These stages cannot be separated complety. Certain activities do overlap and are connected with each other. The two defined stages are the Preparation Stage and the Execution Stage.
Underneath each of these stages there are some main goals. Underneath the Execution Stage there are sub goals that can be split up to three faces of the execution process.
PREPARATION:
- Fundraising: To make the whole project possible, funds are needed. Therefore financial support has to be collected. The team is free to decide how and when. They are financially responsible.
- International Publicity: In order to maintain continuity, the team will have to work on publicity in The Netherlands and further. Before departing, during the stay in Nicaragua and afterwards, there has to be enough social support from all parties who are and who aren’t related.
- Research: Both technical research (on bamboo) as an implementation research (of Nicaragua) is necessary for a good preparation and success during the internship.
EXECUTION:
- Local publicity: It is polite and necessary that the team will introduce itself in El Rama and tell the people what their goals are.
- Inspect the built model house (evaluation analysis). Analysis of the current condition of the built model house in El Rama. Focus on the following points:
- Physical aspects
i. What is the current quality of the bamboo in the house?
ii. What is the status of the bamboo, the walls, the lights, the kitchen, toilet, water tank, water filter, roofs, connections, foundations, etc?
iii. The inner climate: is the ventilation in the than a ‘regular’ social house? Is the natural light in the house comfortable? Is the temperature comfortable? For the locals
- Building process
i. Investigate the building process of the model house. How do the different parties experience the building process and the result, what would they change and what do they like?
- Investigate the social acceptance of bamboo housing. How do different parties think about the model house and what aspects of the house do they like and what would the change. Multiple populations have to be distinguished.
- What does the youth think of this house? How do they experience it and does it fulfill their needs in different aspects.
i. Local youth
ii. Young students
- How do older people with families experience the house and does it fulfill their needs (different aspects).
i. Families from the municipality
ii. Families from Managua
- How is the bamboo house compared to current houses? What would is considered as an upgrade and what would you consider as a downgrade.
- Is there space and opportunity for a bamboo market? Investigate if the business plan (made in advance) could be implemented and how does it need to change to succeed.
- Building assignment. These two reports give us a clear view of the positive and negative aspects to the house. From these negative points we pick both a technical and social aspect what can be improved.
- Pick an aspect that needs to be improved. The choice for this aspect must be justified by the reports (physical and social research).
- Design a solution for this problem and discuss why this would solve the problem.
- Execute the proposed adjustment.
- Test the constructed adjustment and check if it really is an improvement.
- Write a report about this whole process.
If the team succeeds in all these topics mentioned above, a true contribution will be made for the work of Bambú Social foundation. Eventually this knowledge must be spread through the country and will also be applicable to other countries that struggle with the same problems and will make a contribution to the development in Nicaragua and further on.