Habitat for Humanity: I Helped Change a Life :: Community Service, Service Learning

When I first heard of the volunteer trip concept in habitat for Humanity, my ears twitched, recognizing a genuine product, designed to bring about full-strength changes, rather than making the affluent feel good theyve done a thing to help solve the worlds problems. From day one, I knew my trip was in good hands. Weeks before my trip to Guatemala, e-mails began streaming to my inbox encourage us to fund-raise, informing us about the project and raising expectations.I realized that thither will be about 150 volunteers, and that the Habitat for Humanity office set a goal to build 10 homes in just 5 days. I received detailed itineraries and knew there was someone on the early(a) end taking care of my food, lodging, guard duty and travel.When we arrived in Nebaj, the small town where the houses were to be built, we found our accommodations, received cultivation packs and protective helmets, and met a large group of volunteers whose enthusiasm and jolliness was hard non to contract .Coming to the site Monday morning, I saw foundations already laid and trusses, timber, plaster, other construction materials and tools prepared. Toilets, and info area, meal tent and cleaning area neatly arranged to make our time on the site as efficient as possible.Truly, there was a lot of eyebrow-raising for me on the first day. With much than two hundred people on the site, all of which each were earnest to lend a helping hand, this could have ended in a catastrophe were it not for immaculate organization of the site, work, and individual groups.I was not surprised that on Friday, 10 complete houses were dedicated to families of former orphans. During those quintette days, I learned how to nail, cut and glue insulation to the outer mash and coat it with plaster, build inside walls and add the final finishing story on the house. I also observed how such low-cost houses scrape up into existence.