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Programme de bourses "Echanges Universitaires"

Abstract
Housing Reconstruction after Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua.
Impact of Housing-Projects on the socio-economic situation and state of health of the beneficiaries
University of Zurich - Department of Social Anthropology
Andrea Graf, Isabel Häberli, Marianne Keller, Anouk Zulauf

Long-term consequences of two housing and resettlement projects after Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua.
Andrea Graf has conducted a comparative study of two villages in Posoltega, Nicaragua. The two settlements were identically reconstructed by the Spanish Red Cross after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The households of the villages have two different socio-economic backgrounds.
The priority of this research lied on the question of how the different socio-economic situations of the households influences the housing and what impact the resettlement and housing has on their livelihood. It was found out that status inconsistency in housing-projects leads to economic and social problems due the monthly water, electricity, and maintenance costs. This and the semi-urban settlement structure ask for a new lifestyle. Households in a better economic condition can adapt better on the new situation than poorer households. Due this problems in both settlements there is a trend to degenerate into a slum. Households are settling back. Cultural insensibility on resettlement
and reconstructions projects lead to this undesired effects.

Settlement of the Campesinos Settlement of middle class households
Settlement of the middle class households

The distribution of help after hurricane Mitch in San Dionisio, Nicaragua, and its effects on the social
networks of the affected communities.
The research conducted by Isabel Häberli took place in the communities of Susulí and Wibuse in the municipality of San Dionisio, department of Matagalpa. The research objective was to understand the help distribution process after hurricane Mitch and to know what effects the reconstruction process had on the social organisation and the social networks of the affected communities. Collected data show that help in Susulí and Wibuse had been distributed unequally and along religious and political dividing lines with local leaders playing a crucial role in the whole distribution process. Furthermore it has been found that after hurricane Mitch households in the respective communities actively tried to change and enlarge their social network. They looked for memberships in locally active, nongovernmental organisations to achieve better access to support. This change in people’s social capital can be seen as a direct (long-term) impact of the post-mitch help distribution process.
National and international organisations should consider the nature of social capital in a community and project coordinators should be aware of internal splits in the communities they are working. In addition to the involvement of existing social networks in help distribution processes, locally active organisations should integrate isolated and vulnerable households into their activities. Organisations should assess damage increasingly under the control of their own personnel instead of greatly relying on local leaders, in order to prevent favouritism.

Impact of reconstruction and resettlement projects on the social, mental and physical health of the
population in Nicaragua, affected by Hurricane Mitch.
Marianne Keller did a comparative research on two resettlement-projects, which were realised in Ocotal, the district-capital of Nuevo Segovia in Nicaragua, after the disastrous distructions caused by hurricane Mitch in 1998. Her investigation concentrated mainly on the long-term consequences of these projects for the psychological, physical and social health of the people affected by this hurricane.
The collected data make clear, that the process of resettling and rehousing can only be completed successfully, if the new housing-structures are based on construction-materials locally available and of good quality and if the projects are organised with the active support of the people concerned. The data show as well that the capacity of individuals to manage their professional and social life is increasing, if those who should profit by new settlements and houses are regularly involved in the whole process, from planning to realisation. In this case, morale and health of the people living in this new settlements are generally better than in settlements, where rehousings were realised without involving the people concerned. The Ocotal-data prove clearly, that the inhabitants in settlements without any participation in the rehousing-process are running a higher risk to suffer from environmental and psychosocial dangers. Their health-condition is therefore considerably weaker.

Long-term effects through resettlement of agricultural communities into semi-urban settlement-
patterns in Posoltega, Nicaragua.
Anouk Zulauf´s comparative field research between two reconstructed villages took place in the department of Posoltega. A pretty homogenous socio-economic agricultural community, whose settlements got totally destroyed by the mud-slide at Casita volcano in 1998, was resettled into two resettlement-projects with entirely different settlement-designs. Thus the investigation focus was put on impacts on the daily life of the concerned inhabitants provoked by the changed proportion of land-property and the modified access to their fields. The Survey-data showed clearly, that the grid-patterned-settlement with its teeny land-parcels avoids the inhabitants from establishing a sustainable livelihood and effective coping-strategies. Meanwhile the linear-settlement with its fifty times bigger land-parcels offers the inhabitants much more possibilities to consolidate a tolerably livelihood and subsistence economy. Moreover it could be proved that the grid-design has among other things a very negative influence on health and social cohesion of the concerned settlers.
The analysis demonstrated definitely that particularly for resettlement-projects of rustic communities a cultural sensitive settlement design and the settlement location have to be considered of paramount importance for a sustainable, adequate and dignified lifestyle of the affected people.

Contacts

In Switzerland:
Andrea Graf
Heinrichstrasse 95, 8005 Zürich, andrea.graf@access.uzh.ch
Isabel Häberli
Schaffhauserstrasse 163, 8057 Zürich, isabel.haeberli@access.uzh.ch
Marianne Keller
Alpenstrasse 80, 8200 Schaffhausen, keller.mariann@bluewin.ch
Anouk Zulauf
Giesshübelstrasse 102, 8045 Zürich, anouk.zulauf@gmx.net

In Nicaragua:
José Luis Rocha
Edificio Nitlapán
2do. Piso
Universidad Centroamericana UCA
Apartado A-194
Managua, Nicaragua
jlrochag@yahoo.com


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		Programme de bourses "Echanges Universitaires" Abstract Housing Reconstruction after Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua. Impact of Housing-Projects on the socio-economic situation and state of health of the beneficiaries University of Zurich - Department of Social Anthropology Andrea Graf, Isabel Häberli, Marianne Keller, Anouk Zulauf Long-term consequences of two housing and resettlement projects after Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua. Andrea Graf has conducted a comparative study of two villages in Posoltega, Nicaragua. The two settlements were identically reconstructed by the Spanish Red Cross after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The households of the villages have two different socio-economic backgrounds. The priority of this research lied on the question of how the different socio-economic situations of the households influences the housing and what impact the resettlement and housing has on their livelihood. It was found out that status inconsistency in housing-projects leads to economic and social problems due the monthly water, electricity, and maintenance costs. This and the semi-urban settlement structure ask for a new lifestyle. Households in a better economic condition can adapt better on the new situation than poorer households. Due this problems in both settlements there is a trend to degenerate into a slum. Households are settling back. Cultural insensibility on resettlement and reconstructions projects lead to this undesired effects. Settlement of the Campesinos Settlement of middle class households The distribution of help after hurricane Mitch in San Dionisio, Nicaragua, and its effects on the social networks of the affected communities. The research conducted by Isabel Häberli took place in the communities of Susulí and Wibuse in the municipality of San Dionisio, department of Matagalpa. The research objective was to understand the help distribution process after hurricane Mitch and to know what effects the reconstruction process had on the social organisation and the social networks of the affected communities. Collected data show that help in Susulí and Wibuse had been distributed unequally and along religious and political dividing lines with local leaders playing a crucial role in the whole distribution process. Furthermore it has been found that after hurricane Mitch households in the respective communities actively tried to change and enlarge their social network. They looked for memberships in locally active, nongovernmental organisations to achieve better access to support. This change in people’s social capital can be seen as a direct (long-term) impact of the post-mitch help distribution process. National and international organisations should consider the nature of social capital in a community and project coordinators should be aware of internal splits in the communities they are working. In addition to the involvement of existing social networks in help distribution processes, locally active organisations should integrate isolated and vulnerable households into their activities. Organisations should assess damage increasingly under the control of their own personnel instead of greatly relying on local leaders, in order to prevent favouritism. Impact of reconstruction and resettlement projects on the social, mental and physical health of the population in Nicaragua, affected by Hurricane Mitch. Marianne Keller did a comparative research on two resettlement-projects, which were realised in Ocotal, the district-capital of Nuevo Segovia in Nicaragua, after the disastrous distructions caused by hurricane Mitch in 1998. Her investigation concentrated mainly on the long-term consequences of these projects for the psychological, physical and social health of the people affected by this hurricane. The collected data make clear, that the process of resettling and rehousing can only be completed successfully, if the new housing-structures are based on construction-materials locally available and of good quality and if the projects are organised with the active support of the people concerned. The data show as well that the capacity of individuals to manage their professional and social life is increasing, if those who should profit by new settlements and houses are regularly involved in the whole process, from planning to realisation. In this case, morale and health of the people living in this new settlements are generally better than in settlements, where rehousings were realised without involving the people concerned. The Ocotal-data prove clearly, that the inhabitants in settlements without any participation in the rehousing-process are running a higher risk to suffer from environmental and psychosocial dangers. Their health-condition is therefore considerably weaker. Long-term effects through resettlement of agricultural communities into semi-urban settlement- patterns in Posoltega, Nicaragua. Anouk Zulauf´s comparative field research between two reconstructed villages took place in the department of Posoltega. A pretty homogenous socio-economic agricultural community, whose settlements got totally destroyed by the mud-slide at Casita volcano in 1998, was resettled into two resettlement-projects with entirely different settlement-designs. Thus the investigation focus was put on impacts on the daily life of the concerned inhabitants provoked by the changed proportion of land-property and the modified access to their fields. The Survey-data showed clearly, that the grid-patterned-settlement with its teeny land-parcels avoids the inhabitants from establishing a sustainable livelihood and effective coping-strategies. Meanwhile the linear-settlement with its fifty times bigger land-parcels offers the inhabitants much more possibilities to consolidate a tolerably livelihood and subsistence economy. Moreover it could be proved that the grid-design has among other things a very negative influence on health and social cohesion of the concerned settlers. The analysis demonstrated definitely that particularly for resettlement-projects of rustic communities a cultural sensitive settlement design and the settlement location have to be considered of paramount importance for a sustainable, adequate and dignified lifestyle of the affected people. Contacts In Switzerland: Andrea Graf Heinrichstrasse 95, 8005 Zürich, andrea.graf@access.uzh.ch Isabel Häberli Schaffhauserstrasse 163, 8057 Zürich, isabel.haeberli@access.uzh.ch Marianne Keller Alpenstrasse 80, 8200 Schaffhausen, keller.mariann@bluewin.ch Anouk Zulauf Giesshübelstrasse 102, 8045 Zürich, anouk.zulauf@gmx.net In Nicaragua: José Luis Rocha Edificio Nitlapán 2do. Piso Universidad Centroamericana UCA Apartado A-194 Managua, Nicaragua jlrochag@yahoo.com