMP) with the rest of the society, without distinctions or differences. Also, these characteristic elements of acting of ARFMC (UTPMP) have been for years the base of the successful work of ARCH (UTPCH), and the benefits of years of experience in the work for the poorest, and therefore they are without any doubt the reason for our growth and consolidation. In this way, the main elements that they look for to find in each one of the countries members and at the same time are the pillars of the work of ARFMC (UTPMP) are:
- Volunteers: The work of ARFMC (UTPMP) is based on volunteer work. One doesn't work as officials of a certain organization, but rather what motivates to carry out the work is the spirit of service, the readiness and the volunteer's spirit. They don't look for rewards for the work, but only to give hope and concrete tools that allow the poorest families in our continent to leave the condition of poverty in which they live.
- Youths: This dream is lead by youths that work to help the families in extreme poverty of our continent. They are the youths who should take charge of the reality of the continent and not wait for someone else to take the initiative.
- Excellence: ARFMC (UTPMP) works with responsible people that fulfill satisfactorily their commitments, they are always training and preparing so as to learn and improve. ARFMC (UTPMP) is not giving away anything, the families pay for their housing (10% of the real cost), that is why we cannot give a bad service. The families, with those that ARFMC (UTPMP) works, deserve a good job that allows them to have a worthy, sure and welcoming home.
- Professionalism: The work of ARFMC (UTPMP) is largely carried out by volunteer youths. This does not mean that the work should not be serious or responsible, but just the opposite. They are Young, professionals in their work, which is why the families benefited deserve it. Also to be an organization without profits that depend on the contributions that are carried out, it should have a very high honesty and transparency that allows ARFMC (UTPMP) to be validated and known as a responsible and reliable institution.
- Team Work: As ARFMC (UTPMP) is a volunteer net, it is based on team work. The volunteers of ARFMC (UTPMP) show availability are cooperative and proactive; a group vision is maintained (global and significant) avoiding "partiality"; respecting authority, being loyal, etc. In being an international institution it is necessary to have in mind that team work is a fundamental tool of feedback that will allow achieving the objectives outlined.
- Austerity: Austere people in work and in life. Simple people, they look for a way to spend little money, of making more with less and of getting financing. Since all organizations live off the contributions that it gets, ARFMC (UTPMP) takes care of the resources in a coherent and responsible way, so as to be able to arrive at a greater number of benefited families.
- Involvement of the whole society: This is an initiative lead by youths, but it is the key to involve the whole society in this cause.
These are the elements that ARFMC looked for to share when it started. They believe that based on these fundamental principles they can end up being successful in all the countries where they want to get to. They know that basing the work on the dedication and professionalism, added to resources and experiences, our net will be able to achieve the definitive professionalism that allows us to combine their work and to help more and more families in Latin America.
[edit] Latin American Integration
The first thing is to recognize that behind this is to share and develop the initiative of A Roof for My Country, not only an interest exists for the eradication of poverty, for the construction of a certain number of minimum housing, or for the convocation of youths that this project can carry out in each one of the countries where it is implemented. They are all the factors previously pointed out, those that show us a way to work on the whole and of opportunities, since beyond the impact that it could have in reality, there are synergies based on contradictions, in the exchange of experiences, of the problems and their solutions that help building a new way to be integrated as region. It is this generation of youths who have in this project, an alternative more than being able to recognize the history of our continent, to understand which have been and will be our main tasks to carry out. And as it goes be the way that ARFMC will continue organizing and supporting in the difficult mission of eradicating the hard poverty that day by day has around 50% of our continent living under inhuman conditions. Finally this search for integration is the recognition of ARFMC's history, of identifying all those things that take us to look at the world from a similar perspective, and of understanding the whole benefit that is behind the sharing of this work process and growth.
[edit] Strategic strengthening plan of ARFMC (UTPMP)
To complete the construction goals and established convocation of volunteers, ARFMC (UTPMP) is working actively in pro of the professionalism of its volunteer structures. For which they have put forward a strengthening strategy, as much as a continental level as in the local Projects. Strategy that includes two main goals: A financial-commercial goal, based on getting the necessary economic resources for the Construction of Housings, the maintenance of the local offices, the professionalism of the work teams and the mobilization of the volunteers for the realization of the plans of social intervention. The goal of the volunteers, which includes the professionalism of the structures of work of the local projects, by means of financing by people dedicated full time to working on the project. Besides the realization of administration integration of ARFMC (UTPMP) to the nets of international volunteers, with the purpose to share experiences and to increase the quality of work carried out by ARFMC (UTPMP) with its volunteers. This way, ARFMC (UTPMP) seeks to strengthen by means of concrete projects that allow, to achieve the improvement of the quality of life of thousands of families in Latin America, and for another, the integral development of all the potentialities of its volunteers in each one of the belonging countries.
[edit] Necessary Structure for ARFMC (UTPMP)
The graph shows the Organizational Structure that we want to achieve in the short term, of which it will allow to consolidate the work that has been carried out up to now and to fulfill the different goals and outlined objectives, as much as continental as local level.
It is necessary to develop entirely a Latin American Foundation where we can fulfil the main limits and objectives. For the abovementioned a dedicated professional team, necessary infrastructure is required to execute and to develop this initiative and constant training related in the administration of the project for all the countries that are part of ARFMC (UTPMP).
[edit] Model of intervention ARCH (UTPCH) - ARFMC (UTPMP)
1. AREA OF CONSTRUCTION OF EMERGENCY HOUSING: The Construction Area of A Roof for my Country, puts forward as objective "Integrating to the whole society by means of the construction with excellence of emergency solutions, -emergency housing-, next to families in situation of poverty, making us in charge temporarily the housing necessity and making it easier the integral intervention with an eye toward a definitive residential solution."
In this way together with satisfying the immediate necessity of the families, it looks to break up dependence, strengthening the participation of the objective, convinced that only through this measure it is possible to break the circle of the poverty, facilitating long term interventions.
To sum up their goals the Construction Area presents six plans to work in close coordination:
-
- Build in family: Through the construction of emergency housing families are invited from different social backgrounds to know, work and help mutually.
- Build with your company: looks to generate the bonds between the companies and the poorest families in the country, strengthening the social responsibility.
- Secondary Students: Through the constructions with secondary students one looks to generate conscience in youths regarding the poverty that exists in Chile.
- University students: With the construction of the emergency housings ARFMC is able to put the skills of the university students from Chile and the rest of the Latin American countries to the community service.
- Detection and Assignment: looks to identify focusing approaches and positive discrimination in the encampments and families where the delivery of emergency housing will represent a positive impact on their quality of life.
- Logistics: looks after the efficient and effective delivery of the construction materials, coordinating all that the process implies.
2. AREA OF SOCIAL INTERVENTION:
A Roof for my Country will begin this year with the social intervention of the establishments of 3 countries of Latin America - Colombia, Uruguay and El Salvador - with the purpose of achieving that their residents possess the tools necessary to allow them to live by their own means.
Through an integrated intervention we look to develop abilities and responsibility in people, families and communities that live in encampments with the object that these generate strategies that diminish their social vulnerability and can take advantage of the opportunities that generate the environment to overcome their condition of poverty in an autonomous and sustainable way. It is this that more than 1,000 university volunteers visit week to week the encampments developing plans of Health, Education, Legal Advise, Foment Productive and Community Development.
The Educational Plan has as its mission to develop and strengthen education in the encampments of Latin America for its eradication with excellence, being a fundamental complement when linking the formal education with the encampments, to implement diverse educational services for the residents and to put the importance of education in the encampments to the interior of society.
The Development Productive Plan searches to give different labour opportunities to the residents of the encampments with the purpose of increasing their family revenues, which will allow them to improve their precarious situation and give them hope to leave the encampments. The Juridical Plan seeks to be a bridge that brings justice closer to those who find it an obstacle, within the framework of a multidisciplinary intervention on part juridical, embrace the environment of the formation, in particular solutions of community conflicts, of the juridical problems that arise in the process of applying for definitive housing. The objective is to give tools to the residents of the encampments that allow them to know their rights and the processes or systems to make them effective as well as the institutions where they should demand their legitimate right, with a special emphasis in the juridical fields that indicate the development of abilities related with what we call eradication with excellence. The Health Plan looks to increase a healthy lifestyle in the family and community, making the residents conscience of the importance of health and self help, so that they can assume the responsibility personally, for family and community.
With the above-mentioned, it is sought that health becomes a personal and social resource that forces people to face the setbacks and to modify their way of life; in this way to advance on the road towards overcoming poverty and achieving houses and neighborhoods worthy of being developed.
The Community Plan searches to work together with the inhabitants and residents of the encampments in developing their community, executing different initiatives that allow to fortify their capacities, so much personal as collective, increasing the community sense, the connection with their local nets and processes of autonomy.
Promoting and supporting their abilities as they are the main characters in the development of their community.
Training in basic job occupations.
Basic training courses in job occupations will be offered to adults that live in the encampments. During three months, they can study electricity, plumbing, carpentry, dress aking, hairdressing and nutrition, besides attending formation courses for work where they can develop abilities to increase their chances of employment.
For this, 2 emergency houses are built so they can be used as workshops and classrooms, all the materials and necessary equipment is given so that 14 adults can learn a profession. In general, the courses are shared by other adults that work in the same profession and their model way of life, motivates them to overcome their situation of poverty.
3. DEFINITIVE HOUSING.
At the moment A Roof for my Country is far from implementing the Area of definitive housing that operates in Chile.
[edit] Links
Un Techo Para Mi País - Argentina
Un Techo Para Mi País - Colombia
