Building Futures in Guatemala

By Kerri Tulloch

It was something I’d wanted to do for a long time - a volunteer vacation.  After investigating several options, I decided to donate my time to Constru Casa. A local organization based in Antigua, Guatemala, Constru Casa is dedicated to building adequate housing for families in need. I appreciated the partnerships that existed with other organizations to ensure that all of the family’s needs were met, and the follow-up with the family after the house was built.

When we arrived in San Mateo on the first day, there was a massive pile of cinder blocks at the side of the road. Because the path down to the building site was too narrow for a truck to pass through, these blocks had to be transported down in a wheelbarrow, three at a time. At least that’s how we did it. We were humbled by the local women, who would carry two blocks on their head and one in their hand. Children, some as young as nine, would carry two blocks by attaching them to a makeshift headband.  The family who would live in the new house worked alongside us every day. We learned that two of the children had been abandoned by their mother, and were cared for by their grandparents. A total of five children and four adults were living in a tiny house with walls of mud and branches, or corrugated metal. The new house would provide two bedrooms for the children, as well as a bathroom with a flush toilet and a working shower. Cooking would continue to be done in the other house, which was next door.

The kids approached us shyly at first, but were soon holding our hands and coming to visit us whenever they could. They were thrilled to see themselves on the screen of a digital camera, and even more excited when we gave them the photos we had taken. Luis, a small nine year old boy, was a particularly diligent helper, carrying blocks, digging trenches, and bringing water to mix cement. He told us he wanted to be a mason when he grew up.

We took the bus to San Mateo each day with Victor, the mason, and his two assistants. We would stop at the little bakery in town, then it was off to the worksite to start our tasks for the day. They were very patient with our efforts, and the number of blocks we broke. They spoke very little English, so I took on the role of translator for the other volunteers, and we had lots of laughs with them. We taught them the word ‘break’, as we frequently needed some relief from the heat.  Every morning when we arrived, we were greeted with a million dollar view of lush green countryside, with Agua Volcano towering towards the sky in the distance, sometimes ringed with wispy clouds. It was ironic to me that the people in this village didn’t have much, but they had a view that many would pay a lot of money for.

It was exhausting work but enormously satisfying to see the house completed at the end of our two week stay. Now this family we had come to know would have a secure home with a proper bathroom. What a difference this would make. As I walked one last time up the steep hill to the bus, I reflected on my time here. I was proud of what we had accomplished but realized how many more families there were who needed help. I was grateful that Constru Casa would continue the work long after I was gone. In the past 10 years, 700 houses have been built, and also schools and community centres.•

For more information, or to donate to Constru Casa, visit www.construcasa.org.

First published in VISA 118 (December 2014)