Saiid was beaming, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. Not only was his house finished to the point that he and his family could start living in it, but it looked so pretty with the traditional looking earthy tones of the natural lime plaster applied to the exterior walls. Just a few short months earlier Saiid had been very sceptical when we told him the type of finish we hoped he would choose to use to cover the Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs), ensuring a protective layer from the rains while still allowing the walls to ‘breathe’ and thus facilitate natural temperature control in the house. Not fully convinced, he decided to go ahead with our suggestion, knowing that he could always remove the plaster and apply a ‘modern’ cement finish if he really didn’t like it.
Now, however, not only was Saiid thrilled with the look of his house because of natural lime plaster, but the engineer in charge of the rebuilding for the area then insisted that all the other houses had to follow suit and use the same finish to their exterior walls! In fact, villages in another area we are working in quite some distance from Saiid’s village have now also been told they need to use the same type of finish on their houses.
Of course, the look of a house isn’t as important as having one that provides protection from the elements and gives a family a safe space they can live in together. On that front also Saiid is happy, having accepted our offer of building with CEBs, which we spent some months producing together right next to where his house is now built. Saiid is thrilled at how much warmer his house has been during the winter months because of the amazing insulation properties the CEBs have compared to the modern cement blocks many people now build with. His wife, young daughter and mother are able to go about their lives much more comfortably now that they don’t have to endure the chill of winter inside their house. Whenever he talks about his new house, a very proud Saiid cannot keep the smile from his face.
The 6.8 earthquake in Morocco on September 8, 2023, completely destroyed or partially compromised many houses of inhabitants throughout the High Atlas Mountains and other regions. Operation Mercy responded initially with temporary shelters and Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support. Now we are building permanent housing like Saiid’s home.
