The introduction also helped the facilitators to understand the needs of the participants and the thematic issues that required attention. In the end, the two structures could not be completed leaving the participants unsure of the roofing of the tyre structure and the complete doming of the sandbag structure.
Earth is a useful resource in construction. Sandbags and tires can be effectively used to construct very solid and stable earth walls that can be resilient to climatic shocks such as cyclones, strong winds, and other extreme weather events. Rammed earth can be spread into communities as a way of green building, that is not only comfortable but accessible to communities.
The training began with a participatory status reflection by participants to check the group’s expectations, and fears, and to share the background of SCOPE Programme, permaculture and the relevance of earth building in this. This created awareness to the participants on why SCOPE was engaging in earth building.