Habitat for Humanity

Now that we're settled, we have started working on ways to be involved in the place that we now call home.  We decided to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity for a day to see if it might be something we can do on a more long term basis as well.  Housing is far from adequate for most people in this country and this seemed like a perfect place to share our time and energy.

Some facts about housing in PY:

In Asunción and other large cities, one out of every three families rents or lives in a borrowed home. Fifty percent of the homes in Paraguay suffer from inadequate conditions, such as:

• 23% of homes are overcrowded.
• 24% have no floor.
• 20% are living in areas such as street curbs, parks, private property or along rivers
• Only 50% of the urban population, and less than 40% of the rural, has access to public water services.
• Only 34% of the population has access to waste collection services, resulting in a severe sanitation crisis and high infant mortality rate

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Paraguay  ranks second in unequal distribution of wealth. While the country has had positive economic growth in recent years, this growth has not diminished the extreme poverty suffered by much of its population.  Most people here live on less than $1 a day.  We are definitely in the privileged class here, although far from the extravagant wealth of some of the families associated with my school.  The economic disparity here is pretty obvious.

after

Before

Matt working on his "ladder."  Definitely not OHSA approved.

 The program builds the house with the help of volunteers and the owners of the future home.  The organization essentially offers a loan (but with far more favorable conditions than a bank) that the owners pay back in the future.   The owner of the home we worked on was named Sonya and she has two teenage sons who will live with her.  She is currently living in a cramped apartment with 5 other people in downtown.  She was incredibly gracious and kind, and made us a fantastic lunch while we worked. Working alongside her and my friends made me incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have been given and thankful I have a chance to do some small thing to give back.