Join us and help by joining others

As we begin the new fiscal year, Habitat for Humanity Argentina is embarking on a new approach and an exciting challenge: to increase our impact by involving more and more volunteers. The strategic plan includes housing solutions and opportunities based entirely on volunteer support and the efforts of the families. In this way we hope to beat the financial difficulties all organizations are facing, and reach even more families in times of growing need.

The first step of this approach is to build awareness in our society of the huge numbers of families living in severely inadequate conditions, and encourage others to join together to work towards a solution. As part of this idea, during August 40 volunteers took to the streets of down-town Buenos Aires to give passers by flyers of our awareness campaign. This took place in the center of the City of Buenos Aires for the National Day of Solidarity and the following weekend in the Recoleta district. Over 3000 people went home with a Habitat for Humanity flyer, and over 50 posters were put up in strategic positions.

Immediately after this visibility campaign, in the neighbourhood of La Boca, in the City of Buenos Aires, we organized an exhibition of the housing situation and needs, in a run-down derelict building which HPHA purchased as part of its “Recycling Urban Homes” project. By turning the building into a “case show”, and with the help of volunteers who designed and produced posters of the situation around the country and city, we were able to provide an impressive experience which had an emotional impact on most of our visitors.

Finally, at this time of year we close our yearly “Homes Fund”, thanking all those who have trusted us over this past year to invest their donations (large or small) in our various projects. This, together with the Rotating Fund, makes our ongoing work possible! And we are pleased to see that the more than 300 families paying back into the Rotating Fund continue to work hard not only to pay on time, but also to be a part of community development in their neighbourhoodl

We invite all our readers to become a part of HPHA, as volunteers, donors, or by involving more people who want to say no to the country’s housing problem.

Ana Cutts, National Director.