Global Village Trip 2011
Morris Habitat’s First Global Village Trip to La Ceiba, Honduras
by Blair Schleicher Bravo, Executive Director of Morris Habitat
On Saturday, March 5, 2011, at 6:00 in the morning, seventeen people set off for our inaugural Global Village build in La Ceiba, Honduras. Team Leader Charlie Delaney and committee members Rainer Mimberg, Mark Bippes and Blair Schleicher Bravo led the adventurous group of Morris Habitat staff, current and former board members, volunteers, friends and family members. The group endured sweltering hot and humid conditions, unforgiving sun, mosquitoes, and sore muscles to move more than 1,000 cinder blocks, not once but several times, and six dump truck loads of sand, gravel and red clay to build as much as they could in six days! Each member took nine days out of their busy lives to build a home with the Ruiz family.
Ruiz Family
Each Honduran family must own their land before they qualify as Habitat homeowners. A plot of land costs between $3,000 and $5,000. With average annual wages of about $2,500 - $3,000, it takes about ten years for a family to save up to purchase land. July and Jose were fortunate to receive donated land for their home, but they will have a mortgage of about $50 a month to pay for the construction costs. This will be far below their current rent of $125 a month. The family will perform over 100 sweat equity hours working on their home.
Currently, Jose works at a local cardboard factory. Since transportation costs are high and there is not enough money to purchase a car, he must bike about 6 miles to and from work each day. He works 12-hour shifts from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. He was so happy to have us help build his home that he would come to the work site each day at 2:00 p.m. to work alongside us! July is unemployed but makes delicious breads and pastries to sell each day. We know firsthand since she baked for us!
They lived with their ten-year-old daughter Ashley in a home that is in bad repair. The roof is cracked and leaks terribly with each rain. A torrential rain storm struck on one of the days we were there. Several of us had to go to July’s house to retrieve our supplies for the work site that were stored there. The inside of the house was flooded so badly that the family had to sleep at July’s mother’s house.
Home Building Monday through Saturday Morning
Our days started at 7:30 a.m. with a traditional Honduran breakfast of baleadas (tortillas and fried beans), lots of fresh fruit and rich Honduran coffee. We were on the building site from 8:30 a.m. to about 4:00 p.m., with lunch served at our hosts Aldo and Patrice’s lovely home nearby. We also had use of their restroom facilities. Our meals were prepared by Chef Marco Pizzati, who prepared all the meals to ensure safety for all gringos! We dined on chicken, pork, steak, fish, yucca, tostones, platenos, and of course the staple food of rice and beans. One night we dined at a different restaurant (in celebration of Bessie Korfiatis’ birthday) and had anafres (black bean and cheese dip) and an assortment of meats. The volunteers worked alongside the future Honduran homeowners, July, Jose and Ashley Ruiz, with local volunteers under the supervision of Honduran masons. The work was rigorous since all work was done by hand: mixing cement; digging trenches for foundations; moving boulders and cinder blocks, red clay and sand; laying blocks to build the walls. A typical Honduran home is less than 500 square feet with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a dining/living room. We built five courses of foundation and about four courses of the walls. The house was almost halfway done and would be complete four to six weeks later.
Team Building
We began our trip on the first weekend with either a canopy tour that included zip lining and a visit to the hot springs at Sambo Creek or a trip to Cayos Cochinos Marine National Park. By the end of the second day, this team morphed into a well-oiled machine. There was not a challenge this group would not undertake. Once we made up our minds, the task at hand was accomplished. Integrated into the work week were side trips to a shanty town, an orphanage with HIV-positive children and a Dole pineapple plantation (run by the area’s largest employer) to gain understanding of the culture and the country. One night we were treated to a traditional Caribbean Garifuna dance.
Our five translators made interacting with Hondurans a breeze. We had a dedicated safety officer and a dedicated first aid person; we even had a gringo loco (aka Charlie Delaney)! We looked out for each other and were extremely generous to each other with money, clothing and personal possessions. We were flexible about sharing accommodations and we laughed often. When one person became tired, someone else volunteered to take his or her place. In addition, we are proud to report that there were no major injuries (only minor falls, cuts, bumps and bruises) and no major illnesses (except for one case of Montezuma’s Revenge and some queasy stomachs). We pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps and worked through Saturday morning. These are but a few of the team’s outstanding characteristics.
Thanks
Our new friends at the La Ceiba affiliate were appreciative of the help that we could bring. They said, “We are proud that you brought a grain of sand to La Ceiba,” and, “You are God’s hand for La Ceiba.” July and Jose were thankful to God and to Morris Habitat for our help. July exclaimed, “You are a blessing for us and Morris Habitat is a blessing for me.” Each person helped in making Morris Habitat’s first Global Village trip a success. All are excited about planning Morris Habitat’s next trip!
- View the photo album of the trip in a new window.