Rebuilding broken lives

Montserrat

Bob Lawrence is a housing consultant who works for the ODPM, Crisis and some Welsh councils. He spent two years on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, which was devastated by a series of volcanic eruptions from 1995 to 1997 that culminated in the deaths of 19 people.

“I went to Montserrat on new year’s eve in 1998. Volcanic eruptions had destroyed the capital, Plymouth, the airport, 80% of housing, schools, most agricultural land and the major employers. It was deeply depressing. The volcano had been spewing out ash and lava. I arrived to find buildings buried under 20 ft of volcanic ash, which set like concrete when it rained.

The economy was devastated. Insurers had decided not to cover buildings and the building society had shut. Hundreds of habitable homes were in the danger area, so families could see these falling apart and land lying idle but couldn’t get to them. Two-thirds of the population had left, and the Montserrat government needed swift investment in new housing in the safer north of the island to house people and draw back key workers.

I had been chief executive of the charity, the Empty Homes Agency, but the Department for International Development arranged for me to work for the Montserrat government. My job was interim housing director. I had to build a housing department from scratch so that the islanders could continue from there. With 85% of housing in Montserrat owner-occupied, social housing as we know it was unheard of. In the past when the government wanted more housing, it gave people land and they built it themselves. Montserrat’s Soufriere Hills volcano had changed everything. An urgent new-build programme was needed, with a government housing arm to move things forward.

Montserratians have talent and skills in abundance, so my job was to share my professional knowledge. I had to get the right people in the right place to do the right things at the right time. Staff who joined the department mainly came from the local civil service. They were brilliant to work with and they were desperate to rebuild their community.

Within six months, we’d recruited a director, staffed the department and carried out a housing needs assessment leading to the adoption of a national housing strategy. One estate manager sat Chartered Institute of Housing exams, useful if only to show what English mistakes were to be avoided.

I was responsible for putting in place the structures so that residents could rebuild their island, but my work stretched beyond housing – 85% of Montserratians are church-going and I was asked to be a Sunday school teacher; I did after-school clubs and taught kids to swim. It was really worthwhile.

I arrived to find buildings buried under 20 ft of volcanic ash Bob lawrence

If you work in housing at the sharp end, you’re not in it for the money and it’s the same principle whether you work for a council, a housing association, a homeless person’s day centre or overseas – you’re there to work to give people a better quality of life. I was lucky to find in Montserrat a team who shared these passions.”

Kosovo

Tom Price is Habitat for Humanity’s director of communications for Europe and Central Asia. The charity is building 10,000 temporary structures in Sri Lanka over six to 12 months for about 50,000 people; and 8500 in Indonesia, Thailand and India.

He went to war-torn Kosovo in 1999 to help with the reconstruction.

“I was sent to Kosovo by Catholic Relief Services, one of the largest non-governmental organisations in the world, to give advice and support to local communities. I went in days after the Serb forces had withdrawn. We were behind the first wave of Nato tanks and the scene was one of devastation.

There were lots of ruined and bombed out buildings, roads torn up, cars abandoned by the side of the road and people everywhere.

I was there for three years, and we worked in dozens and dozens of villages. When we went in, we asked: ‘What is your most immediate need?’ Most communities said they wanted schools – because they’d been made refugees, they wanted a better future for their kids.

There’s no substitute for money in the emergency phase but, long term, that’s when they need expertise tom price

In one village near Prizren, people said they wanted a bridge. It was the only way of getting to school but the military had knocked the old one out. One little girl had drowned trying to get to school.

We told them: ‘We’re not going to do the rebuilding for you, but we’ll do it with you.’ We helped the community to work out the best way to approach it, and then we organised and paid for it, but the locals did whatever labour they could. We also brought in outside contractors to help with the building work and gave advice to the locals so they didn’t get ripped off.

To the local people it was more than just a bridge, because it helped them learn to work together and forge a community spirit. When they finished it they called it Nancy’s Bridge, after one of the CRF workers.

If you’re doing more than just parachuting in aid, you inevitably forge close ties with people and make friends. It was always hard to leave a community.

We also thought it was important to get involved socially as well as professionally. Because people’s houses weren’t very big there, it was very much a cafe society with a lot of socialising happening outside. You go out for coffee, or for something stronger in the evenings. And if you went to schools, you’d end up playing football with the kids.

I know it was a better place when I left than when I went in. I’m very proud of what we did. Of course, there’s no substitute for money in the emergency phase but, long term, when we and other agencies begin reconstruction, that’s when they need expertise.

Highly skilled people are always valuable in these situations.”