13000 transitional houses

Un Techo para mi Pais (UTPMP) is a Latin
American non-profit organization led by students and young professionals working daily
with underprivileged communities living in
precarious slums.
Vision
A Latin America without extreme poverty,
where university students are committed to
confronting their countries’ challenges, and
where every family has decent housing and real
opportunities to improve their quality of life.
Mission
To improve the quality of life of families living
in poverty through the joint effort of volunteers and communities in the construction
of transitional houses, the implementation
of social inclusion programs and the development of sustainable communities. Through
our work, we aim to denounce the precarious
reality of slums in which millions of people live
in Latin America and involve the general public
in building a more united, just and inclusive
continent.
Intervention
model
UTPMP’s model of intervention creates instances for university volunteers and slum families to work together to promote social leadership
within society. Through these instances, voices emerge to proactively denounce social injustices in Latin America and commit to work towards a
solution to one of the most serious
problems of the continent.
This model consists of three phases:
the construction of transitional houses,
the implementation of social inclusion
programs and the development of
sustainable communities. The three
phases are designed to empower local
leaders and community members to
transform slums into sustainable communities in a process supported by local volunteers in which a commitment
to eradicate poverty in Latin America is
created with society.
1
Construction of
transitional houses
This first phase is a temporary, yet tangible
solution to the indignant housing situation in
precarious slums.
Transitional houses are constructed through
the joint effort between beneficiary families
and a team of volunteers; a process which
closes the gap that separates these distant
demographics and bring them closer in their
efforts to develop integral solutions adapted
to the experience in each community.
Each transitional house is approximately 193
square feet and can be constructed in two
days. It is made from pre-fabricated wood
panels built on top of stilts, which help to
protect the home from soil humidity, floods,
and disease. Beneficiary families commit to
participate in the construction and to make
a symbolic contribution of 10% of the cost of
the house. If necessary, the house can be disassembled and moved.
2
Social
inclusion
Through this phase, Un Techo para mi País becomes involved in slums in the mid and long
term. Youth volunteers work with slum residents in diagnosing community needs and
presenting alternatives to solve them.
Continuous work in the communities deepens the relationship between slum-dwellers
and volunteers working collectively to achieve a common goal through a formal planning
process and community participation. The
two main tools to achieve this are (i) periodic
community-organizing committee meetings in
which leaders and volunteers discuss current
issues, propose strategies and design action
plans to reach solutions; and (ii) community
assemblies, which provide a decision - making
space for the entire comunity.
Along with these two spaces for dialogue and decision making, different plans are implemented to
provide solutions to community needs as identified
by volunteers and community leaders.
Social inclusion programs include the following
plans:
• Education
• Skills and vocational training
• Micro-credits
• Legal Aid
• Health
• Competitive Community Funds (Fontecho)
Through these plans, volunteers can profoundly
identify with the dimensions of poverty and its exclusive nature, understand its causes, and create
solutions. At the same time, community leaders
participate in a continous process of empowerment that validates their role as they become active agents in the exercise of their obligations and
the demand of the protection of their rights as citizens.
3
Development of
sustainable communities
In this phase, Un Techo para mi Pais implements plans and projects that empower
slums, allowing them to permanently solve
their priority needs while integrating different
stakeholders in the process. The scope of these plans provides lasting results in the communities where they are implemented and
tackle the root structural problems in each
country. Because of their complexity and scale, these plans require teams of professionals
working together with the community leaders
in their implementation.
In the particular case of Chile, through the
“Permanent Housing Plan,” volunteers and
young professionals at UTPMP confront the
structural housing issue in the country, advising and accompanying slum-dwelling families in the application process to state social
housing subsidies. This process includes consulting on the selection of land, community
participation in the design of the projects, and
supervision of the actual construction.
The involvement of young professional and
community leaders in plans of this magnitude
promotes the critical evaluation of current public policies that affect the most vulnerable families, creating spaces for the proposal of improvements and alternatives based on work in
the communities.
Accomplishments
400,000 volunteers mobilized
More than 78,000 transitional houses constructed
More than 3,000 volunteers
working permanently in slums
Goals 2011
Mobilize 140,000 youth volunteers
Construct more than 13,000 transitional
houses throughout Latin America
210 new community-organizing workgroups and 400 competitive
community funds turned into improvement projects in the slums
Disbursal of 3,000 microcredits for community entrepreneurs
4,500 community member graduates in skills training
and 4,000 children participating in educational programs
Strategic partners
Our
Supporters
The growth of Un Techo para mi Pais as a
Latin American institution is thanks in part
to diverse sources of financing from the
private sector, international aid and contributions from individuals committed to the
development of the region.
Through the generosity of our supporters,
the construction of transitional housing,
implementation of social inclusion programs, and the development of sustainable
communities can reach more families living
in slums in order to fulfill the dream of ending with extreme poverty in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
Supporting organizations
Regional partnerships
Awards and
recognitions
• King of Spain, Human Right Prize: awarded in 2011 by
the Defensor del Pueblo and Universidad de Alcalá. Presented to UTPMP for its work in the defense and promotion of
human rights and democratic values in Ibero-America.
States (OAS) in recognition of outstanding projects carried
out in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce poverty
and inequality.
• Latin American Award for Corporate and Non-Profit Social Responsibility: presented by Foro Ecumencio Social in
2010. Its objective is to reward initiatives that improve the
conditions of the community and stimulate the spirit of solidarity.
• Housing and Urban Development South-South Transfer Award: presented by UN-HABITAT, Building and Social
Housing Foundation (BSHF) and the UNDP Special Unit
for South-South Cooperation in 2010, this award recognizes UTPMP for the mobilization of thousands of youth volunteers and the transfer of its innovative approach to 19
countries across Latin America.
• Best Practices in Policies and Programs for Latin America and the Caribbean: the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recognized UTPMP
as best practice in the work with and for youth in the region
in 2009.
• Award to Contributions to the Reduction of Inequality
and Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean: awarded
in 2010 by Vidanta Foundation, the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Organization of American
• UN Habitat Scroll of Honor Award, 2009: awarded by the
United Nations Human Settlements Program for UTPMP’s
continued contributions to work in slums. This is the most
prestigious worldwide award in this area of work.
www.untechoparamipais.org
ARGENTINA BRAZIL BOLIVIA CHILE COLOMBIA COSTA RICA EL SALVADOR ECUADOR GUATEMALA HAITI HONDURAS MEXICO NICARAGUA PARAGUAY PANAMA PERU DOMINICAN REPUBLIC URUGUAY VENEZUELA