Habitat World Online


Habitat for Humanity volunteer Efraín Castérez Hernández lays block during the JCWP in Puebla, Mexico.

(Building Dreams...and houses continued)

Owning a house will truly be a blessing for Leonides. She stays home to care for her 9-year-old son, Gerardo, who suffers from developmental delays. Francisco looks forward to being able to invite guests to stay with the family--something they can't do in their current home.

Leonides said that the sweat-equity requirements not only have given them pride in their house but also have taught them valuable skills. "In the future if we need to make repairs to our house we will know how to do it ourselves."

	'The whole process [of partnering with Habitat] is about getting to know yourself, finding things inside ourself, journeying within yourself and talking to God.' --Cecilia Ruíz Acevedo, homeowner in Puebla

This element of empowerment was a selling point for volunteer Juan Manuel Tolosa. Originally from Argentina, Juan moved to Ecuador in 2002 to take a position of branch manager for Citigroup. He got involved with Habitat locally and came to Mexico as part of an employee rewards program Citigroup offered to 21 employees worldwide.

"I believe in the dignity of the person," Juan said. "It's good not to give gifts, but to share the work. The homeowners can say to their sons, 'I pay for this house, worked for this house. Many helped, but it is mine.'"

However, the empowerment potential goes even beyond the homeowners, said Steve Little, Habitat's Communications director for the Latin America/Caribbean region. "At the heart of Habitat for Humanity is a message," he said. "That message is that ordinary people can solve extraordinary challenges. When you show up on a work site at the beginning of the week, there's nothing but a vacant lot, filled with strangers. But when you leave at the end of the week, it's no longer an empty lot. You look over your shoulder and you see a house. But it's not just any house; it's the home of a new friend. The reason we hold the Jimmy Carter Work Project every year is that we want the whole world to know how great that feels. It's all about getting people involved, and communicating our message."

Pablo Enríquez spent the week volunteering at the Puebla site, trying his hand at a little of everything--some construction, some translating, some support services work in the Habitat store on site. A relative newcomer to Habitat, he quickly spotted the "spirit of service" that characterizes the JCWP.

"I think it's a good example of human beings," he said. "There is a whole diversity of religions, a whole diversity of colors of skin, but I see just people, working to help each other. They're receiving nothing materially, but just the memory and the sense that they did the right thing. They helped, and you never forget that."

--Additional reporting by Heather Wilkinson