The Publication of Habitat for Humanity International | October/November 2002
| The Publication of Habitat for Humanity International | October/November 2002 |
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(Continued)
For most--if not all--volunteers, the opportunity to work alongside the JCWP homeowners was a chance to give back. But for some who worked on site that week, the experience held even deeper meaning. Emmanuel Red Bear, whose Habitat house was built during the 1994 JCWP in Eagle Butte, S.D, saw volunteering as part of a tradition for his tribe, the Cheyenne River Sioux. Jong-Hag Kim and Ki-Yeon Han, homeowners from the 2001 JCWP in Asan, Korea, came as part of a 50-person contingent from HFH Korea. "I thank God for opening the door for me in finances and time to come here," says Kim. "As I know, even giving is higher than receiving, and I wanted to join that. It's so beautiful to meet everybody from around the world. And that I'm one of them--that's the most happy for me." For Han, the dream to build with other homeowners began last year as volunteers helped him build his house. "My wife and I promised if our finances got better, we would go somewhere else to help other homeowners," he says. "I had butterflies in my stomach the first time when I had a bunch of volunteers from all over the world. Last year, the people, they never had a frown on their face. They were always happy and smiling. I feel they are angels." And so from an Indian reservation in South Dakota to the "Village of Reconciliation" in Asan, Korea, diversity pervaded this year's JCWP. It was a celebration of ethnic, religious and racial diversity, a demonstration of "unity" in "community." The JCWP added a sense of hope to efforts for change in this nation where 40 percent of the nation's 44 million people need decent shelter, where crime and unemployment are rampant, where a bitter history lingers and 45 percent of the population earns less than US$50 per month. "I think everything possible needs to be done to let the former oppressed people have the fullest advantages of life and absolutely equal status," says former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. "One of the basic human rights is housing--the right not only to have a place to live but to have it be your own." Like most countries, South Africa struggles to house its people adequately. The government has delivered some 1.2 million houses during the past six years. In Durban alone, Mayor Mlaba hopes the city can build 16,000 houses each year for the next few years. Still, more will be needed. "The government can't provide houses for everyone, and the private sector doesn't have the incentive," says Steven Zubkoff, JCWP project director. "This is a model of how all South Africans who want a better future for themselves and their children can create a sustainable community and country." South African Stuart Wilson agrees: "This is going to be an example for the rest of Africa," he says. "I can't wait to see another 10,000 projects roll out with passion and enthusiasm. The thing is, if we can get each person to embrace their neighbor, isn't that what we're supposed to do as lovers of God?" Surely the work of June 3-7 demonstrated just that. As proof, Habitat homeowners aptly renamed the new community. Today it is known as Ethembeni, a Zulu word meaning "place of hope." --Milana McLead is editor of Habitat World. (Return to beginning of article) |
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'Back to Basics' Means Reconciliation for African Neighborhood Allister Kok knows he has been given a rare opportunity. Both literally and figuratively, the homeowners of the new Jimmy Carter Work Project community are creating their neighborhood from the ground up. Not many communities get the chance to do that. University educated, Kok works at a children's home, arranging conferences and other events to bring in extra money for the facility. He and his family once lived on the grounds, where he also works part time as a caretaker. For the homeowners of the newly named Ethembeni neighborhood, the process of building community began with weekly pre-build activities. "It was hard work, but fun," he says. "We were digging trenches for piping and lugging bricks. For me, it's the cornerstone of Habitat. It allowed people a chance to get to know each other. ... Besides the excitement of owning my own home is the excitement of building a community. We can form its character from the word 'go.'" In Ethembeni, he serves both as a leader of a small group of families and as one of the eight members of the homeowners association board of directors. Those leaders meet weekly, which allows them to form bonds of friendship and cooperation. Already, they have determined that they want the community to be free of drugs and crime. "We don't want to live in a place where you have to always fear for the lives of your wives and children," he says. "We're going to work at it. Our children need to be safe or the neighborhood breaks down." To him, the JCWP exemplifies the spirit of reconciliation, forgiveness and understanding demonstrated by Nelson Mandela. In fact, Ethembeni residents are already reaching out to the neighbors who were initially suspicious of the development. It's especially important, he notes, as the neighborhood provides a model to show that people from different races, who had been separated under apartheid, can live together in peace. "I have embraced this community," he says. "I think it can be very exciting. It's the way people lived before forced removals. We're just really going back to basics." --Pat Curry is a writer based in the United States. |
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