LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN

Santa Cruz Paredes, second from right, gathers with his family outside their Habitat house in Bolivia.

Habitat House Holds Intangible Values for Bolivian Family

Santa Cruz Paredes lives with his family in one of the 1,650 Habitat houses in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. He remembers clearly the day in 1992 when he learned about Habitat for Humanity.

"I had two children when I decided to obtain the housing credit," Paredes says. "They helped a lot in the construction of the house because they knew they were going to have their own space in it.Today, 12 years later, not only do I have my own house, but we live more safely, and I and all my family are enjoying economic stability.We are now [a family of] six, and there are more of us to enjoy our house.

"For me, Habitat was more than an organization. It was a family from the beginning. I liked the way the organization worked so much that I decided to stay and be part of it," declared Santa Cruz Paredes, referring to the reason for his becoming a volunteer with Habitat.

More than 10 years have gone by, and Paredes continues to volunteer. "He has been a member of the National Direction for four years and at present he is a volunteer in the Regional Direction of the Santa Cruz affiliate," says Ronald Perez Mulgar, director of the Santa Cruz affiliate.

He has had various reasons to become and remain a volunteer with Habitat. But one stands out:

"I don't know if it is because I have experienced first hand the need for a home or the joy of receiving my own house, but what has made me want to help is the desire that this organization continue to help more low-income families," Paredes says. "That way more families will benefit from a home that is decent, economical, simple and, above all, their own."

	'Thankfully, we were able to finish paying off our house in 2001, and now I can say, "This house is mine."'

Santa Cruz cannot stem tears of emotion when he remembers the moments he experienced while building his home 12 years ago and how his two sons helped him so happily to plaster and stucco the walls of his house.

"Thankfully, we were able to finish paying for our house in 200l, and now I can say, 'This house is mine,'" he says with an expression of pride and gratitude at the same time.

Habitat for Humanity began work in Santa Cruz, the second largest city in Bolivia, in 1990. According to the Census of 2001, 1,048,776 families in Bolivia do not have their own home. And according to the Survey of Homes and Living Conditions, 64.3 percent of the population of Bolivia lives in poverty. This means that 4,695,464 residents live in unsanitary conditions, lack or have inadequate water and sewage systems, use inadequate fuel, have low levels of education and/or show inadequate attention to health.

So far, about 5,000 Habitat houses have been built throughout Bolivia, sheltering some 25,000 people, and compared with the need for housing, Habitat's numbers look small. But for the individuals involved, such as Paredes, the impact is deep. Paredes paid off a mortgage amounting to US $1,800, the cost of the house and land. Now, the house and land are worth about US$5,000.

"This house is worth a lot to me, not only because its value has increased with the passage of time, but also because of the sentimental value it holds," he says.

--Marisol Anzoleaga