Carrying On

Photo by Steffan Hacker

In Mowire, Ghana, Joyce Asante leads a long line of her fellow villagers at work in the construction of Habitat houses. The women--some current Habitat homeowners, some future homeowners--carry water from a nearby stream, up and down hills, to mix mortar at multiple build sites around the resurging village.

Fifty years ago, the old Mowire community was dispersed by raiders, its residents scattered to surrounding areas where they had no lands to build or farm. Since 1999, Habitat for Humanity has partnered with returning families, together constructing more than 100 houses to rebuild the largely agricultural community.