to meet the families, learn about the build, and find out how you can
Transcription
to meet the families, learn about the build, and find out how you can
THANK YOU! Global Village volunteers and Habitat for Humanity Huron Valley February 21 - March 1, 2015 CA NT EL , G U A T E M A L A Inside: see how your families are doing! ela acalxot S m r a a í r C a The : The M cía Family e y v l i Below: o b m A a am f de Gar a d a Itzep S r t Es o, oming D , o i r Rosa eili and Sh ABOUT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GUATEMALA 1,800,000 homes Guatemala’s housing deficit 69,000 housing solutions constructed by Habitat for Humanity Guatemala 312,000 People Habitat for Humanity Guatemala’s impact Habitat for Humanity Guatemala has 36 years of service and extensive expertise in the design, placement, and construction of social housing in Guatemala. Founded in 1979, HFHG is the oldest and largest Habitat for Humanity office outside of the United States. Our annual number of housing solutions increases every year. In order to serve families in need, HFHG offers a range of services: • • • • • • Home construction Access to low-interest loans Education trainings and workshops Disaster prevention and relief Lot purchase in community Home improvements such as concrete flooring, roofing, and plaster walls • Healthy Home Kits: • Latrines, smokeless stoves, and water filters THE CARMELA ITZEP SAM DE HERNANDEZ FAMILY More Space for a Growing Family What happens when you love your house but it’s too small? Give it to your son and build another one, of course. She looked up, thinking. “That would have been 22 or 23 years ago,” said Carmela, remembering her first Habitat for Humanity house. A couple decades ago, Habitat Guatemala built Carmela and Carlos a house that had three rooms to be divided among four occupants: Carlos and Carmela, parents of Victor Alfonso, then 4 years old, and Rosa Yesenia, then just a baby. But families grow. Rosa Yesenia is 22, and she has three younger siblings: Carlos Alberto, 20; María Isabel, 18; and Angelica Carolina, 15. Their older brother Victor is 27 and married. Their Habitat house was functional in its construction, but there simply wasn’t enough space, as the family’s needs had changed. The family conferred and decided that it was best to build a new house and give the old one to Victor. After one great new home experience a couple decades ago, they knew who to talk to. They applied to Habitat a second time, and a few months later construction was underway. The biggest difference is that the new house features a real bathroom, whereas the old one had a latrine outside. The old house was built under a dated housing model, and since then Habitat’s standards for construction have changed. Carmela notes a few other differences as well: “Now I have my own bathroom. The house is bigger, with a higher ceiling,” she says. “I feel blessed and happy.” She also remembers the Global Village crew that helped her out. She recalls them being very amables y muy trabjadores, or friendly, and very hard workers. “I appreciate what they did so much,” said Carmela. “They did everything with a full heart, and we love them in the name of God. Thank you.” Carmela and the family are still getting the finishing touches put on the house. One of the difficult parts about building a house in rural areas of Guatemala is that the national electric company doesn’t often come around. So the new house is without electricity, but they are hoping for electricity soon. They have plans to paint the house, “according to God’s plans,” and have plans to fix up the place and make it their own with decorations. The house is currently situated around several gardens with fruits and vegetables, which the family is proud to offer to visitors. Carmela is proud to be comfortable again, with sufficient space and a decent bathroom for their continually growing family. Laughing together inbetween photos, their jovial personalities were a perfect tribute to how the family has stayed united even though the chidren are growing up and having children of their own. THE ROSARIO ADELAIDA PAXTOR RACANCOJ FAMILY Space to Grow Habitat for Humanity presented the family with the opportunity to build something that would afford them some added liberty: space. Down in the valley below Cantel, there’s a multitude of corn fields in Barrio Xejuyup. A short walk from the road, Rosario and Domingo’s new house is tucked away in a peaceful spot, sheltered by a tall tree and fields of 9-foothigh corn stalks. Five-year-old Sheili has room to run around and play with the family’s dog and the neighbor kids without restrictive property boundaries. But their living situation used to be considerably less quaint. In the more active “downtown” of Cantel, the couple shared a house with three other families, including Domingo’s mother. They had one bedroom and their own kitchen but shared a living area and two bathrooms with all the other families. They wanted their own place “to have more privacy in all senses,” said Rosario. The house was in decent shape, but Rosario, 25, and Domingo, 27, had been married for six years and were ready to move to a home of their own. “We wanted our own home,” said Rosario. “We are a new family.” “We had wanted to build our own house since we got married,” said Domingo. “But we didn’t have a plot of land, nor a place to build.” The couple had many friends and family members who knew about Habitat for Humanity, so the couple took a big step and went through the application process, which was “easy, it took maybe 15 days.” Construction started, and a month later the house was ready. Four months ago, Domingo, Rosario, and Sheili moved into their new house. The new house is complete with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The family currently has one bed, so they all sleep together, but they have plans to get another. “It makes a great difference,” said Domingo, “having a bathroom to ourselves!” “It’s more to our liking, more comfortable, more peaceful,” said Rosario. “We have our own key, we come and go as we please, we can remodel and fix the house, all of that! It feels much better, we are happy here.” During the build process, a group from Global Village came to help out for a week. The couple remembers them with a lot of cariño, or fondness, and Domingo said that “they were happy, they worked in a great way.” Rosario added, “They were very friendly and we all made happy friendships. They tried to communicate with us and get to know us, too.” They also had a message specifically for the group: “We have a lot to thank you all for, thanks for offering us moral support, and we will always be appreciative of you all.” Currently the house doesn’t have electricity because they are waiting on the national power company to come in and put up a new power line to their house. Aside from getting power, they are planning to paint the house a “coffee” color, and plant a garden in the front, with “every type of flower,” said Rosario, smiling. The family’s living room The house is in a really beautiful and calm spot, tucked away among corn fields in a fertile valley. THE MARIA JOSEFA SACALXOT ESTRADA DE GARCIA FAMILY Security for a Growing Family María once lived in fear that her walls would fall down in the case of another earthquake. Now, there’s a weight off her shoulders. María has a big family. There’s María, 45; her husband Gabino who works at a shoe store, 51; and her kids, Leonardo García, 24; Edgar Ubaldo, 20; Líjia Beatriz, 17; Bayron Osbeli, 15; Gabis Griselda, 12; and Jairo Erlindo, 8. Between the eight of them and an extended family member, there were two rooms to share in their old house. The kitchen was hardly big enough to cook for so many, and it wasn’t even inside. But aside from sacrificing their privacy in a tiny house close to a busy street, María’s family had to deal with the house’s security. The adobe walls were made from “tierra,” or dirt, and had aged long enough to absorb an unsafe amount of humidity. When adobe walls become saturated with water, their sturdiness significantly weakens, and often causes residents to have a fear or an unsettling feeling. For María, that feeling ran rife when she thought about the family’s security. “I was nervous for an earthquake,” said María. “It was a little sad to live there. The adobe wasn’t secure.” The rest of the house was falling apart too. It welcomed visitors with wooden door in a state of disrepair, a dirt floor, and if anybody had to use the restroom, their latrine was outside, around the corner, in the cold. Hanging things on the walls was pretty much out of the question – the wall would have crumbled with any attempt at nailing something into it. The living situation was rugged and insecure - María knew it had to change. She tried to look into other houses and plots of land but they were expensive and the bank was only offering a high interest rate. Her father and brothers had homes constructed by Habitat for Humanity, so she decided to give it a try. She applied, and the whole application process only took a month. Twenty days of construction later, there was a brand new house awaiting her arrival. During the construction, a brigade from Global Village came to help build the house. María remembers them fondly: “They were very friendly, and they helped us greatly.” She also had a message for the group: “God bless you and thank you so much for everything you did with us. We wish you the best wherever you are, and God bless you because the truth is that you are our friends, very gracious and cooperative.” The family just moved in during the last week of August. The new house has a cement floor – a big upgrade from the dirt floor of their old house! It features two bedrooms that are considerably bigger than the old ones, a new bathroom that’s accessible without a moment in the rain, and insulated ceilings in the bedrooms. And the house has windows, which is a novelty given the old house had none. Really the only commonality between the old and new house is that they both overlook a beautiful valley – something María doesn’t take for granted. María is an embroiderer, and the new house offers her a clean space to embroider without worrying about getting her artwork ruined on a dirt floor or adobe walls. María has plans to continue growing flowers in the front yard, and she wants to paint the house a “melon” color. She has attended a Habitat training where she learned about her house and how Habitat works exactly. They still have to move the rest of their stuff from the old house, but they’re making the transition in due time. She’s proud to be a new homeowner, and relieved that she has a sense of security that she didn’t have before. The unforgettable view from the family’s street We can still use YOUR HELP! Get to know Habitat Guatemala even better at habitatguate.org BE AN AMBASSADOR The most important and effective way to help is by simply letting others know about your contribution to Habitat Guatemala. Whether making a donation or building a house, please share your thoughts, stories, and photos with family and friends. Use this presentation to raise awareness about the work we are doing to provide adequate housing solutions to over 69,000 (and counting) Guatemalan families. DONATE In order to assist even more families, our program depends on external support. Every loan repaid by partner families is returned to our Rotating Fund, used to build even more homes. While we are very proud of this sustainability, Habitat is constantly expanding and exploring new opportunities to partner with families. With support from our donors, the Rotating Fund can continue sustaining our necessary work to serve families in need. Donate online: habitat.org/donate BUILD WITH US Are you thinking about making another Global Village trip, leading your own team, or even coming for the first time? Please contact [email protected] for more information. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR helping change lives we couldn’t do it without you stay connected! Habitat for Humanity Guatemala @HFHGuatemala habitatguate.org/eng