Does the thought of Building a Sustainable House, and Future for a Guatemalan Family in Desperation, Interest You...
This August we need 8 people to come to the Western Highlands of Guatemala to construct a sustainable home, for a family not only living in poverty, but also living in constant fear of harrassment and sexual abuse.
Why...
Dona Eulalia and her family are in desperate need of a new home. They currently live in a tin shack which is not untypical of Guatemala, the real problem in this case is their neighbour. The plot of land they live on is leant to them by a family member, their immediate next door neighbour is a paedophilic uncle who has attempted to abuse the two eldest girls. Sylvia 14 and Maria 12. He also enjoys tormenting the rest of the family especially when Dona Eulalia is lucky enough to find work washing clothes. Why... Who knows but as he said himself, they dont have enough money to do anything about it through legal routes. This is Guatemala where things like justice are reserved for the rich.
I met Sylvia and the family before Christmas when I agreed to spend monies raised in Ireland on Sylvias first year of school at Fe y Alegria (http://www.feyalegria.org/) which is a charity run boarding school close to her house. Semillas De Ayuda (www.seedsofhelp.org) the charity I am working with here give scholarships to another 12 students at varying levels, a lot at Fe Y Alegria before they hopefully reach University. Typically the poorer children finish school at 12 years old maximum before starting work full time. Seeds of Help offer a chance to the poorest kids who show an eagerness to learn. Sylvia had been offered the chance before but as her mother was ill and for her own protection she was sent to work in the city minding an elderly women for 20 euros a month.
Giving Sylvia a chance to study will hopefully stop the cycle of poverty in this family eventually. For the moment however there is only one solution for the families safety and prosperity. We need to build them a house away from the constant treath of their neighbour. Normally Seeds of Help do not build houses, they have a strict policy of helping people to help themselves but as discussed with Walter (Founder), and Brenda (Project co ordinator) there is unfortunatley no other option in this instance. The family will simply not be just given the house and will have to pay for it over a period of time, not for any monetary gain but as I have learned since I have been here it is totally un productive to give rather than help.
What we need...
8 hard working, compasionate, and open minded people to travel to Guatemala for the Month of August to build a homestead for the family.
16,000 euro in total (2,000 for each person) to be fundraised to purchase land, construct a house and build a future for the family. (flight cost of approx 1,000 not included but could possibly be also included in fundraising figure)
The 8 people to individually or collectively fundraise for the project 8,000 euro of which is needed to purchase a site before the end of May or there abouts.
What Will You Recieve in Return...
I can guarantee 100 times the enjoyment and satisfaction, of the effort put in. Thats for a start....
The chance to construct a house using totally sustainable building materials and practices...
Free transfers, food and accomodation for the duration of the project.
The chance to learn basic, or improve your Spanish
The chance to visit a genuinely beutiful country and experience the beutiful and open hearted Mayan culture of the Western Highlands of Guatemala.
Do some exploring and travelling before, after or on weekends during the project....
But most of all to truely make a difference.....
To register your interest or for all queries contact e mail me at roryoconnor25@gmail.com
For more information on Seeds of Help or our work here log onto.
you can also check out my personal blog of my time here by simply click on the links on the right hand side.
Thank you for reading...
Regards,
Rory O Connor
P.S. for any of use needing some extra inspiration I leave you with the wise words of Eddie Vedder (see link below)
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