Pakistan: Relief and Health Services for Earthquake Affected Victims

Launch of Project

44 Households Reviewed

The housing project was approved by RMF’s funding partner, LDS Charities, on June 4th, 2016. Following the initial steps of signing the MOU and receiving the wire transfers of funds, the project was launched officially in Pakistan on June 13th, 2016. All the background work, which included seeking permission from the relevant authorities and registering the project with the local district office, had been carried out in the preceding months.

The project was initiated by revisiting our list of 44 households for a final round of review and verification, as more than three months had elapsed since our needs assessment survey, making re-evaluation mandatory for an up-to-date needs status of our selected families.

Architectural Base

Reconstruction of Houses

RMF’s approach to reconstruction of housing in disaster affected areas is based on the vernacular architectural approach. Vernacular architecture is a type of architecture that is based on local needs, local construction materials, and reflecting local traditions.

Based on the qualitative component of our shelter needs assessment, specifically on interviews with the women of the households, we came up with a model home that fit the cultural and gender requirements of the Swat society. Our shelter data collection strategy involved women of each household we visited. With their collective input, we came up with a model house.

Building Materials

Locally Sourced

As per RMF protocols and policy to benefit local traders, all the building materials used were locally manufactured.

• Walls: The material used to build the walls was predominantly concrete blocks.
• Roofs: The basic framework used for roofs was a beam and slab construction composed of iron beams and mud-baked blocks
• Windows and Doors: Traditional preformed windows and doors were used.
• Fixtures: All latrines in this area were typically pit latrines, which, in our reconstruction process, were the responsibility of the resident household. The ceramic cover, piped water, and walls/roofs were provided by RMF.

Construction Process

Employment and Contracts

As per RMF policy, all construction vendors were hired from the local community.

Once the most cost-effective contractor was chosen, a contract was chalked out based on a generic template (both in English and Urdu), which was developed with the assistance of our technical advisors. Modifications were made according to each case depending on the extent of repair and the area available for house construction.

The contract was made between three parties: RMF, the construction contractor, and the owner/resident of the house. The reason for including the recipient household head was to allow him or her to play a participatory role, which would introduce a sense of ownership of the project.

Project Organization

Administration and Management

The project staff for Phase II was lean, composed of a two-member team in the field: The Field Supervisor and Field Officer. The Project Manager and Finance Bookkeeper were based in the head office in Islamabad. All team members reported to the senior management of RMF Pakistan’s office.

• Architect Technical Support: RMF took up the expertise of an Islamabad-based architectural firm called Ejaad Architects and Hospitality Consultants in an advisory capacity for technical aspects of construction.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Close, regular monitoring and evaluation of this phase of the project by RMF was incorporated to ensure quality control, timely completion, and successful handing over of constructed houses.
• Record Keeping: Each house, whether repaired due to partial damage or full construction of a model house, was treated as an individual case. Each case was maintained as an independent file.

Challenges Faced

Logistic Delays

Long distance house building operations in a far-flung, remote area of Swat with its own unique, local construction culture involved several challenges:

• The launch of the project took place at the start of the month of Ramadan.
• Pakistan, like all Muslim countries, celebrates two Eid holidays at a space of 2½ months apart, and both of these fell in our project time period.
• The third delay was our overestimation of the work speed.
• Lack of water and electricity at construction sites provided another challenge.

On a positive note, procurement and transportation of building materials did not face any challenges. Additionally, the security of valuable materials lying in the open did not present any issues.