Mister Chen is a farmer in one of the poorest regions of China. He owns a one-hectare piece of land which he was given by the government. He undertook to give the lion’s share of his harvest to the state at a low price. Mister Chen earns three hundred Euros a year. To feed his family, he works in a major city nine months of the year. Not appreciated. To work the lands, he goes back home in spring.
The rainfalls during the summer, which he needs to survive, cause the canalised rivers to burst their banks. Every year, after his homecoming, the water spoils his harvest, washes away his house, takes away his neighbours, friends and family. Up to 20.000-30.0000 farmers in China lose their lives every year due to the rainfalls, which fructifies their land. When publishing the official number of victims, Chinese news agencies are forced to delete the last digit.

The goal of the project S-O-S, Save-Own-Souls, is to design a construction manual which helps Mister Chen to build a flood-save and durable family house. It has to meet his cultural and traditional needs and habits and has to be buildable by three persons in three days after the catastrophe with the help of the know-how and the tools which a farmer owns.
Moreover, the farmer’s fundamental drive to protect his children, his wife and himself has to be free of charges of any kind.