For many years to come

Hábitat para la Humanidad Argentina (HPHA) celebrated its first 10 years serving families in need of housing, in October. To honour these ten years of commitment and faith in action, two big events took place. First, from the the 1^st to 13^th October the annual construction event “Seeds of Hope” took on an extra festive spirit to mark the 10 years. Then, on Thursday 25^th October a simple gathering was organized to join volunteers, donors, partner families, staff members (all past and present) in a toast to celebrate a decade of achievements, and to look ahead to the new challenges.

Seeds of Hope Construction Event

From the early hours of the morning in the “Un Techo para Todos “and “22 de Enero” neighborhoods, the HPHA tent filled with volunteers from each of the companies that took part in this construction event, financed by Telefe, Mercedes-Benz Automotive and Financial, and CISCO.  The event involved laying the foundations for 3 new Seed Houses.

Corporate volunteers from CISCO, Ford Argentina, Whirlpool Argentina, and Mercedes-Benz joined in to create a festive spirit and build hope, as well as houses.  For many, this was not their first time building with HPHA…they were anxious to come back and continue bonding with the community and witnessing the growth of a neighbourhood.

Upon arrival, the volunteers received a T-shirt, helmet, gloves, and listened carefully to the instructions and safety precautions. They then divided into three groups for each one of the Seed Houses. At noon, everyone took a break from construction work, and volunteers and families shared lunch with their host families, exchanging experiences and reflection.   Each day ended with a summary of the achievements, final comments and often the heart felt appreciation of both volunteers and families.

For two weeks, these neighborhoods in Ciudad Evita were painted blue, green, and white with the HPHA t-shirts and helmets.  There was a feeling of joy and hope as three families saw their dream of an adequate house start to be fulfilled. In all, there were seven days of construction: 6 corporate brigades, and one special brigade of HPHA Board Members, friends and volunteers.  On the last day, Mariano Peluffo, television host and producer, once again delighted the kids in the neighbourhood with his presence.  After visiting the 3 houses, he rounded up a drawing workshop taking place in the Plaza with some 60 kids, and personally autographed each of their best pieces of artwork! 

Over 150 volunteers participated and, along with the members of the beneficiary families, performed construction work totaling over 1,200 hours.   At the end of the event, each of the 3 Seed Houses had its foundations solidly laid, sceptic tank completed, and  and two of them were well advanced with the walls. This means that in just two weeks, volunteers were able to complete work that would have taken the families more than two months.

The two week event was sponsored by Balanz Capital and Alicia González de Magnus Viajes and Turismo, with in kind donations from BASANI and Staples Argentina.

10^th Anniversary

After weeks of anticipation, on the last Thursday in October, HPHA celebrated its 10^th anniversary with a cocktail party in the hall of the historic Anglican Cathedral, located in the City Centre Buenos Aires. The event was attended by over eighty people, including donors, volunteers, employees, members of the Board of Directors, beneficiary families, and friends who have been with the organization over all these years. Among them were three of the five presidents the organization has had: Jackie Abadi, José Colacilli, and current President María Cecilia Mariluz. Some partner organizations also participated: Santa Rita and María Auxiliadora Chapels, Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Latinamerican School of Coaching, Marval O’Farrell and Mairal, the Civil Association De la Nada, Fundación Sagrada Familia, FlechaBus Foundation, and the Anglican Church.

This celebration was sponsored by Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires, SECURITAS Seguros, and Peñaflor Establishment.  It was a time for memories and appreciation of the work of so many over these 10 years.  Los del Camino, a Christian Folklore group long connected to HPHA, provided the music, whilst Archdeacon David George officially opened the event with a prayer and a blessing.  The highlight of the evening were the words of 10 people each representing one year in the history of Hábitat para la Humanidad Argentina. They were:

Patricia Caviezel: the only volunteer who has been active in HPHA from its very beginning until today.

Mario Uviedo: Beneficiary family of the project “Rebuilding Santa Fe” after the 2003 floods, recognized in this event for his responsibility in paying his loan over the past 8 years.

José Colacilli: President for 7 of the 10 years of the organization.

Mercedes Mendoza de Vargas: Beneficiary family of the “Tierras” project in Santa Fe, and representative of the group of HPHA families that now run a Neighbourhood Group to seek improvements in the community.

Lorna Álvarez: Member of the congregation of the Anglican Church and responsible for gathering small donations that over the years, has meant almost 14.000 US Dollars

Daniel Neyra: First beneficiary family of the Assisted Rents Project.

René Rodríguez: Beneficiary family from the Progressive Improvements project in Luján that also has paid back his loans on time.

Cristian Emery:  Supplier of computer services to the National Office, who has shown his commitment to the mission of HPHA by being the only businessman who has maintained his fees over the last 3 years despite the 20 to 30% mandatory rise in salaries.

Rita Jiménez: Beneficiary family from the Progressive Improvements project in La Matanza, and member of the group of volunteer families that work to improve the neighborhood.

Pedro Gadze: Representing all of the volunteers that have passed through the organization over the past ten years.

HPHA President Cecilia Mariluz’s, gave thanks to God and to all the staff and volunteers who have been a part of the organization over these last 10 years and then handed over to the organization’s executive director, Ana Cutts, who has also been with HPHA from the beginning.  Ana began her speech with a quote from English poet Oscar Wilde: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”, alluding to the idea that those who have shared the last 10 years with HPHA are people able to look at the stars and be convinced that dreams can be achieved.

Without a doubt the most emotional moment of the evening was the presentation by Norma Niz, whose family is from Open Door town in the Buenos Aires province. That night, she celebrated the cancellation of her loans received in 2003. She barely began to read the letter she had prepared when she broke down in tears, and let the Master of Ceremony read the rest.   She wrote “How can we forget that February afternoon when one of my daughters said: “Mami I saw a sign that said that an association called Hábitat para la Humanidad helps build houses for families in need… my heart was suddenly filled with such hope and excitement”. The letter expressed the deep thanks felt by Norma and her family to all of the people in the organization that have accompanied her in her journey to have her own home today.

Topping off the evening, candles were blown out on a delicious cake, and the party came to its finale with a toast to HPHA and a wish for many more years of service to come.