16 voices
Carolina, Mexico
México, Carolina
A Decade of Volunteering
Carolina begins her interview with an emotion she can barely contain. She is nervous because it is the first time she has spoken on camera about something she is deeply passionate about: volunteering. As Deputy Director of the Automotive Credit Factory at Grupo Financiero Banorte, she has had the opportunity to join hands with hundreds of volunteers organized by Fundación Banorte. On six of those occasions, she has dedicated her time to building homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
Across many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, we provide people with opportunities to volunteer in their communities. In Mexico, Fundación Banorte has joined this initiative for the past ten years, and together we have mobilized more than 300 volunteers. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, Carolina joins the 16 Voices representing not only her country, but also all the people across our region who give a little of their time to build, alongside others, the place they will call home.
“I decided to volunteer with Habitat because I wanted to help. I believe we both pursue the same common goal: supporting society, giving a little of ourselves as human beings, and becoming better people. And what better way to do that than alongside great institutions like Fundación Banorte and Habitat?”
Carolina and Habitat meet
Volunteering has become a driving force in Carolina’s life. For more than ten years, she has participated in various opportunities offered to employees through Fundación Banorte. She first learned about us through a video that portrayed the construction of a home. In 2024, it was her turn, and she had her first experience with Habitat for Humanity.
“The women used to go to the river to wash clothes by hand […]. It was difficult for them to leave their community and walk all the way to the place where they did their laundry. What we did, together with Habitat and Fundación Banorte, was build washing stations within their community so they would no longer have to travel such long distances to take care of these daily tasks.”
The build volunteer experience challenged her physical abilities. This time, the project took place in a rural community surrounded by fields and vegetation. As the day went on, heavy rain began to fall. Despite this, no one stopped working. The volunteers carried on until they were covered in mud and completely soaked, but no one seemed to mind. Everyone remained focused on the goal and continued working until the project was completed.
Fundación Banorte is the social impact arm of Grupo Financiero Banorte. In Mexico, we partner with this organization to provide volunteer opportunities for employees like Carolina.
Volunteering Transforms
For Carolina, the spirit of volunteering is all about service. These moments connect her with her colleagues, her family, and the people she is helping build a home for. It is her connection with the families that motivates her most. When she participates in volunteer projects, she sees children watching curiously to understand what is happening. Sometimes, families offer volunteers a meal or a small gesture of appreciation from the little they have. These moments inspire her to keep going.
“What matters is that they know they are not alone, and that there are great organizations that can support them. It is simply a matter of speaking up, raising a hand, and seeking a way forward.”
Carolina participating in a volunteer build organized by Fundación Banorte.
Other Habitat voices have confirmed a special phenomenon: the energy of volunteering. When people are out in the field, they encourage one another to complete the work and push beyond what they thought they were capable of doing. Carolina says she feels that energy from the moment she steps off the bus. The work begins very early in the morning, but as soon as the volunteers arrive, the Habitat team is there to welcome and motivate them.
Mixing concrete is especially challenging. It is a task that requires considerable physical effort. Carolina recalls reaching a point when her hands were so tired that she could barely move them. Then she looked over at a teammate and saw that he was still going. His determination gave her renewed strength to continue. And it was not just him. The construction supervisors guiding the volunteers explained how to hold the shovel, how to position themselves, and how to apply their strength more effectively without exhausting themselves.
“I remember one experience that was also a construction project. We had to form a human chain to pass buckets of concrete mix because the place where we were mixing and the place where the house was being built were quite far apart [...]. At first, you are completely focused on receiving the bucket and passing it along, but after a couple of minutes I was able to take a breath, and that was when I truly grasped the scale of what we were doing. It was a chain of about twenty people, stretching for meters.”
Together, We Build Community
Through volunteering, work teams strengthen their bonds. Carolina has received the support of her supervisors to contribute to her community, and through these experiences she has developed new skills, including leadership. Having become familiar with the construction process, she now takes on the role of mentor, showing her colleagues how to carry out different tasks and inspiring them through her own stories and experiences.
Her skills extend beyond construction. In fact, she shared that the weekend before this interview, she led a team in a tree-planting activity that she described as “magical.” The group felt more connected, and she herself felt energized by the time they spent together.
“One of the things I love most about volunteering is that there are no roles, no hierarchies, no titles. It’s wonderful to spend time with people from your team and have the opportunity to step into leadership in different ways each time. It helps you recognize and feel more connected to everything that is happening, to that larger movement.”
Habitat for Humanity and Fundación Banorte work together to bring the spirit of volunteerism to more people.
Being a volunteer has not only given Carolina the opportunity to connect with her colleagues, but also with her family. On several occasions, she has invited family members to join her, especially her father.
“My best friend, my dad, my partner in every battle, has also been a huge participant in these activities. It’s something I truly value and admire because we share this same desire to find ways to help from wherever we are, with whatever we have to offer.”
Volunteers wanted
For Carolina, volunteering is about much more than a photograph or a social media post. It is about the memories she carries with her and the impact she knows she has made in the lives of others. That is why she does not let her time with us end without encouraging others to join the cause.
“I hope thousands of people will choose to join volunteer opportunities with Fundación Banorte and Habitat, because it will be an unforgettable experience.”
In 2026, Habitat for Humanity celebrates 50 years of building decent and affordable housing around the world. In Mexico, we celebrate 37 years of service. As part of these celebrations, our Let’s Open the Door campaign brings you 16 Voices that capture the essence of our work across Latin America and the Caribbean. If you or your company are interested in volunteering, you can contact us in Mexico to learn about opportunities in the country, or reach out to our regional contact to be connected with the Habitat organization in the country where you live.
“We are building dreams. We are helping a family achieve a better future. And the more people who join us, the more we create a society that is supportive, compassionate, and empathetic to the challenges others face.”
