A few weeks ago I read an article in Ultima Hora (a Paraguayan newspaper) about an organization called Un Techo Para Mi Pais. I learned from the article that Un Techo Para Mi Pais is an organization that recruits volunteers to build houses for families-in-need around the nation. Sound familiar? Yes, it is the Latin American version of Habitat for Humanity. The families are chosen based on who has the greatest need and who can complete the requirements. The families must complete a course - financial maybe? It didn't say.. - and contribute 300,000 Guaranis (about $75 US Dollars) to their new home.
If you have worked with Habitat before you will know that before the volunteers begin with the construction the foundation is set-down and then a team of people trained in electricity and other areas and volunteers set to work (generally for about a week). In Habitat, the team builds the house, puts in counters and cabinets, completes a bathroom, paints each room, etc. It is quite the production. In Un Techo, the houses are much more basic. When I say basic, I mean we used pre-fabricated walls that had holes in them, wood posts and rocks for the foundation and sheets of metal for the roof.
Both organizations are based on giving families-in-need a basic and a humane place to live. Humane is different from country-to-country. Because the standard of living is lower in Paraguay, the homes that the organization builds are not the same as they would be in the U.S. Still it is amazing to see the reaction of the people that receive this humble home. The family (of 6 people) for who we built the house was living in a "house" that had plastic covering holes in the ceiling and walls. The floors were dirt. The first room had a stove and a cabinets and the second room had three beds.
I would have to say that I was not surprised by the poverty. I had previously seen homes in these conditions in Costa Rica and Panama. However, even before I saw those homes, I knew that this kind of poverty existed in the world. The other volunteers that I worked with were local Paraguayan university students. Obviously, they were from a different financial situation than their fellow Paraguayans. AND even though we live 20 minutes from this area, many of these Paraguayans did not know that poverty like this existed in their area.
So my question is...how can you get through high school and years of college and not know that extreme poverty exists? That it exists in your area? Although I know that I am being hard on them, I was completely annoyed when a few people cried and said they did not know that people lived that way...How can you be in your late-teens or early 20s and not know that? Por lo menos (at least) they now better understand the realities of the world, but understanding is not enough. If we all truly believe that poverty is a cruel thing, then we must do something more to combat it. Building a few houses and then leaving the community will not solve the bigger problems. Yes, it is great that 20 families in the state of Itapua received better homes this weekend, but what are we doing to make sure that others do not fall into this same type of situation. I hope to help others realize that one weekend's worth of work is not enough. I want to encourage more young Paraguayans to get involved in the lives of other Paraguayans to help them better develop and live better lives. The reality of it all is that I will have two years to do all that I can, but in the end, it is up to Paraguayans to change Paraguay.
I know that the majority of my work in the Peace Corps must be done in my personal community, but I plan to return to that community as well to do whatever little that I can...Camps for children? Talks on health? Workshops with teachers? We will see.
Volunteers carrying supplies to their worksites. We only had two guys in our group so I had to partake in the heavy lifting. And you better believe that I feel it today.
The then current home of our family.
The bathroom. It actually has a flushing toliet, but there is no ceiling. Also, there is a pipe for a shower in this area. There is no floor so they put down a piece of wood to stand on while they shower.
Unloading the wood that we used as the foundation.
Digging the holes for the posts. The ground was so hard.
I crushed rocks with Melissa and her brother for 3 hours. They loved wearing our work gloves!
This is where the mother of the house washes the family's clothes.
The black on the posts is oil. It is supposed to help preserve the wood.
The end of our first day of work.
Melissa wanted to take a picture of me.
Day 2. FINALLY the floor is down! The foundation was the hardest part.
I held up the wall as another volunteer hammered.
Nailing the walls together was probably the fastest part.
The mother of the house! Almost done!
Putting the insulation.
We ate some greaaattt sopa (a type of bread similiar to cornbread) from this oven.
La vista (the view) from their new home!
