Year 6, Vol.1: End of the Year in Luján

Another Year: More Houses, More Families, More Hope. End of the Year and “Little Bricks” Project in Luján. By Andrea Di Lucca (Lujan volunteer from Canada).

A small house with pink walls, a yellow roof, blue windows, a green door, many flowers and candy made trees, and the smile of a kid showing with pride to his family what he just had made... this is the image that comes to my mind when I think of the end of the year we organized for all the families from Habitat for Humanity Argentina in Luján.

On November the 17th we invited each family to spend some time with the aim of strengthening bonds and letting them get to know each other in a festive atmosphere. We also wanted to go over the topics we covered in the first months of the “Little Bricks” Project and make sure each child was aware of the fact that everyone has the right to have access to a house.

When the families came into the office, they found out that it has been transformed with the Christmas spirit: there were lights, a decorated Christmas tree and Christmas carols. On one side, families could see an exposition of pictures with examples of the activities in the “Little Bricks” project. On the other, a space for the kids, with toys and materials for them to make a Christmas card.

Little by little, each family came with food and drinks to share. The meal was something unforgettable! After a few words of welcome, we got started with the party activities. With wafer and candy, each kid built a small house with their parents help. Everyone had the same materials, but each house came out different and unique. When the activity was over we could appreciate many houses of different colours, like a rainbow of housing... an image that I shall never forget.

After the activity we got started with the party. We went out to the yard and had some cake, cookies, and other delicious deserts. Mariana Ballesteros, who was then the coordinator of the HPHA office in Luján, gave a speech about the successes in Habitat during the year and thanked all the families and the staff for all their work and enthusiasm.

It was a really nice moment when we invited all the kids that participated in “Little Bricks” to say some words about their experience in the workshops. It was something very special for them too to be able to tell us about their favourite activities and what they have learned in them.

In the end, we handed out Christmas bags to each family that had been donated by members of the Anglican Church. This was an amazing gesture by families from the City of Buenos Aires to families in Lujan, with a personalized Christmas Card reading “De una familia a otra” (From one family to another)

All in all, the end of the year gave us a great opportunity to gather all the families and staff members of HPHA Luján in a warm and festive atmosphere. There was a special energy in the office that afternoon and anyone could tell that we were all really happy from being there celebrating Habitat and everything that each family had accomplished. The end of the year was my last day as a volunteer in Luján and I feel really lucky of having the chance of being able to be there next to all the families and the staff. That afternoon I realized that Habitat for Humanity Argentina is not only building homes... it is also building hope and a huge family of people who share the same vision: that every family should have access to a simple, healthy, safe and affordable house and that we can all together help to make this possible. Yes, a lot of effort and work is required... but a change is possible. With events like “A year More”, we celebrate the successes and we encourage people to keep working with the mission of building loving and caring communities.