A local contingent flew to El Salvador last month to build homes for the families living in poverty in the Central American country.
Wallaceburg’s Mike deBakker, who made the 10-day trip with his son Joe, Father Chris Gillespie of the Holy Redeemer Parish Cluster and a large group from the St. Mary’s area, said there were many tears of joy after their Homes for Hope crew completed their jobs.
“They are just so thankful because it is an opportunity they know they never would have had,” deBakker told the Sydenham Current.
“This is (for example) a daughter with her two kids but they have been living with Mom and Dad and three brothers and sisters all in a house that size… but now they have got their own to start.”
Homes for Hope
‘Homes for Hope’ is a non-profit, non denominational organization dedicated to improving the lives of families in El Salvador.
Through the support of volunteers and donations, the group provides safe and secure housing, by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Their mission is to provide hope while improving the quality of life and providing lasting economic change for families and the community.
“They came up with a Canadian design that works great in El Salvador,” deBakker said.
“They build these beautiful little homes, which compared to what is there, are awesome. The houses have got a locked door, locked windows and they are very safe. They are steel so they hold up to earthquakes, volcanoes and other elements. They don’t fall apart. They are all cemented in the ground.”
deBakker said the families are added to a list and chosen based on their need.
The property, which is owned by the coffee co-op in El Salvador, and is donated to Homes for Hope. The group then builds and pays for the home, and donates it to the families in need.
deBakker said with a crew of 14 people, you can build one of the homes in two to three hours.
“You break into two teams, one is a set up team and one is the finish team,” he said.
“The set up team gets all the posts, all the framework all cemented in and leveled and then the finishing team comes in and puts on the roof, puts on the outside walls, puts on the inside walls. There is actually inside two bedrooms. One for the parents and one for the kids and then a main living area. So these houses are 25×20, so it’s 500 square feet, but they each get their own bedroom. A lot of places don’t have hydro so we will put in a solar light.”
Third ‘building’ trip
deBakker said the Homes for Hope team made a presentation to their church last year
“We were doing a fundraiser for Father Chris for Homes for Hope and the team came down from St. Marys and I said ‘If there is room next year I want to go.’ I have gone to Guatemala, I have gone to Haiti. So this is my third building experience,” deBakker said.
“This one was the most productive. This was an awesome experience. Great for my son. I went to Guatemala with my daughter Lydia and we were in Antigua right where the volcanoes are too. I worked on a school with my brother. Lydia and my brothers daughter are both nurses so they got to work in the clinic. They got to do medical stuff.”
deBakker said everyone who goes on a trip brings an extra suit case filled with donated items for the children and parents.
“We see how many kids they have, see what their needs are… if they have a three-yea- old and a five-year-old, we try to accommodate. Plus dresses for Mom and if Dad is there, shirts, pants.”
After the family reads and agrees to a contract (not able to sell the home, no cooking inside) the group does a little presentation and gives them the keys.
“They are allowed to open the house, if the key works than they have got their home,” he said.
“We have an interpreter and we say it on behalf of Homes for Hope, that we had so much fun building this house, we hope you have so much fun living in it.”
Possible Wallaceburg crew next year
deBakker said he is looking into possibly having a Wallaceburg team next year.
“Every year they are looking for people to go,” he said.
“You just have to put your money in and if they have more people that they need normally, they’re on a first come first serve basis. So whoever gets their $500 (deposit) in can go be on the team. Right now it is costing $2,500 to go. The $2,500 incorporates your room and your board, we sleep in a clinic. So bunk beds, nothing fancy. We get fed our three meals a day and each participant that goes is basically buying a house. That is part of your contribution. You pay for your trip, your flight. So the $2,500 cost of the house is around $1,900 American.”
Learn more about the group, here.
Here are some photos from the trip:
– Submitted photos
