Mid-Week Update

Today was an interesting and very productive day. I was part of a group to meet the Minister of Housing (aka Secretary of Housing) for Paraguay. Senor Gerardo Eugenio Rolon Pose was much younger than I expected and very accessible (from a security prospective) than our friends at HUD. I have never personnally met Shaun Donovan but envision it would be more difficult that walking up two flights of stairs to meet him. We endorsed our support of the Paraguay affiliate as well as spoke about our strong government/quai-government partnership with the affiliates in Colorado.  The Paraguay affiliate has entered into an agreement with the government to build 80 units for the indiginous people of the Chacao region (northern part of the state encompassing over 60% of the total land mass). These individuals would be comparable to our Native Americans. Most do not have education, skills or an ability to sustain themselves. A large Mennonite community donated the land and will teach the homeowners to become self-sufficient - including providing livestock, teaching them farming, etc. The government has verbally committed to the project but to date has not delivered any $$$$. Sound familiar???


We did end the meeting with the hope of the Secretary coming to the job site tomorrow afternoon. We were psyched about that, as he brings media with him.

After our outing we returned to the job site. Although cooler today, we were "hot" to finish this house. Everyday we learn/relearn a little more about our house and our family. As I now understand it (and my Spanish is very poor) our family had already paid their downpayment to Habitat so Habitat hired the masons for the build. The other four families had not paid their downpayment so their contribution toward the home would be the payment to the masons. So these families contracted directly with a masonry cooperative - a group of masons working under the same business, rather than having it done through Habitat. 

I am on the same team as Gwen is, House 5.  I personally have found a way to satisfy my OCD niche - cleaning brick. I do this for hours and I am very good at it - I can´t stop the incesssent brushing, scraping and wiping. I was fortunate enough to work with Habitat Colorado´s Executive Director Stefka Fanchi to "raise" the first ceiling. As a team, she placed terra cotta tongue and groove tiles on a stake that I raised up to an awaiting mason on the roof. The mason fitted the tiles together. It was so cool to watch Carlos and Leandro see the rooms take shape. She is a kindergarden teacher but he is not a semi-pro soccer player as he told was (used to be) but rather a third year Columbia law student studying family law. And they are the hardest workers of all.

We closed tonight with a board/Executive Director dinner. Lots of Habitat Colorado representation, but a little light on the Paraguay side. The board president is 76 year old German immigrant who now owns a 2000 cow dairy farm. We enjoyed a wonderful Brazilian steakhouse dinner with plenty of meat.  We quietly ended the evening in a peaceful "beef coma".
It has been a blessing for me to meet such wonderful people and to have a great team to work with and great homeowners to work for. This is truly workforce housing at its finest.


Karen Harkin
Habitat Colorado Board President
CHFA Director, Home Finance

      The Housing Minister is the bearded gentleman in the center.

Day Four - Refreshed with Cool Weather-But Much More to Do!

Most of us had not heard of Paraguay before our trip here. But now, it seems to consume our thoughts and conversation. As we travel to our construction site in Limpio, we see stark contrasts of the modern and the antiquated; of wealth and of poverty. It is not unusual to see an ox-drawn cart amongst the frantic traffic or well-appointed estates next to small and rustic homes.

As we arrive on the site for day four of building, we are refreshed by the cooler weather and break we had the day before. We are also struck by the amount of work before us. The masons have placed the beams on most houses and are now ready to put the tiles on the rooves. We have much to accomplish to reach our goal of five houses in five days! Unfortunately, several of the volunteers are ill today. We miss them and hope they feel better soon.



Volunteers spring into action and help finish the tasks of scrubbing bricks, scraping floors, transporting tiles to the tops of the homes, digging and bricking the holes for the septic systems- and more. Windows have been set in some homes-along with other "finishing touches". We are also so thankful to members of the Paraguay military who have helped in so many ways.

Today, we also were entertained. During lunch, a famous harpist played several beautiful songs and at night, the Habitat families and staff hosted a celebration filled with dance and good food. We have been so well taken care of here. We are thankful to the staff, the families and the Paraguaian people for their loving spirit and hospitality. We leave part of our hearts with them all.


I highly recommend a Global Village trip. It will make you sweat, smile, and maybe even cry- yes it will change you! God's Blessings......

Gwen Stephneson, Loveland Habitat for Humanity



A fairly common sight on our way to the construction site.



One of our proud team leaders- Julieann

Masons place beams on the house! (sorry it's sideways)



Brad is almost finished laying brick inside the septic "hole"



Lunch entertainment- wow!

More work after lunch- placing tiles on the roof.

Greetings From Our Tired and Victorious Group-Day Three

Greetings from our tired, but victorious group. We have overcome two100-degree days and all the sites now have septic system holes at least five feet deep. The homes are taking shape with the masterfully laid bricks  - and are at least 10 feet tall.

Today, we woke up to a drenching and cool rain which gave us an unexpected break. Most of the group was able to tour Asuncion and learn more about this wonderful and amazing place.  Many were struck by the opulance of the Presidential Palace, which sits in contrast, between  a large shanty town on the water. Evidence of Paraguay's Bicential Celebration of Indepence from Spain was also splashed across the city.

Another group toured an area north of Asuncion, where Habitat Paraguay will eventually help build 240 homes. The name of this upcoming neighborhood  is "For the Future of the Children." and is located in an abundant rain forest. As we traveled there, it seemed we were driving back in time to this place untouched and pristine- with lush tall trees and brilliant flowers.

Here, were greeted by beautiful, smiling children and their parents at their community center. Several of them led us on a  rather long hike through their neighborhood (in the rain forest )where the homes seemed to be miles apart. The two homes we saw showed the incredible inguinuity of the families who built them. However, each were only two rooms, with dirt floors and leaking roofs.

Habitat's plan is to negotiate with the government to transfer title to the land to the families living there. Once this is accomplished, Habitat will partner with families to build homes that will accomodate the number of people living in them - with concrete floors and running water.

We all returned from that trip awestruck and encouraged that Habitat could offer so much hope to the proud families who have built a strong and close-knit community.

Signing off- a changed person- Gwen Stephenson, Loveland Habitat for Humanity.

Some photos to share!

                                                      Finally, the first hole is dug!

The masons working hard

Progress-Smiling volunteers with the Colonel

The Presidential Palace in Asuncion

The Shanty Town next to the Presidential Palace

                                            Group standing in front of home                                                                      

SECOND DAY BUILDING

Greetings from the Gunnison Habitat affiliate,
Not as hot today.  We must be doing a good job because our masons ate lunch with us today. Our homeowner is a professional soccer player for Bolivia, and his wife is a teacher. He has never seen women work as hard as us and wanted to take our picture in the 4 foot hole we had dug for the septic tank. 
The canals are filled with debris, because when it rains the people put their trash in the streets to wash it away.
Pedestrians do not have the right of way and the drivers and motorcyclists are muy loco.
Our house is coming along very well.  Our brick walls are almost complete, and we hope to be ready for the roof sometime tomorrow.
ADIOS
   

Work Day One: hot and happy

No idea why this picture is sideways.  Enjoy!

Kimberly here... fundraising staff person from Habitat Metro Denver in my first blog post from Paraguay.  This is my first GV trip and I am enjoying it a lot.


The first day on the site proved to be very challenging but also very interesting, fun and hot.  Always hot.  This will be our theme.  But I´m happy to say that we fought the heat stroke and won.  The above photo was taken at the end of the day.  I was clean at the beginning!  But still smiling at the end.

Our team is #1 (that´s right and we rock!!!) and we spent the day assisting the masons in building brick houses.  While they did the technical building, we hauled bricks, tiles and mud, scraped and cleaned walls, painted roof tiles, and spent some excruciating hours digging two holes that will hold the septic and sewer system.  One has to be three feet and the other eight feet... we have quite a bit to go.  The site holds five houses and there were more than 100 people working - masons, the Paraguay Habitat staff and the five families.  Most of the women in the families spend the day in the makeshift kitchen cooking our food.  Our family is Roberto and Zila.  Roberto worked with today and he is a very hard worker, choosing to work the pick ax in the hole most of the day.  He has spent some time in Texas so he practiced his English while we practiced our Spanish.  Pointing down to his feet, he said, "alli" and pointing away said "alla" and I finally got "here" vs "there" which was always hard for me.  My college Spanish is coming back quickly.  I also took some time trying to tell him how there was snow in Texas and that it was negative 8 in Denver two weeks ago.  When he finally realized I was saying 60 degrees Celsius in the NEGATIVE, he jumped back shocked.  MUY FRIO!!!  Yes.  And now muy caliente. 

Aside from the work, we are experiencing a lot of culture right up close.  The custom of Yerba Mate or Terere (mate but drank cold) is shared among the staff and masons.  The site where we are staying is beautiful with palm trees and mangos falling right onto the ground.  Lots of butterflies and interesting birds to watch.  And everyone we have met has been very, very nice. 

But I would say the drive to and from work is my favorite. We are in 4 vans and our drivers are very good and safe.  However...  everywhere else, the locals drive like crazy!  There are tons of motorcycles weaving in between the cars and buses and most of them have 2-4 people on them.  Parents with two or three kids in their arms and bags of items they have bought hanging and strapped to the back.  I don´t know why... but it just makes me laugh out loud.  Completely hilarious to watch.  And of course, the roads are all made of busted up rock and sand AND the cars are super old - so no one is going very fast.  Top speed seems to be around 30 or 40 and that´s on the long stretches.  So we´re okay.  The neighborhoods are filled with people walking, kids playing, folks on porches enjoying their mate and fellowship with family.  I watch with my eyes wide open and my brain trying to absorb it all. 

I´m still sort of pinching myself that I am really here.  I can tell already that this trip is sinking into me like the red clay that I can´t quite wash off my hands.  It´ll be there long after I leave here.

Thanks you for reading.  And if you haven´t done so already... get yourself over to www.habitat.org and sign up for a Global Village trip today.  You´ll be so happy that you did.  -kimberly

Greeting from Paraguay

Hello everyone.  All 41 of us arrived safely yesterday afternoon.  No luggage lost so that was a good start to the trip.

My name is Michele and for me, this is my return trip to Paraguay.  I served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay from May 1991 to August 1993.  As this is my first return trip, you can imagine how excited I am to have this opportunity to return after nearly 20 years.  The smells and sounds of the area have sparked a flood of memories from my earlier time here.  It was so calming to wake up this morning to the medly of bird song outside our window.  That isn´t something I often hear from my Denver home. 

We are all now preparing for what will be our first day of construction.  It´s an early start.  Best to beat the heat of summer.

While in country we will be staying at a place called Ykua Sati.  It is a retreat center within the capital city.  I stayed here in May 1991 after first arriving in Paraguay.  The place has changed greatly since my first visit.  It has been expanded to include conference center, a pool and new dormitories.  It will be a nice calming excape from the days work.

Throughout the week we will be updating our progress and posting pictures of the group, the families we are building the homes for and the progress of the construction.  This should be an eventful week so stay tooned.

Colorado to Paraguay: An Introduction

Tomorrow forty-one Coloradoans will depart from Denver en route to Paraguay, where we will build five homes, and hopefully will build friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

The journey began long before today.  In November of 2008, the thirty Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Colorado celebrated the 1,000th home built here in partnership with families seeking the opportunity to stabilize their housing and improve their lives.  On that day we pledged that together we would build the next 1,000 homes in just three short years - even as the economy began to falter.  Today, just past the midpoint of the 1000 Homes campaign, we have met approximately 45% of that goal.

Half a world away, Habitat for Humanity of Paraguay was undertaking a similar challenge to build 1,000 homes in a country where poverty housing has a very different and dire meaning.  Paraguay in the third poorest country in South America, and more than 1.1 million individuals suffer from extreme poverty, earning less that $1 US per day.  More than half of the houses in Paraguay are considered inadequate, and 
745,000 families in Paraguay lack decent housing.  Less than 50% of the population has access to water service, and only 34% of Paraguay's total population has access to garbage disposal - resulting in a major sanitation crisis and high infant mortality rates.  Compounding this housing crisis is a dearth of public policy supporting affordable and decent housing.  Nearly 21% of existing homes lack legal land tenure and are illegally situated in public areas such as streets, parks, riverbanks, or on the private property of a corporation.

But we have much in common with our friends in Paraguay, and we discover more each time we meet.  In Paraguay and Colorado, we know that access to safe, decent, and affordable housing has a profound impact on education, which is so critical to breaking the cycle of poverty.  In Paraguay they have made this a special ministry of theirs, and are building homes in partnership with teachers in order to integrate them with the communities they serve and ensure longer tenures and continuity in the lives of the children they teach.  Our Global Village Team will be building homes with five teachers, including Zila and Roberto, who recorded this message for us: 

Zila's story is like so many stories we have heard in Colorado - even my own.  My parents were both teachers, and collectively dedicated nearly 70 years to public education.  Homeownership was highly valued by my family, and was a dream of mine as I built a family - a dream I was able to realize.  Zila and I are the same age, and we each have two children.  What else will we have in common?  As we carry bricks and cement together, and share a cup of terere after a hard day's work, I hope to discover much more.

I hope you'll join us on our journey of discovery by following this blog.  Each day, a different team member will give their unique personal perspective, and share photos and video taken along the way.  You can participate by commenting and asking questions, and by sharing the blog with your friends.  Please keep our team in your thoughts and prayers, that we may be safe, healthy, and forever changed as we change the lives of five families on the other side of the world.

Stefka Czarnecki Fanchi

Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Colorado



Global Village Wrap Up

We have been back in the US for two days now and I think it is safe to speak for everyone in our group when I say that the readjustment to “reality” has not been easy. This is not to say that I am not happy to be home with family, friends, and my beloved dog. However, the day to day reality of being an American living in a luxury ski resort has changed.

I got a facial yesterday in an effort to undo 10 days of dirt and too much sun. When I paid the bill, I realized that my 90 minutes of pampering and products cost the equivalent of an entire year of mortgage payments for the family for whom we built a home in Paraguay. With feelings of guilt, I then went to a meeting with the team of architects and contractors who are helping me to build my dream home. Although I didn’t request that we change the “mountain modern” home to simple brick and concrete block; I have to admit I held back tears as we talked about where to put the outlets for the treadmill in the exercise room which is in reality is almost as big as the entire home we built in Paraguay. My exercise room is just another amenity in a luxury home built for one person and one dog. The home we built in Paraguay will house two adults and two children and boasts running water and simple electricity as its amenities. It also has a toilet that actually flushes with the septic tank only 10 feet from the back door. It is hard not to feel ridiculous while talking about motorized window shades and Venetian plaster when running water and a toilet that flushes is unattainable by over one third of the world’s population. But I digress…..

In a nutshell, our Habitat build in Paraguay was amazing, life changing, humbling and unforgettable. I remember discussing the pros and cons of our first build day with the group two weeks ago. The discussion focused on frustrations with the inefficiencies of the way the masons were building the home. The team discussed strategies for speeding up the process with hopes of building the home “faster than any other volunteer group”. Our debrief session just three days later focused on the socio-economic factors that contribute to poverty and the horrible inequalities that exist in Paraguay and the rest of the world. It doesn’t take long to realize that building a home is really about something much larger. It is about realizing every human being’s common need for food, water, shelter and at least minimal comfort; and perhaps something more spiritual. I won’t dwell on religion here, because that would require an entire blog! However, I think we all felt the stirrings of a universal connection much larger than our group and the individuals it comprised. Leaving the comforts of life in the US to give your time to a family in need half way around the world requires a major leap of faith. Every member of our team took that leap and as a result, I hope, will never be the same. I thank them for trusting me to lead them in this journey.

We are all back at home safe, cozy and enjoying our relatively pampered lives. But I know that each one of us has changed. Whether that means making a career of giving your time to others, donating your time and/or money to a cause you love, or simply smiling at the ornery person in line in front of you at Starbucks, we all know that we CAN create change. It may not happen overnight. But change does happen; one family and one smile at a time.

-Amanda Precourt, Team Leader

Global Village Reflections

"That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God."Ecclesiastes 3:13

We all do it: we create and carry images in our mind of those times that shape us as humans. For many of us it’s those simple moments; maybe that home run when we were five or a summer vacation with our Grand Parents; maybe as simple as just an ice cream cone with a friend. Yes, simple, but great moments that will forever be of and create who and what we are as individuals.

Today, as I sit here, the images of the past ten days are becoming many of those moments, as it is now, for this first time, that I truly begin to awake from this experience. So many images shuffle in my mind and I struggle to fully understand their meaning. Was our mission to help one family or to understand the greater need of a community? Was it the cultural connections made to the indigenous people of Paraguay or the capturing of the deep internal beauty of the children of the slums? Today it is unclear; my eyes have not yet focused upon the meaning.

I know as the time passes, and my blurry vision of this experience focuses onto my simple moments, I will find clarity. Will it be focused solely in the moments of our conversations, the laughing children, the bright smiles or the simple joy of the human experience? I don’t know. Will it be the time spent surrounded by the Teams passionate heartfelt dialog, so emotional and sincere it could only be broken with the laughter of others? I don’t know.

As I feel a longing for the understanding I open my camera and search for reflection, clarity, and direction. I believe the camera captures the moment, it allows us to recall and remember the people and times of our lives. Just like our own memories, photographs can become forged into a greater message. The pictures begin with getting to know our team. It was the time to share stories of why we have come and what we expected. No one really knew for sure; it was unclear. It was a time to share food and drink; to laugh and mask some of the unknown. It was a time to ease into this new found relationship and create openness for the relationship to come. Discussions were plentiful on topics of biology, the Supreme Court, our aging bodies, our anticipation, the future and a unified desire to give.

I must continue to search the pictures for that moment, the moment I long for, the one that lasts, creates the meaning of all of this. They are great pictures of our hard work. The ones that months and years of others work lead up to this week of labor and love. There are many pictures of the “project” that brought us all here at this time and place. I dig deeper into these photos and see our Habitat Family, the creators of such a wonderful future Home they will call theirs, a family of strength and courage. Images of their children with such open laughter, images clearly full of Love, images of a mother whose barriers are being overcome and a family that will soon have a hearth they will call home. Sure there are images of the Team working, of the relationships with the masons, even the neighbors, images of the cultural history of Paraguay, images of the hardships of so many, images that can truly move your soul. But, where will I find my moment? As is shuffle the hundreds of photos the answer becomes clear, it is not just one image but it is many. This is my moment, my image, the one I will have forever and they are the images of us all together. Together with Nina and her children, together as a Team, together as a Habitat family, together with Claudia and her family. Images of us all together after our toil; after our work, photos of us physically exhausted, but not one of us emotionally removed, photos overcoming our language barriers, photos of us laughing, dancing, singing and holding one another. Photos of the clear emotional connections made as we created our relationships over “family” meals, doing our part, all sharing openly as we eat and drink, laugh and cry.

These are clearly the moments I recall in the short time since they have a passed. The moments of our sitting together sharing our food, our drink our conversations of love, family, future. It is the breaking of this bread and this time spent together, the time playing with a ball or simply a tree, these clear images-moments, are the ones that shape who I have become.

I am unsure on how to expound upon this emotion, but I am sure I will continue to reflect in my mind on how the experiences I shared in Paraguay will affect my future. What I do know is that we can’t do it alone. It takes that connection; a connection to share these simple moments and a devotion to something larger than oneself. It takes a true Love, a passion in something and someone to hold these moments. Maybe it’s folklore, maybe it’s religion or maybe it was just a movie, but I have heard you can take these moments; this Love, with you when we leave this earth. I surely hope so as these are the ones I will take with me forever.

Brian Judge. October 13, 2009.

Dia # 5

Day 5 is almost over and I don't even know where to begin with this blog! So much has happened since we arrived. New names, hard labor, great food, new friends, Indian tribe visit and then the slum visit today. I feel like it has been longer than 5 days but here we are... sun burnt, exhausted, wanting more.

Today was about getting as much done with the house as possible. It is the last day for us to build and yet there is so much still to be done. We were greeted this morning with a new driver. Less safe and not the same. I think we all missed Miguel. We loved the slow drive, friendly music and most of all, the stop at his mothers store to buy chipa. Arriving at the site was different today too. We were missing one very important person, el jefe. Even Brian mentioned it tonight in our diamond and dookie recap. He is our fearless leader on-site! So I would say that we hit the ground running but with a new calmness over us...as if this was REALLY our last day to make a difference.

We hauled over 1200 bricks, 1500 tiles and I can't even begin to explain the amount of broken materials that are used to fill "the gaps". I speak for myself when I say "I am exhausted". I know the group feels tired but today the sun beat me down more than I could imagine.

I'll regress in this blog to say that I take the most breaks. Breaks mean snack time. I accrued many nicknames in the short 5 days here: (Katalina, Pix Axe women, Piggy, Bottomless Pit...and the list goes on). I can't eat or drink enough to keep the energy level I know back home. I don't know what is going on but the physical labor with the sun is harder to take then I imagined. Still, with no questions, I would do it again.

After we finished our time at the site we headed to the slums. I think, even as well traveled as this group is, we were all touched by what we saw. This community has little to look forward to. In fact, there was so much violence the day before that we were almost not aloud to visit today. I think what originally opened my eyes was a used condom laying on the stairs as we headed upstairs of the community center/ after school program building. I was following a few teachers and not one budged to pick it up. There was trash everywhere, hungry kids and little to do. For many of us in the group, this is where we made our connections with the kids in Paraguay. They were all so happy to have us there.

What I would like to focus on in the rest of this blog is the overall sincerity and passion this group contains. It has been overwhelming to hear, see and experience the amount of love each one us has for helping others. We are so very fortunate to experience this together. We will forever be changed by the recaps (what I call the camp fires from my job at First Descents). We are changing other lives and simultaneously changing our own at the same time.

Thank you to Martha for keeping it funny, to Brian for keeping it light, Corey for keeping it real, Emily for keeping it calm. Leanna for keeping it educational, Lorenzo for keeping it entertaining and Amanda for being our fearless leader. Thank you all for the opportunity and the stories I will cherish for life!

-- Kelley Brupbacher