Village Capacity Building on Bamboo Housing - Rosario, Ecuador

The use of bamboo in the construction of houses is very common in the rural areas of Ecuador. However, knowledge of preservation and proper construction techniques among the villagers is limited. Generally, bamboo occupies just a small proportion of the total building materials. This is mainly due to the poor image it has amongst villagers who prefer other building materials if they can afford them.

In order to provide knowledge on proper bamboo housing techniques, the INBAR Latin America Office and CEDERENA, a National NGO, jointly conducted a village capacity building programme on bamboo housing for villagers in Rosario, Ecuador from July 8 to 13, 2004.

The objective of the programme was to provide hands-on training to the villagers on different types of bamboo housing. A total of about 20 villagers from Rosario and nearby villages participated in the programme. Additionally, local residents including women and children also enjoyed taking part when they had time.

The event included a practical training on "how to build your own house with bamboo". A model house of 3 m x 4.5 m was built with the participation of villagers. The house consists of four different types of wall; improved bahareque, improved quincha, improved Hogar de Cristo and modified IPIRTI wall. The construction of different types of wall offered villagers the chance to learn a wide range of options for bamboo housing. The house was completed in five days including plastering with cement mortar.