Interview: Francisco Gómez Girón

Background

• Francisco Gómez, or "Chico", as he is referred to by his family and friends, was born in Tenejapa, de los Altos de Chiapas.
• He arrived looking for stability in the Community of Villahermosa and a livelihood in agriculture, 27 years ago, as Tenejapa experienced conflict.
• Along with Francisco, 5 more families arrived, the community was home to only 14 families by that time.
• It was in Villahermosa where Francisco married Marisa and where they raised their 11 children.

Earthquakes in September 2017

• It scared them and damaged their house, where 10 people lived.
• It was a simple home made out of adobe bricks and sheet metal roof, with an outside kitchen and latrine, where they suffered when weather got rough.

During the Chiapas PIR

• Chico had never worked in construction, he had only performed some self-construction jobs with adobe.
• He and his family attended the participatory housing design sessions and training workshops.

During the participatory sessions

• They did not understand why it was best to have the bath inside... architects explained them thoroughly and they acknowledged the benefit.
• When they saw the scale model they were thrilled....they confirmed that was the house they would like to live in.
• "The room divisions are a very good idea... we understood it was adequate for the needs of each family".
• Francisco mentions..."My older sons, Luis Octavio, Freddy and Christian have found the workshops really useful as means of work, they have learnt to work on the trade, they will not forget about it".
• "Being able to work locally is quite valuable...we will not have to move to look for jobs and people will live near their families".
• He considers that the money that has entered the community...is very important for its growth, things look different.

Other learnings

• It has been a challenge to adapt to using safety equipment...but it is important.
• During the project, the family's active participation on carrying materials has been crucial...Francisco hopes this is the start for them to support each other in the future...the project has set the example.
• They have strengthened their community bonds through making blocks and moving materials, they now spend more time with each other.

What do you think of the new house?

• Francisco mentions he was ecstatic when he saw it... it was what he had dreamt of.
• They never thought a project like PIR could exist in their community.
• When in 2012 Francisco left to work in USA (Phoenix) for a year, he dreamt sending money to build his house in Chiapas, but life at Phoenix was very expensive and it did not allow him to save after paying the rent.
• Initial benefits perceived by the family:
  • Thermal comfort ("No cold or heat").
  • Protection from wind and rain ("We are not afraid to lose our roof").
  • Adequate and effective lightning achieved by the white walls ("Kids can study in the evening with only one lightbulb").
  • Prevents mosquitos and snakes from getting in the house ("We do not sleep with sheets on our faces, nor are we afraid of snakes crawling out of bed").
  • The interior bath raised expectations ("We won't need to come out at night with fear of falling, we will not wait to go to the bathroom in the morning and we will be able to bathe without getting sick in winter").

"The CEMEX-TEC Award has been one of the most enriching experiences we have had at CPlantae. It has not only provided us with an expanded vision for our social business model, but also equipped us with the necessary tools... It has welcomed us into a family of social entrepreneurs, in which we take care and support each other, regardless of how long it has been since we last met. There is no doubt that the shared experiences have enriched and optimized our model, as well as the way in which we make decisions today."

José Luis Robles | Co-founder and Director of CPlantae

"I’m passionate about using my work and expertise to enable society to find sustainable ways of development and community benefit. I was encouraged by my supervisors to participate. This kind of initiative implies both a challenge and an opportunity to create a competitive advantage. I hope that this program will help us to ignite the implementation of our ideas and see them transformed into effective actions to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all."

Oscar Bautista | R&D, CEMEX Central

"Over the next months, I’ll be working on developing an innovation ecosystem for CEMEX in Mexico, in which all private, public, and civil society organizations can collaborate to benefit society. I think the UN Global Compact is doing something great by bringing together young people from different backgrounds, industries, and countries and giving us the tools to further develop the vision that we all have in mind, which is contributing to a better world!"

Jesús Arcos | Planning, CEMEX Mexico