TECHOS DE VIDA / ROOFS OF LIFE
Direct help for rural families affected by the Dagua earthquake
On August 10, 2026, an earthquake struck western Colombia.
Since then, we have been working directly with affected families in the rural areas of Dagua, where reaching some communities is much more difficult than in the urban areas. Some families have lost their homes. Others are still living in damaged houses. In some areas, people have been without proper access to water, electricity or communications for days. And when it rains, conditions become even more difficult.
We live in the area, and we decided to do something about it.
Techos de Vida is a project created to provide direct assistance to these families: food and basic supplies, clothing and, above all, safe and durable housing solutions. Our aim is straightforward: reach the people who need help and use the resources available as directly and transparently as possible.
We have already started
Our operational base is Camping Momentos, in El Carmen–Borrero Ayerbe, Dagua.
This is where we organize purchases, store materials and prepare trips into the rural communities.
We have already distributed more than 30 food packages through the local Community Action Boards, so that they can be delivered to affected families.
The packages include non-perishable food, milk, eggs and basic hygiene and cleaning products such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, laundry soap and dishwashing products.
We are also registering affected people by age and gender so that we can organize the distribution of clothing that we had already collected.
And we have started building the first residential modules.
The first modulea are already built
The first solution we have developed is approximately 16 m².
We initially designed it as an immediate response for a family that had lost its home. But after assembling the first unit, we found something important: the module feels much more spacious and functional inside than its floor area suggests on paper.
And, above all, it is robust, that is why we do not want to describe it as a temporary structure that will eventually have to be taken down.
The Initial Residential Module is designed to remain in place and to become the core of a larger dwelling.
The idea is simple: build a safe and durable structure now, and allow the family, over time and without altering or overloading the original structure, to add to the dwelling as their needs and resources allow.
This approach makes particular sense in rural areas, where families have traditionally expanded their homes gradually over the years.
The initial module does not become obsolete when the dwelling grows: It becomes part of it.
What does it cost?
The approximately 16 m² Initial Residential Module has an estimated cost of:
€3,800 · USD 4,431 · approximately COP 13.5 million
We are also developing larger solutions:
30 m² — €4,125 · approximately USD 4,810 · COP 14.7 million
Two bedrooms, bathroom, living room and kitchen.
42 m² — €5,620 · USD 6,560 · approximately COP 20 million
Two larger bedrooms, bathroom, living room and kitchen.
The solutions are developed in accordance with applicable Colombian regulations, including NSR-10, and each system must have the corresponding technical and structural documentation.
As we move forward, we will also study other construction solutions that may be better suited to specific local conditions. These include prefabricated systems and bamboo-based solutions. Any new solution will have to meet the applicable technical and safety requirements.
The need is much greater than our first efforts
Our initial work is focused on the rural areas of Bolivia, Jordán and La Rosita. Within the area we are currently assessing, there are approximately 168 identified or estimated homes. Of these, 128 have been preliminarily identified as requiring reconstruction.
In Bolivia, we have initially identified 45 homes, although the wider area, including nearby sectors, may include approximately 150 homes.
In Jordán, Disaster Risk Management has identified 16 affected homes, and we have identified another 2 in La Rosita.
These figures are not yet a closed census.
Some areas are difficult to reach, and the lack of electricity or communications makes it even harder to establish the actual situation of every family.
That is why we are still visiting communities, carrying out censuses and assessing homes.
Getting to the families is part of the problem
The rural communities we are reaching are located in mountainous areas and are accessed through unpaved roads and poorly maintained tracks. There is mud when it rains, ditches, cracks, narrow sections and areas where landslides are a risk. A motorcycle may be enough to deliver a food package. Transporting construction materials requires 4×4 vehicles and, in some places, ATVs or other vehicles suited to the terrain.
Reconstruction does not begin when the materials arrive at the building site, It starts much earlier, by sourcing those materials and finding a way to get them there.
We know there is an institutional process
Colombia has an established disaster risk management system and mechanisms for emergency response and subsequent reconstruction. That process is necessary, and we want to work within it. But we have also seen first-hand that a family that has lost its home cannot wait for the entire administrative process to be completed before having somewhere safe to shelter from the rain. That is why our intention is not to replace public institutions or create a parallel system.
We want to do what we can now, while developing a capacity that can also be useful when large-scale reconstruction begins.
If public authorities need our construction, logistical or field capacity, we will be available to cooperate through the appropriate institutional mechanisms.
We want the accounts to be clear
From the beginning, we have wanted to document what we do. We are recording the families assisted, the homes visited, the work carried out, the materials used and the funds received and spent.
We have prepared an Initial Situation and Action Report explaining where we are, what we have found and how the project is organized. As the work progresses, we will prepare a Progressive Activity Report and maintain an Economic and Traceability Register.
We also want to recognize those whose donations make the construction of homes possible. For homes financed through private contributions, we intend to install a small recognition plaque on the exterior, always with the donor's express authorization and while fully respecting the privacy of the beneficiary family.
We do not want donors to have to rely solely on our word: We want to be able to show what was done with their money.
Our first goal is €10,000
We have launched a GoFundMe campaign with an initial target of: €10,000 · USD 11,660 · COP 35.8 million
This will allow us to continue the first interventions and build more residential modules.
But it is not a ceiling, it is a start.
The emergency will last for months, and the needs are much greater. If we raise more, we can buy more materials, increase our construction capacity, transport assistance to more communities and help more families. Today we are starting with our own resources and a small operational capacity.
We want that capacity to grow.
From project to foundation
Today, Techos de Vida is a project.
If we can build the resources and organizational structure needed, our intention is to establish the Techos de Vida Foundation and maintain a permanent capacity to support rural communities. The current emergency is the reason we started, but it does not necessarily have to be the end.
For now, we know where we are and what needs to be done. We are in Dagua. And there are families who need a home.
Would you like to help?
You can contribute directly through our campaign:
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/005cba36b
You can also make a direct bank transfer. This option avoids platform fees and allows us to use practically the entire contribution for the intervention.
EUR / USD
Account holder: Jaime de la Fuente Ramos
IBAN: ES85 1583 0001 1990 9731 8971
BIC/SWIFT: REVOESM2
Revolut Bank UAB
Madrid, Spain
Reference: Techos de Vida – Donation
Colombia — COP
Account holder: Jaime de la Fuente Ramos
Bank: Bancolombia
Savings account: 81200066120
Bre-B: 1005549
Reference: Techos de Vida – Donation
If you cannot donate
You can still help by sharing this page. We need the situation of these communities to reach people, companies and organizations that may be able to help.
Some families simply live too far from the cities for their situation to be visible, We are trying to reach them.
Techos de Vida
Dagua · Valle del Cauca · Colombia
One module today. A home that can grow with the family.
