Program Donation

2495.00

Description

Guatemala is experiencing a housing deficit of more than 1.7 million. Currently, 32% of Guatemalans have inadequate or no latrines, and 52% suffer from respiratory illnesses linked to smoke inhalation. This is largely because 90% of rural households still cook over open fires inside their homes.

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity Guatemala has worked on over 165,000 housing projects and has since reduced the country’s housing deficit by 8.49%. Habitat continues to respond to the high housing demand on multiple fronts by supporting housing finance, home construction and latrine and smokeless stove installations.

During their time on site, volunteers participate in various construction activities depending on the project. For cement floor installations, they help with the transportation of materials, mixing, and pouring of cement. For healthy home kits and stove projects, volunteers assist with carrying materials, preparing mixtures, and supporting the mason in assembling each solution.

Program Donation

2245.00

Description

The 2010 Dominican Republic National Census shows that 99,158 households (3.7%) still live on dirt floors. Habitat for Humanity and the Inter-American Cement Federation launched the 100,000 Floors to Play initiative to replace 100,000 dirt floors with concrete across Latin America and the Caribbean. Studies by the World Bank and the University of California, Berkeley revealed that concrete floors reduce parasitic infections by 70%, diarrhea by 49%, childhood anemia by 81% and improve children’s cognitive development by 36 to 96%.

Volunteers will support Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic’s objective of building 10,000 floors for households headed by older adults, women with children under 6, or people living with disabilities.

Habitat volunteers will help a building contractor as well as local volunteers and may work on the following tasks:

• Painting.
• Carrying water buckets.
• Making concrete with a mixer.