Patricia Caviezel's experience

It was a crisp winter day when José Colacilli, HPHA board president, and I, as secretary, set out for Santa Fe on a very important mission. We went to sign the deeds and mortgages for nine Habitat families from Santa Fe and Recreo.

As we drove, I wondered what the families were thinking, how they were feeling about being home owners. We passed shanty towns, one after another, I wished we could help all of those people too. We passed neat, white houses that must be part of public housing developments. Habitat is not the only organization that helps people build their home.

Once we arrived at the bright, new Habitat Santa Fe office we were greeted by Mariano Moreno, head of the Santa Fe office, and the families anxiously awaiting the paper that would make them official owners of their new homes. The families participated in different programs: from the Pilot Project the Socías and Oyola families, from the Proyecto Crecer the Correa, Toranzo, Corrales, Ayala and Vazquez familias, from the Proyecto Levantemonos the Santiyú, Chocala and Ramírez Junges families.

Mariano Colombo took pictures of the group while we got settled and José said a few words about the importance of this day. The notary, Claudia Culzoni, was already there with the deeds neatly tucked in her briefcase. Then, one at a time each family stepped into the back office to sign their name to the deed. Claudia carefully explained each page of the contract to each person present. She asked for questions then handed them the pen to sign. Many emotions filled that room, happiness, responsibility, concern, nervousness, relief, pride, success and hope. Hope that this would be the first day of the best part of their lives. José and I shook everyone’s hands and gave them a kiss and congratulated these people who worked hard to make a dream come true, who wanted a home of their own and made it possible with a little help from their friends.

José and I had to leave right away if we wanted to get back to BA before dark so we had to refuse Mariano’s invitation to visit Recreo but we did see a map of that neighborhood. There are homes built with HPHA’s help filling one whole block, and half of two other blocks. I couldn’t help thinking about the first house we built in Lujan in 2003. What a struggle it was but how much we learned since them. I have to smile because now, in the year 2008 we can actually say we are changing the face of a town but we all know this is just the beginning.

More people are joining, more communities are getting involved

As this year ends our country, with the rest of the world, is undergoing an economic and financial crisis. In HPHA we realize that there are more and more people in need of our help so during these last months we have organized events and activities in order to reach not only our usual families but also the rest of the community.

Nationally we organized a “More than Houses” dinner, in which over a hundred people were involved in different ways. In Santa Fe an event called “Sing and Build” took place, when volunteers from different provinces of the country and different countries of the world got together to build. In the evenings the public were invited to join in music festivals, which again publicized our organization. In Luján the “Tienda Hábitat” also took place in addition to the work to improve the soccer field, allowing HPHA projects to reach out to the community.

We know that the challenge of alleviating the country’s housing problem is getting more and more difficult but we do not despair for we see, day by day, as hundreds of people join us that we are on the right track!

Ana Cutts, Directora Nacional.

“More than houses” 2008 Dinner

On October 1st in the Marriott Plaza Hotel, Buenos Aires, Habitat for Humanity Argentina organized its annual Dinner with the theme “More than houses”. The dinner was one of its main fund raising events as well as a way to share and celebrate our achievements, and to recognize the people, companies and institutions that collaborate with our mission. with dedication and commitment.

The Master of Ceremonies was Mariano Peluffo, it was sponsored by Banco Provincia Fuerza Solidaria and there were many guests from different companies and organizations.

The evening began with a welcome cocktail, followed by the presentation of the new HPHA video and the game “Let’s do more than houses”, in which each table turned into a construction team to be part of a great “building work”: constructing small houses with little bricks sold by a group of volunteers! Guests were able to be creative and imaginative showing that faith and love have no limits when you build with commitment. While houses were being built at each table, a screen showed how an abandoned building was slowly turned into a new and refurbished home. The money raised was earmarked for the “Recycling Urban Homes” project.

In recognition of their help, a symbolic “golden brick” was presented to Accenture, Citi, Ford, General Electric, IFC Argentina, Intel, Nortel, Novartis, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Sheraton Hotel Buenos Aires. The evening concluded with an acrobatic act and dancing.

The success of this event was, of course, due to the participaltion of guests, volunteers, donors and sponsors demonstrating again how, with everyone helping, great things can be accomplished!

Sing and Build

“Sing and Build” took place in Recreo and Santa Fe from November 17th - 23rd. Over 50 local, national and international volunteers got together to build in the site of Recreo, next to the families. During the day they worked very hard, in spite of Santa Fe’s extremely hot weather; while during lunch and in the afternoon, families and volunteers sang together with music from guitars. On Saturday there was a music festival in the Luz y Fuerza Theatre in Santa Fe City.

This special event aimed to show, through singing as well as building together, the joy of volunteering. Each working day started with prayers at 9:00a.m, followed by a reminder of the safety measures. During lunch there was singing and dancing and at 4:30p.m the working day ended with more music, singing and dancing. A volunteer from San José, USA taught everyone a Hawaiian “hula-hula” and the local families taught the international volunteers how to dance Santa Fe’s “cumbia”; in addition, Vienna Teng, a volunteer and professional singer and composer from New York entertained everyone with her music skills.

Other donors and sponsors made “Sing and Build” possible thanks to their generous collaboration. These were: Global Village Program from Habitat for Humanity International, San Cristóbal, Casa Martín, Puig y Compañía, Agua Pura, Basani, Hotel Zavaleta, Servicios Integrales and the Iglesia Bautista Nordeste.

On Monday we held the first outdoors show, in the San Martín Park in the Center of Recreo. Two groups of folk dancers from Recreo, a group from Santo Tomé, a group from bossa nova from the Nordeste Church, a folk singer, the brigade singer accompanied by a pianist and the local group “Los del Camino” were part of the show, which lasted for two hours. Recreo’s Mayor and the entire municipal department co-operated and Carina Valli, on behalf of the municipal council, officially declared “Sing and Build” an event of municipal interest.

On Thursday, volunteers were invited for dinner in the homes of the different families. Each family was able to proudly show their new houses and entertain them with home- made food. These were intimate moments of sharing.

On Saturday afternoon, the kids from the families participated in the “Little Bricks” workshop and presented a small play to all the helpers. When the working day was finished the children gave each volunteer a small notebook with a fridge magnet, made with small hands decorated by them, helping everyone to remember their saying “We can also put our hands to work”.

The day closed with an event in the Luz y Fuerza Theatre in Santa Fe City. The folk ballet “Grupo Yapeyú” and “Agrupación El Prado”, the groups “Vocal Santafesino” and “Alta Tensión” took part. At the end of the evening the folk group “Los del Camino” played some “chacareras” with Vienna Teng, the American volunteer who learned the local songs especially for this event.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon “Sing and Build” ended the “build” with a meal of “choripanes”. After a week’s hard work, two complete houses had been finished. It was clear that “Sing and Build” was “more than houses” and that everyone had learned and enjoyed a lot together!

Building community development

On October 4th Habitat for Humanity Argentina organized a brigade in Luján of a group of young people from St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Olivos. These young people not only helped with the construction of houses at the building site, but they also worked to improve a small soccer field for “El Trebol” a community soccer school.

The group was divided into two: half the brigade helped with the construction of houses and the other half helped in the soccer field. There they sanded and painted the goalposts and seats, they marked the boundaries with lime and put up a surrounding fence. “One always wishes to help, but I’ve never thought we could help in this way, coming and putting our hands to work… so that children can have a soccer field that is so important for them” said Jennifer Moeller, one of the volunteers.

This kind of initiative enables HPHA to reach out to more of the local community by helping in community projects.

When the working day was over, heat and tiredness did not prevent some of the brigade from joining youngsters from one of the Church groups in a short soccer game, using the newly painted goalposts!

The soccer field is the place where over 100 youngsters from low income families in the neighborhood get together to play around four times a week. Juan Giovanetone, who belongs to one of the “Incremental Improvements” families, has worked with the children for the past 14 years. Seven years ago he got some disused land donated by the Municipality, and with the help of many parents of the children, friends and neighbors, the soccer field was inaugurated.

One of Juan’s sons plays in the club “Ferrocarril Oeste”, and at weekends he helps his father with the training. Furthermore, when the youngsters grow up and no longer play, most of them keep helping, thus teaching the younger ones from their own experience.

Surprisingly for many of us, Juan is not a fan of any professional soccer team, but the explanation he gives is quite convincing: “Professional soccer is all about the money; here the game is just an excuse for the kids to leave the street and for everyone to learn together about commitment and team work”.

Tienda Hábitat in Luján: technical and legal assessment to the community

On November 8th Tienda Hábitat was held in Luján in Los Gallitos neighborhood; it was a day of activities with workshops, assessment, and time for specific questions and consultations related to housing problems and solutions, and it was open to the whole community.

The aim of the event was to share Habitat for Humanity Argentina’s program with the wider community and, with the help of specialists who volunteered for the occasion, to offer legal and technical assessment. Architects answered the questions of families who were constructing their own homes, and lawyers gave a Legal literacy workshop. In addition, there was a “Little Bricks” workshop for the youngsters of the participating families.

A tent was erected to create attention, and volunteers from Citi handed out fliers to promote HPHA’s activities with the rest of the neighborhood. We showed the video of HPHA so that more families could get to know what HPHA is doing.

3.5 million families in Argentina are in need of help with housing problems; 33.4% live in derelict houses which need improving, repairing or completing. HPHA’s projects are a small, but important answer to the housing problems in Argentina.

Many poor families have begun to build their own homes but have not been able to finish the building: others have houses that are inadequate or overcrowded and don’t know how to improve them. Most of the families work alone doing as much as they can with the income they have. They usually do this alone, or with the help of friends, and the possibility of assessment by a volunteer architect would be a great opportunity for many.

But the problem for most low income families is that they have no Land Titles and do not know how to legalize their situations. Legal experts can provide support, awareness and education in these matters.

Upcoming events

At Habitat for Humanity Argentina we believe that in order to have a real impact on the housing situation in our country, we need everyone’s support. There are many different ways of being a part of this challenge to provide the conditions for a real and lasting transformation in the lives of those living in conditions of poverty. This year we are inviting you to be a part of two different events, both vital for the achievement of our goals.

On October 1st we will have our 2008 “More than houses” dinner at the Marriot Plaza Hotel in the City of Buenos Aires. It is a benefit dinner to raise funds for our various projects and it is aimed at individuals, companies and institutions wishing to support our cause. It promises to be an entertaining evening, filled with surprises as well as moments to recognise and appreciate our supporters. We will also share our new video, our achievements and dreams.

If you wish to join us for this event, please contact Nuria or Connie by writing to ddrr@hpha.org.ar or calling 4792 2739. If you are in Argentina, you can join us by buying a ticket to attend the event, buying a table, purchasing space in our program for your company, contributing prizes for the games, sponsoring the event, or volunteering as a promoter.
If you live abroad, you can still be a part of this event! Why not buy a ticket for someone you know in Argentina to enjoy the dinner on your behalf... or simply send in your donation to add to the event’s fundraising.

The second invitation is for our annual construction event: “Sing and Build” that will take place November 17-23, 2008. It is not necessary that you come neither to sing nor to build, but rather we invite you to put your “faith into action” during the activities planned for the week or for the weekend. All are welcome- volunteers from other countries and Argentines alike- to lay foundations of friendship and raise walls of hope. Like the Global Village program, we can assure an unforgettable experience not only for the volunteers, but also for the families in Santa Fe. We will witness the joy and love that ensure that our houses are built to be “more than houses”.

If you would like more information, please contact Lynn at voluntario@hpha.org.ar or (+54 11) 4793-4384 or 4792-2739.

*By Ana Cutts (HPHA National Director)