Cancun, Q.R. — Thousands of sargassum blocks are being readied for the construction of another sargassum building. Since March, company BlueGreen Mexico has been making the blocks which will be used to build a refugee site in Cancun.
According to Marilyn Torres Leal, president of the Consejo Internacional Sumando Venezuela (Cisvac), the upcoming building, which will be named Casa Sureste, is expected to officially begin construction in coming days.
“To date at Casa Sureste, we have advanced with the first phase of construction which is the perimeter fence made with sargablocks,” she said. Now that more blocks are ready, they will move forward. The building will be used for families and single mothers, she said June 20 on World Refugee Day.
Leal explained that they have been planning the project for just over a year and that the first phase is expected to open in 2025. She said if they have more volunteers to build, they may be able to open sooner.
She recognized that the caravans of migrants arriving in the country are getting larger, so the opening of Casa Sureste is important to provide support to other filled shelters.
“We plan that the first phase will be destined for families and single mothers. But given the reality that we are seeing today in the face of the caravans that are arriving in the country, we are going to offer support depending on the need at that time,” she said.
“Many who arrive do so with the intention of settling in Mexico, while others are bound for the United States. Therefore, our team is trained to address the concerns of people who come to us in search of guidance, free of charge,” she explained.
Casa Sureste will be built in region 247 of Cancun on a 300-square-meter site. Thousands of sargassum seaweed blocks will be required to complete construction. According to Omar Vázquez, the owner of BlueGreen Mexico, 70 tons of seaweed is required for every 3,000 sargablocks. He did not specify how many blocks will be required for Casa Sureste.
