By David and Nancy Slinde
An International Project to Consider:
The Habitat Build concluded on Sunday, Oct 30, with 14 members of the 16 person team leaving for home. Flight delays prevented those living on the east coast from reaching home the same day. We stayed at the beach for another 3 days for a short but enjoyable vacation time.
While at the Build site we had an unusual experience. It started with us asking our HFH coordinator if the matching funds from my previous employer could be directed to HFH El Salvador or must remain at Americus Georgia. Wednesday the Director of Development came to the site to talk with us. He asked us what we wanted to do in El Salvador. We had a quick reply and that is to improve education.
He had a HFH vehicle so he took us to a community hoping to build a multipurpose center. This small community is where our build took place in 2015. We had the opportunity to visit the family whose home we helped build. We were greeted with strong hugs and smiles. Then we visited with women of the Women’s Cooperative to hear the story of their problem.
They have been renting a small house where they make crafts to sell and also have a daycare for the little children. The children entering kindergarten are not prepared, thus the community is providing training in readiness skills.
The woman owning the small house recently married and wants to return home. The cooperative must find another location. They have a vision of bringing together children from 3 nearby communities to attend the daycare run by volunteer mothers.
It seems the only recourse is to build but that is not in HFH El Salvador’s 2016-2017 plans. It is a stretch of Habitat’s vision. On Saturday we received an email that HFH would consider the building as we are committed to fundraising for this new project. While we are in the very early stages of planning and developing a common vision with HFH, it seems this will be a good partnership.
Supporting a multi-purpose building also expands our vision. A program to care for children and get them ready for success in school is an educational opportunity we cannot ignore. Your continued support can help make this happen.
We would like to have a one week build team for this new project in 2017. Future planning with the HFH staff may include this possibility for permission and support. If it becomes a reality, you are invited to work with us in El Salvador to experience a different culture, the life of the rural poor, and to help make a positive impact in the world.