Habitat World Online

Argentina: From homeowners to house leaders
Claudia and Daniela live in the rurual town of Recreo, Santa Fe, approximately a four-hour drive from Buenos Aires. In late 2006 the two neighbors completed their homes in partnership with Habitat Argentina, in this community that has begun to bear a proud Habitat stamp on its identity. Claudia and Daniela’s families were among the first to pilot a cement-panel house, ideal for the humid climate of Santa Fe.

Claudia has two children, and Daniela is the mother of four girls. From their first contact with Habitat Argentina, both women committed wholeheartedly and worked industriously on the construction of their houses, as well as on those of other families involved in the project. They were active participants in Habitat’s educational workshops on personal and community development and financial literacy.

But Claudia and Daniela’s interest in Habitat’s work in their community did not wane after they settled into their new homes. A year after they moved into their Habitat houses, the two women were invited to act as house leaders during a Women Build event called “Women of Faith, Building With Love.” In this capacity, Claudia and Daniela served as local representatives on the project site, leading a team of visiting volunteers from various Baptist churches in the United States.

To prepare for the event, the two women participated in house leader training and showed up on the day of the project’s inauguration sporting their event T-shirts, which they had carefully washed every night so they would be impeccable the following day. For a week, they assisted the group of foreign volunteers in each of the tasks related to construction. As house leaders, they were responsible for creating a meaningful experience for the visitors; they organized the team’s work schedule, controlled the security of the site and ensured the well-being of the participants.

Sharing in the commitment and effort of the event participants made such an impact on these two Habitat homeowners that they have been frequent house leaders for Global Village teams visiting Recreo ever since. Even though neither Claudia nor Daniela speaks any English, they communicate with the volunteers through signs and smiles — and both are thinking about learning English to better perform their tasks as house leaders. “I am delighted with this and will always do it,” they say.

By Stephanie Simonetta, communications coordinator for Habitat Argentina