A Clean Well-Lighted Place

No fancy architecture here. Basics. Only basics. What I did for the government, was as much a learning process as a service provided. The task is monumental. Resources are scarce. Very scarce. Red tape is never-ending. Reaction time is "not immediate" to say the least. My job, for the two years I was involved with the urban and rural social housing programs was to do my best in finding ways of providing more and better houses for the poorest, rethinking the process of turning government money into shelter so it could be faster, more transparent and with a wider coverage. As I try to think about what these families need, a short story by Earnest Hemingway comes to mind and fits like a glove. A family that has been exasperated by poverty, natural disasters and the ever-present despair of violence, deserves a clean well-lighted place. A place provided with the basics. A place that is theirs, that cannot be taken away. One that can be kept clean, with a permanent water supply, a sound structure, enough room for everyone in the family and built with materials that can keep the harsh weather outside and be comfortable inside. One that can be improved, extended and enjoyed. Hemingway's short story describes a pleasant oasis for a deaf old man, dignified by a waiter that works in a café. Everyone involved in thinking about how others should live should always start by dignifying the space that will be provided with these... humanising basics.

I worked as the Coordinator for the Social Rural Housing Program at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development from January 2006 to July 2007, and as a member of the Technical Development Group from the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development from May 2005 to December 2005.