Case Study: Sanctuary House Project
Location Iasi East Romania
Case Outline:
The most serious issue we found when working in Iasi was the housing standards in the poor areas.
With temperatures down to -20 in the winter, the shanty houses were not adequate to protect the lives of those we worked with. Before any support was to be done in the areas of jobs, training , education and health we first needed to resolve this issue
The situation was further complicated by the fact that the shanty houses were on land that was not theirs. We resolved to build temporary houses that could be moved if necessary.
If some families owned land and had jobs we would invest more. Some Mayors would donate land if the the problem was in their locality.
Partnering with People against Poverty we were able to build in excess of twelve of these houses and then provide a family support package to help with jobs, education, health and food. The houses were low on cost [about £2,500] and could be build by students in 6 days.
Impact:
For families to suddenly have an insulated house that had double glazing, LED Lighting, a stove and a warm dry space the impact was considerable. Many of the families have now got jobs, better health and are able to support their families with food.
We now hope that the Government will soon re house them in something more permanent as they have incomes and can pay bills.
Gallery
