Three students engaged in field research in Fiji with two goals: documenting the rebuilding by home owners after recent cyclones; and documenting the rebuilding programs by the government and NGOs, primarily the Red Cross and Rotary International.  Of particular interest was to see the capacity of the individual families in their rebuilding activities:  do they have sufficient skills?  what could be done to improve their rebuilding efforts: tools? materials? training? funding?  Their research was part of a broader program exploring support policies for the informal builders that produce the largest proportion of affordable housing throughout the world. 

The research team was hosted by the Ministry of Housing, Government of Fiji, under the guidance of Mrs. Mere Rayawa, Acting Principal Administration Officer. One outcome was the need for a simple way to monitor the rebuilding process. The frequent cyclones in Fiji and in the surrounding islands beg a simple, inexpensive way to keep track of damage and rebuilding.  Discussed was the use of a remote-controlled model airplane with camera as a possible solution which could be explored further at MIT.

The research team:  Alex Wassenberg, Vanya Britto, Claire Markgraf.