“Being aware of everyone else’s needs”

Twenty-two year Christine Larson lives in Connecticut, about an hour’s drive from New York City. She graduated last May from North Carolina’s Duke University with a degree in Civil Engineering.      

Christine came to Argentina in July through Habitat for Humanity’s international volunteers program. In this edition of the Digital Bulletin, she shares her experience working with HPHA’s Developing Neighborhoods program.

”I remember working for two months in 2010 for an organization called St. Bernard Project in New Orleans. This Organization built homes for people who lost their homes during the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. After living that experience, I decided to study engineering, but more importantly, I discovered that I enjoy working on the intersection between engineering infrastructure and people’s lives”  

”I was lucky enough to have a similar experience 2 years ago, when I worked for ten weeks in Nicaragua building a plant nursery as part of an environmental  restoration project. During that trip, we also looked at street flooding issues resulting from a lack of drainage structures”

“Through both of these experiences, I realized that I wanted to spend some time working in this area after graduation. So then, as soon as I finished school in May, I decided to come to Argentina to join Habitat for Humanity, because I believe it is a tangible way to accomplish a significant change and to impact the lives of people who want to have a proper place to live.” 

“I am very happy to have joined this organization as a volunteer, getting to know both the people and the country. What I like most about Argentina is the social culture that permeates every aspect of daily life. I have spent 4 hours at lunch with friends discussing everything from economics to local desserts. I have drank mate with new friends all over the country, during meetings in the office and with families on site. ”

“It’s all these things and also the people that I work and live with as a volunteer; the HPHA staff as well as the beneficiary families which round out my volunteer experience”.

Just like Christine, you can also join Habitat for Humanity’s International Volunteers program to help with our mission.

Click here to find out how.