‍“Ancestral Wisdom as a Tool for Peace " : An initiative on Welfare Work, on Housing Project based on an Innovative Proposal to Green Building and on Low Cost‍

Background Information

‍The United Nations Organization, "ONU" has promoted decent housing as a human right, and both the Constitution of Colombia and Article 51, Law 1537 of 2012 refer to rules established to facilitate and promote urban development and access to adequate housing, which must include earthquake resistant construction standards in accordance with Law 400 of 1997. ‍

‍Goals of the Initiative

‍•To encourage the return of a significant number of people displaced by violence, and to provide housing and improvements to run-down homes in a maximum term of one year.

‍•To promote inclusion policies with the intention that some displaced people will be enabled to return to the municipality; and to provide employment to poor people for housing intervention.‍

‍•To promote green construction as a sustainable housing strategy against climate change.‍

‍•To develop some dynamic welfare effects around housing intervention, creating harmonic landscapes, using clean technologies and maintaining our architectural cultural heritage.‍‍‍

‍Parties and Partners to the Initiative

The initiative would involve the Ministry of Interior of Colombia as the promoter of the peace process and post conflict policies; the PUNAWAI foundation will assist with training and support in the intervention homes; the local government will provide financial resources, building materials and services regarding payment of the labor workforce; and the community itself will supply the labor workforce.‍

‍Resources Used for Implementation

‍The resources of the initiative will be supplied by the national government under the policy of post-conflict. 

‍The local government will assist the victims, and the PUINWAI Foundation will support and assist the community in the construction. ‍‍

‍Innovation for the Initiative‍

‍This project is evolutionary. Green building has always existed; our ancestors built their native homes in that way. We propose returning to it with new techniques and new natural materials, so that we may contribute to improving the design of indoor and outdoor spaces. We will be aware of the appearance of the houses in a landscape compatible with the environment. ‍‍

‍Innovation has been applied in‍

‍The project has already been implemented through the Secretary of Planning of the local government who is responsible for housing designs and their implementation. ‍

‍Obstacles and Solutions for Innovation

One obstacle has been the lack of financial resources to carry out the project. ‍

‍Outcomes and Assessments‍

The expected results are:

‍•improving social sustainability by allowing at least 30 displaced families to return to farm;

‍•establishing the construction of rural and urban housing with a local skilled labor workforce using clean technologies as the primary construction program in our region; ‍

‍•improving the welfare of refugees; ‍

‍•encouraging our country to adopt this model of sustainability against climate change.‍‍

‍Methods Applied‍

The method employed is the use of ancestral wisdom for the construction of vernacular housing, combining new technologies in compliance with standards on earthquake resistance and respect for the environment.