After reading Chansin's One Bed for Too Many Children post, Bill Hobbs asked the question: "What would it cost to build one decent house there?" At the core of the answer is a basic challenge of defining what 'decent' means to the people of Cane, La Paz Honduras...it would certainly be a startling answer for most Americans. From what we witnessed, decent means an open framed roof that doesn't leak too much, solid adobe walls, a sweepable floor, electricity for lighting, electricity for a couple of wall outlets, enough land for an outdoor toilet, and a water source (but not for consumption) within a hundred yards or so (preferably a well on the property). This is the way that many of the poor live, and to them it is 'decent'...a dramatic step up from living on the street or in a makeshift shelter along a stream, a hillside susceptible to mudslides, or a city dump. A step up from 'decent', is perhaps 'respectable'. Respectable housing would include reinforced, quake-resistant block walls, indoor plumbing with septic system, adequate electric in every room, a functioning kitchen, widows with operable glass sashes, scrubable tile floors, and a paintable, flat surfaced ceiling.
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