We at Guatemala Housing Alliance build homes for and with families living in extreme poverty in the highlands. Our homes have always provided security, but our new hybrid homes offer BEAUTY, also, and are much more earth friendly than the ubiquitous cement block building. These homes, simple 15 x 20', 2 room structures, cost us about $3000 each to build...so little for such an impact. We can't do it without compassionate donor-partners.
San Pablo La Laguna is a community in which basic survival is often a daily struggle. Many families live in sub-standard homes, with holey roofs that turn the dirt floors to mud seasonally. Long days of hard work are rewarded with only $3-4/day....and often work isn't even available.
We build homes, one family at a time. The families need to pay nothing, but are required to work on the homes of others, thus creating a stronger community web. BAMBOO AND BAJAREQUE!! Our first 20 homes were of cement, but in a move to be more earth friendly, we are now building with natural materials: bamboo columns are straddled with local cane then filled with adobe mud, pine needles, and pumice, then stucco'd with lime. BEAUTY, STRENGTH, AND SECURITY. Please check out photos
Each family receiving a home will have better health, not competing for nutrition with parasites that previously inhabited their floors and walls, and bellies. Children even gain scholastically with a healthy home. And all will experience fewer sight problems and burns, as we also provide a venting, wood conserving stove to replace in-home, open fire cooking. The pride experienced by a family having a decent, easy to clean home can't be overstated.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
