SANTO DOMINGO.- Banco BHD inaugurated 75 homes in the communities of Las Tunas and Las Dos Bocas, in El Seibo, benefiting families left homeless after Hurricane Fiona in late 2022. The project was carried out with an investment of RD$60 million, through the Guakía Ambiente Foundation.
The houses were designed and built according to principles of resilience, adapted to withstand extreme weather events, with the capacity for expansion and integrated into the environment. They are basic units that include a kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, two bedrooms, a garden area, and a water pumping system.
Furthermore, this housing construction and reconstruction project is integrated into a strategic alliance between BHD, the Guakía Foundation, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Small Grants Programme (SGP), which includes access to clean water and solar panels for a sustainable electricity distribution network.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the project "El Seibo: The Future We Want" was led by Luis Molina Achécar, president of the BHD Financial Center; Michela Izzo, director of Guakía Ambiente; Sanja Bojanic, deputy resident representative of the UNDP; Josefina Navarro, senior vice president of Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility at BHD; and community leaders. Also present were Magalis Tabar, governor of El Seibo, and the mayor, Leo Zorrilla.
Executives and community members during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. (EXTERNAL SOURCE).
Luis Molina Achécar highlighted Banco BHD's responsibility to community development, stating that "We are driven by a commitment to the well-being of our society and the conviction that companies are called to join forces with different sectors to promote the progress of Dominicans, especially in such calamitous and extreme emergency situations as those you, the residents of these communities, experienced as a result of Hurricane Fiona.".
Likewise, highlighting the participatory model of this project, Michela Izzo, executive director of Guakía Ambiente and one of the winners of the 2018 BHD Women Changing the World Award, emphasized the community's empowerment to contribute to the project and ensure its sustainability. "This is proof that communities, when empowered, can transform their reality. The combined efforts of community members and the various participating institutions made it possible not only to change their living conditions but also to build hope and guarantee their future.".
In the project "El Seibo: The future we want", in addition to the investment of Banco BHD, the community participated with small economic contributions and the labor of the residents, as part of a commitment that strengthens their sense of belonging and care.
This initiative was implemented based on a collaborative model under the leadership of Guakía Ambiente. It had the support of important organizations, such as the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Global Giving, Oblicuo, and the Municipality of Santa Cruz de El Seibo.
