SAFE / Housing & Hazards 'Building for Safety' Workshop

Simple Action For the Environment (SAFE) Housing and Hazards workshop: understanding hazards and making bamboo last longer.

Day 1 ­ Activity 1 – Introduction Purpose

Participants to introduce themselves,

Time

45mins

Materials

Registration sheets

Flipchart

Activities

Participants to sign attendance sheet Each participant to introduce themselves, their job, and say how many years experience they have of construction. Singing songs Slide: “Welcome; Housing and Hazards workshop, SAFE Bangladesh” Slide: “Introduce yourself; Name, job, how many years experience do you have?”

Trainers add up the numbers to get the total and explain that this is a group of people learning from each other rather than just the participants learning from the trainers.

Go over schedule for day.

Day 1 ­ Activity 2 – Expections and objectives Purpose

To make sure participant’s expectation match our objectives

Time

30 mins

Materials

Flipchart

Activities

Slide: “What do you expect from the workshops” Go round the group and get people to say what they expect.

Slide: “Objectives of workshop; 1. Find out why what problems affect houses in Sundarban; 2. Learn about low cost ideas for making out houses last longer 3.

“Spend a little now and save money in the long run; 4. …; 5. …”

Notes for trainers This is an important activity. It allows participants to express their expectations and ensures that they know what to expect. Mention that the flipcharts with the objectives and expectations will be reviewed at the end of the workshops.

Lack of clear expectations and objectives could lead to misunderstandings between trainers and participants. If the expectations of the participants does not match the objectives and training plan try to adjust the plan to fit their needs better.

It is important that participants understand that the workshops will not lead to a relief programme. e.g. donation of building materials.

Day 1 ­ Activity 3 – Hazard vs Disaster Purpose

To identify local hazards and introduce people to the paradigm: Hazard + Vulnerability = Disaster.

To brainstorm ideas how we make house stronger.

Time

45 mins

Materials

Paper and pens for 4 groups

Flipchart

Activities

Slide: “What hazards are their in Sundarban?”

Discuss in the group what hazards exist. This should include: Wind, cyclone, earthquake, heavy rain, flood, insects, fire.

Slide: “Hazard + weak house = destruction; Hazard + strong house = No destruction” Split into 4 groups and divide the hazards between the two groups. In groups discuss techniques to address each hazard. Eg. Strong wind – cross bracing.

After, one person from group to present ideas.

Day 1 – Activity 4 – Making bamboo last longer Purpose

To identify ways of making bamboo last longer and give practical demonstration of two techniques

Time

90 mins

Materials

GO THROUGH WITH PULIN

Activities

Slide: “Why does bamboo become weak?”

Ask participants to identify why bamboo becomes weak. Note: participants need to do understand the difference between water and insect damage and why insects like bamboo.

Answers should be damage due to water and insects.

Slide: “What can we do to make bamboo last longer” Get participants to brainstorm ideas for making bamboos last longer. These should include: design so that out of rain – overhanging roof, side verandah, side roof; Keep posts out of groud eg. kaatla; reduce the amount of sap inside eg. harvest in morning, leave leaves on, put in pond for 4 weeks, firing, borax treatment; paint with bitumen. Note: make sure participants understand how these techniques work.

Split into 2 groups. 1st group to fire post (pay attention to sap coming out of the bottom) and then paint posts with bitumen. 2nd group to prepare one bamboo post for borax treatment, mix solution and apply to bamboo.

Slide: “Spending a little money now will save you money in the long run” Trainers to give costs of different treatments vs long term cost.

Borax/Boric acid. 10 pole cycle – need Tk210. Last for 25 years with vs 10‐15 years without.

Day 1 ­ Activity 5 ­ Close Purpose

To close the workshop and review

Materials

Flipchart

Activities

Slide: “Name 1 thing you have learnt today”

Ask participants to say one thing they have learnt from workshop

Slide: “If you want to use any of these ideas – then ask us.

Make sure participants understand that SAFE will provide free advice, provide loans of tools to use these techniques and a subsidy for extra materials for very poor households.

Slide: "Please come next week ‐ DATE" Trainers remind participants of next week’s times and ask for a show of hands of who thinks they will come again

Simple Action For the Environment (SAFE) Workshop: lets make stronger houses with our own resources Day 2 – cement stabilisation and study of new house in Danga Para.

Day 2 ­ Activity 1 – Introduction Purpose

Participants to introduce themselves,

Time

30 mins

Materials

Registration sheets

Flipchart

Activities

Participants to sign attendance sheet Slide: “Welcome; Housing and Hazards workshop, SAFE Bangladesh” Song team performance include singing songs.

New participants to introduce themselves.

Slide: “Introduce yourself; Name, job.

Go over schedule for day.

Day 2 ­ Activity 2 – Review of borax treatment and firing /alcatra painting Purpose

Make sure participants understands costs associated with treatments and that tools and advice is available from SAFE

Time

30 mins

Materials

Flipchart

Activities

Slide: “Spending a little money now will save you money in the long run” Trainers to give costs of different treatments vs long term cost.

Borax/Boric acid. 10 pole cycle – need Tk210. Last for 25 years with vs 10‐15 years without.

Slide: “If you want to use any of these ideas – then ask us.

Make sure participants understand that SAFE will provide free advice, provide loans of tools to use these techniques and a subsidy for extra materials for very poor households.

Day 2 ­ Activity 3 – Assessment of new house under construction

Purpose

To visit new house under construction in Chagda para and encourage participants to think of improvements that could be made. To understand these improvements in relation to total cost of house.

.Time

90 mins

Materials

Paper and pens for 4 groups

Flipchart

Activities

Split into 4 groups (incl. builders and householders) and work out the cost of the house from new.

Staying in same groups identify improvements that can be made to the house under construction. Use ideas from previous workshop.

Work out cost of new techniques. Trainers to stress how small this is in relation to the total cost of the house, and how this will actual reduce total cost in long run, and reduce chance of disaster.

New techniques to include: Bamboo treatment including water soaking and Borax. Kaatla, posts treated with Alcatra Size and proportion – lower sides = stronger and less affect from rain; if one side is over 18’ then need to have a cross‐wall in middle.

Joints.

Bracing – plan bracing and cross bracing in middle (i.e divide into 2 rooms) Walls to protect structure from rain – put on outside.

Day 2 – Activity 4 – Mud stabilisation Purpose

To identify ways of making bamboo last longer and give practical demonstration of two techniques

Time

180 mins (split over lunch)

Materials

Cement Mixing bowls Forma (?) sq ft box. ½ forms for cement Spades –need to make handles Mesh for grading soil

Activities

Prepare at into groups and mix soil/cement; mix into mortar and apply to wall.

Day 2 ­ Activity 5 ­ Close Purpose

To close the workshop and review

Materials

Flipchart

Activities

Slide: “Name 1 thing you have learnt today”

Ask participants to say one thing they have learnt from workshop

Slide: “If you want to use any of these ideas – then ask us.

Make sure participants understand that SAFE will provide free advice, provide loans of tools to use these techniques and a subsidy for extra materials for very poor households.

Singing with song team to finish.