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.