Year 4, Volume 2: Santa Fe

The Rotating Fund Bares Fruit

In Recreo, Santa Fe, families, donors, volunteers and HPHA friends gathered together to celebrate a very special event. On Wednesday October 24, 15 homes were dedicated for HPHA families. Among these homes was the first house financed entirely by the Rotating Fund. This fund is made possible thanks to the families who pay their monthly quotas, which in turn gives other families a chance to have a home of their own. In order for this system to work it is essential that each family makes a commitment to pay their quota each month. At this event the families received special mention for their contributions to the fund.

It was an especially important experience because, not only were the families included but also, volunteers from Global Village, HPHA national and local office personnel, local suppliers, friends and local government officials attended. There were speeches by personnel and friends. The Intendent maintained that the word Habitat is synonymous with dignity. He also mentioned that the Global Village members came to help in Recreo in order to fulfill a need of theirs. The children who participated in the Little Bricks (Ladrillitos) program performed a delightful play showing how the Rotating Fund works and highlighting the importance of paying into the Fund.

The members of the Global Village Group who came from Canada, Trinidad Tobago and the United States had an opportunity to give their testimony about what it was like working in Argentina. They found their one week’s work, adding finishing touches to the house being dedicated that day, very gratifying.

The Oyola and Arce families who were two of the beneficiaries of the houses dedicated that day, gave their testimonies about how it felt to finally have a real house. They agreed that this was the answer to their dream: to have a home where they felt comfortable and they could live a healthy life.

To close this typical Folklore festival there was music and tortas fritas (fry cakes) made by the women in the Habitat families. Everyone at the party pledged to continue the work in Recreo inaugurating many more houses with the Rotating Fund. There is a great demand in Recreo for low cost housing which reaches those families in need in the coming years. Habitat for Humanity is here to stay in Recreo.

Mariano Moreno

Local Coodinator

HPHA Santa Fe office

Year 4, Volume 1: Santa Fe: Responding to needs

Responding to needs

The Santa Fe office has designed and is implementing the Let us Build Project in the suburb of Recreo.

The objective of this Project is to provide an opportunity for at least 50 families who live in precarious conditions, have low incomes and do not legally own their own land to have access to a house with land included within the next two years.

The houses for this project will be built with pre-molded cement panels that are bolted together designed to meet the needs of the individual families.

Community Involvement: Developing Communities

The Let us Build Project consists of houses built together on a large lot for a minimum of four families. Because of this innovation in building method in western Recreo, HFHA has the possibility of effecting the urbanization of this area. In this way HFHA is able to work together with the municipal government to provide for recreational areas, green areas, sidewalks, pavement and basic public services like electricity and water.

Community Development Workshops serve as incentive to individuals empowering them to improve the quality of their life over a short, medium and long period of time. Besides the workshops that include Financial Literacy, Legal Literacy and Little Bricks there are plans to offer another workshop called Community Involvement.

At the same time the local Santa Fe Office will be offering the following workshops:

- Organic Vegetable Gardens

- Family Nutrition

- House maintenance

- Sustainability of the house

- The energy efficient home

The objective is to reach at least 30 families who are not yet HFHA beneficiaries for each workshop.

The first six families for this project have been selected and we hope they will be able to move into their new houses in three months. We are looking forward to the success of the Let us Build Project.

Mariano Moreno

Local Coordinator

Santa Fe Office – HFHA