Multimedia : A House in Paradise Bogotá, Colombia - 2013

Rain is falling on the roof of Dona Alba's house and there is no way that you can understand your own words anymore. The ribbed roof intensifies the sound of raindrops and the cold penetrates even the thickest of blankets. Dona Alba lives in a shanty that is located in the far south of the capital of Colombia. She lives beneath a perforated roof along with her father, mother, husband, and a deaf-mute son. Her father and husband are both seriously ill, and cannot leave their beds very often. On a particular week in September, young volunteers from Techo came from the north of Bogota, the richest sector of the city, to the shanty town called "Paradise", to build a decent roof for the family. Most of the volunteers study at very expensive private universities; here, however, they get dirty and build an emergency house in two days. The new shelter is built on stilts in order to resist water perforation from above and below. The way the house is built provides it with better protection against the cold and provides a better residence for the family. The results of this work are, however, not permanent.