Guatemala - Habitat for Humanity

Well, this was definitely a trip to remember!

Some of our business associates have been going to Guatemala for Habitat for Humanity for several years now, and while it's been on my list of "to do's", it's just never made it to the top... until this year.

For those of your who don't know, Habitat for Humanity is a world-wide organization that helps families to build houses who would otherwise not be able to afford to do so. There are millions of people world-wide who are either living in tents, cardboard boxes, or living 10 people to a 2 room house. Most of those people have no way to afford a house with electricity, water, and indoor plumbing, but Habitat makes it possible.

Why Guatemala you ask? Why not help those people in the United States who homeless? Well, to be frank, we've got it easy in the U.S. Even the lowest level of living in the U.S. is much better than what the majority of those in Guatemala face. The average income per person is only $1,680 U.S. Dollars, and there is a housing deficit of about 1.5 million people there. That's a lot of people without homes!

So, what did I do? Well, there was a group of about 60 of us that went this year. We worked on building a total of 10 houses, and I helped build a new house for a wonderful Guatemalan couple, Nery and Lucia and their 1 month old baby boy Nery the 3rd. The colony we worked at was in Zacapa, in the town of Teculutan. We actually worked more with Nery's father, Neddie, since Nery worked a full-time job and couldn't get off (or be fired). We completed about 3/4s of the house, and the next group to arrive will finish it off for them. The house is nothing fancy, just a 4 room cinder-block house, but compared to where they're coming from, it's a palace!

It's really hard to express in words what it means to help someone in this way, and all I can say is it's something that everyone should experience at least once. They warned me when I went that you don't just do this once. Once you've done it, you'll be back to help again.

One of the things that impressed me most about the Guatemalan's was their pride in their community. When I think of a poor country, I think of streets littered with trash, and run-down dilapidated buildings everywhere. And while there was their share of run-down buildings, the towns and streets were relatively clean. Giving someone the hand up that Habitat does, and not just a hand out, let's people take pride in their community and their home. The quote from the unknown author "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime" is evident in the lives of these people.

And it wasn't all hard work while we were there, either. We visited the Mayan ruins in Quirigua as well as some beautiful waterfalls. We also got to enjoy a lot of the local food and culture, including an art museum and natural history museum, as well as dancing and singing from local artists.
















So, will I go back again? I definitely want to! The colony in Teculutan is just about finished, so there won't be any more houses to build there. But they are already looking at other land, and there are other places throughout the world that I'd be happy to go to as well. Just the experience of working with the caliber of people who volunteered their time and money to do this, and the sincerity and happiness it brings those that benefit from it, make it more than worth what I put into it!