Casai is Donating to Échale to Provide Sustainable Housing Solutions For Mexican Families
In July and August, Casai will be donating and raising funds with the help of our community to the Mexican social housing company, ÉCHALE. With the help of our Casai community, we are setting an overall donation goal of $10,000 USD. Let’s reach this together!
Our core value at Casai is to leave the world a better place than we found it and work alongside the communities that welcome our international guests so warmly. At Casai, we believe that everyone has the right to a place they can call home and ÉCHALE works alongside Mexican communities to make this possible.
What is ÉCHALE?
ÉCHALE is a social housing company that provides community infrastructure and adequate housing. They are committed to improving the quality of life for families in Mexico.
They started as a civil society organization called “ÉCHALE! A Tu Casa” in 1985, when they began to use Ecoblocks as their main construction material, which they continue to use today.
What is the history of ÉCHALE?
In 1997, ÉCHALE designed a model that would improve housing conditions in low-income communities through the self-production of housing. Since 1985, they have provided support to communities whose houses were severely damaged by hurricanes and earthquakes throughout Mexico.
Between 2011 and 2012, “ÉCHALE! A Tu Casa” implemented 9,016 actions in 22 states of the Mexican Republic. Of these, 8,191 were housing improvements and 648 were self-produced housing. After the Mexico earthquakes of September 2017, ÉCHALE launched the program #échaleMéxico to collect donations for the rebuilding of houses of the families affected by the devastating earthquakes of September 7th and 19th. In 2018 they delivered more than 2,200 homes to families in seven states under the #échaleMéxico program.
Up to now, ÉCHALE has provided 250,000 housing solutions in 28 states; created 450,000 jobs; and offered financial support to 1 Million people.
What are the core concepts at ÉCHALE?
ÉCHALE is more than a company whose sole purpose is to build houses. It is a company that focuses on sustainable community development and self-produced housing.
- Social inclusion: Social cohesion is fostered through participatory processes, employment generation and local economic spillovers.
- Access to financing: Families are served through co-investment in housing programs that encourage savings.
- Appropriate technology: The community is trained in the use of our technology so that it is safe and easy to use.
- Scalability: The model is replicable, making it possible for more and more families to have access to adequate housing.
After 21 years “building the homes of families with families”, in 2019 they decided to give themselves a new image and they divided “ÉCHALE! A Tu Casa” into two complementing entities: ÉCHALE Fundación and ÉCHALE Financiera.
Échale Fundación:
This is the link between communities and responsible companies, who seek to improve the quality of housing for families in Mexico. Échale Fundación promotes community infrastructure through sustainable development and by encouraging community participation.
ÉCHALE is a foundation that focuses on home construction and aims to give communities access to housing. Everyone in the communities are trained on how to build their own house and other community infrastructures using Ecoblocks. Échale Fundación also trains them on how to make these eco-friendly materials.
Other values at Échale Fundación include: financial education that promotes the culture of saving; co-designing that considers customs and cultures of each distinct community; social integration based around the unique needs of each community.
What is Ecoblock?
This is the main construction material used for these social housing projects. The Ecoblocks are made up of 90% local soil and 10% mixture of cement, lime, sand and water, compacted at a high pressure.
It works as a thermal and sound-proof insulation. The Ecoblocks are much more ecological than regular concrete blocks and are also more resistant to seismic movement. To build a house that is 50m2 and has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a dining room and a kitchen, requires 2,220 Ecoblocks.
ÉCHALE Financiera:
ÉCHALE Financiera is a Community Financial Society. They provide financial products and services that focus on the sustainable development of communities, through financial education and introducing a culture of saving.
With ÉCHALE Financiera, members of the community can apply for credit products for projects such as:
- New houses from pre-designed models — Credit for construction of a new home, from start to finish.
- Progressive building — Credit to build a house in a progressive and habitable way from the first stage
- Home improvements — Credit for extending a house, painting or waterproofing.
- Green credit — Support for sustainable equipment and ecological technologies.
The ÉCHALE Financiera team also supports communities by educating them on how to save for their family’s future. They receive personalized financial advice and guidelines on how to achieve their saving goals.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
ÉCHALE have dedicated themselves to the fulfillment of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) before the deadline of the year 2030.
“The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.” — United Nations
ÉCHALE’s core values align with the SDG agenda as they provide access to fair financing for a house and land with access to all the basic services. Their inclusive model seeks to generate financial schemes that allow families with different incomes to access adequate housing.
When you donate to ÉCHALE, your contribution helps them implement social workshops in communities; create new sources of employment; and the building of adequate housing.
Casai is proud to be supporting such an important organization. Help us reach our donation goal so we can support Mexican families who need a place to call home. With your donations, ÉCHALE will continue to provide the resources for communities to work together and learn how to create a sustainable infrastructure which will improve the quality of life for Mexican families.