“It is fundamental that families have a home”

Habitat para la Humanidad Argentina’s 2012-2013 Annual ‘Hogares’ Fund closed on June 30. When it comes to helping more families live in adequate homes, each grain of sand makes a difference.

That’s what HPHA’s ‘Hogares’ fund is all about; it’s about people who want to commit to building a world where everyone has a proper place to live, people who understand that there is a solution to the country’s housing problems and that each of us can contribute to that solution.

That’s how Élida Gándara, an HPHA donor for the last four years, puts it:

“I started to donate to Habitat when I heard a proposal from Connie Ledesma (current manager of HPHA’s Major Donors campaign) that intrigued me. As I was building my own home at the time, I realized that my donation could help others do the same.  My idea was to share my own good fortune in some way with others.  It is fundamental that all people and families have a home, because then they can focus on other priorities like education, health, etc.”

With their monthly ‘little grains of sand’, Elida has donated an amount almost equal to a what’s needed to fund a home improvement loan. That means that another argentine family lives in better conditions thanks to Elise’s generous decision. Many thanks and congratulations for your commitment!

All donations, large or small, help more families live better. We invite you to become a supporter of the “Hogares” Fund in 2012-2013. To donate, please complete our secure form or email us at donantes@hpha.org.ar.

DONANTES FONDO HOGARES 2012-13

GRANO DE ARENA: ($1-$600)

Adriana Fels

Ana Deambrossi

Andrea Marcela Debenedetti

Antonieta Carrión

Ariel Alejandro Sosa

Bárbara Bradford

Bernardo Enrique Arcioni

Bilby Martignone

Bruno Capalbo

Carmen Beatriz Santillán

Cecilia Segovia

Concrexa

Daniel Rios Moreno

Daniel Rodriguez

Edith Lia Schrott

Emanuel Lentini

Facundo Galea

Familia Nazer Roset

Fátima Micheo

Fernando Frydman

Gabriel Konfederak

Gillian King

Gonzalo Fontana

Graham Rowe

Hugo Néstor Piquero

Iván Villán

Jesica Vanesa Sánchez

John Dickerson

John Martin

Jorge Vahedzian

Juan Manuel Franceschi

Karina López

Lidia Fernandez

Lucas Artaza

María Celeste Medina

María Celina Malvazo

María Emma Oyarzabal

María Laura Nieves Rostagnol

María Rosario Abramo

Mariana De Simone

Mariana y Zack Sears

Martha Ureta

Matías Emanuel Arevalo

Maximiliano Gerardo Pereyra

Nayla Arpigiani

Nicole Gryncwejg

Pablo Diego González

Pablo Martín Lamounan

Pedro Gadze

Robert & Julia Holmes

Ronaldo Hurley

Sandra Olmos

Silvia Amine Sol

Stella Maris Esquivel

Susana López

Tatiana Rodriguez

Victor Zlotnicki

Visnja Drucker

Viviana Scazziotti

Yesica Vera

Zoe Banatvala

En especie: Office Florida, Vader Pack

CIMIENTOS: ($601-$2499)

Alumnos de Lipscomb University

Alumnos de Montclair State University

Andrés Espina

Augusto Arario Neme

Carlos Cifuentes

Carlos Coconi

Carlos Mansur

Carlos Rodriguez Servicios Inmobiliarios

Catedral Anglicana San Juan Bautista Buenos Aires

Cecilia Mariluz

Christian Pata

Christian Schueler

Daniel Gazzo

Dolores García Cuerva

Elida Gandara

Geoff y Rosemary Lyon

Horacio Marciano

Julia Sainz

Katharine y Tim Dougherty

Luis Arana Tagle

María Belén Sarmiento

María Carmody

María Magno

Mariana Jimena Muradás Alonso

Marisa Gamboa

Matías Saenz

Nicolás Vellón

Pablo Feresini

Pablo Ortelli

Patricia Caviezel          

Santiago Mignone

Santiago Valent

Sebastián Miranda

Sergio Crivelli

Sofía Mansur

Stephanie Simonetta

En especie: Amerindia, Bodegas Peñaflor, Hotel Zavaleta

LADRILLOS: ($2500 - $5000)

Evelyn Beryl Godwin

En especie: Basani

GRUPO FAMILIA

Adrogue PC - Soluciones Informáticas

Ana Cutts

Andrea Marcela Debenedetti

Antonieta Carrión

Augusto Arario Neme

Bárbara Bradford

Bernardo Enrique Arcioni

Bilby Martignone

Bruno Capalbo

Catedral Anglicana San Juan Bautista Buenos Aires

Cecilia Mariluz

Cecilia Segovia

Elida Gandara

Familia Nazer Roset

Geoff y Rosemary Lyon

Hotel Zavaleta

Katharine y Tim Dougherty

Luis Arana Tagle

María Celina Malvazo

María Constanza Ledesma

María Rosario Abramo

Mariana Jimena Muradás Alonso

Mariana y Zack Sears

Marisa Gamboa

Martha Ureta

Marval, O' Farrell & Mairal

Matías Saenz

Maximiliano Gerardo Pereyra

Nicolás Vellón

Norma Raquel Pimienta

Patricia Caviezel

Ronaldo Hurley

Santiago Valent

Silvia Amine Sol

Stephanie Simonetta

Susana López

Tatiana Rodriguez

Raffle: “Meeting my commitments to improve my home”

Whirlpool Argentina donated five high quality home appliances as prizes for a raffle open to families who are up to date with their loan payments.  

On September 25, the winner of the second “Meeting my commitments to improve my home” raffle was announced. This time, the lucky winner was Monica Lanche of Lujan, Buenos Aires Province, who won a Whirlpool kitchen stove. The winner of the first raffle, held the last week of June, was Blanca Lopez of Recreo, Santa Fe Province. Blanca won a Whirlpool refrigerator.

Both Monica and Blanca are examples of families that have demonstrated their commitment to HPHA’s mission. Thanks to their timely payments, other families have the opportunity to improve their homes. Thanks and congratulations! 

Future Raffle Dates and Prizes

Wednesday November 27, 2013. Prize: Clothes Washer (Model WFE61A)

Wednesday January 29, 2014. Prize: Microwave Oven (Model WMD20SS)

Wednesday March 26, 2014. Prize: Kitchen Extractor Hood (Model WAI60BR)

“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.

Global Village Brigade in Santa Fe

Between October 13 and 19, Global Village volunteers from the United States and Canada joined the Santa Fe Developing Neighborhoods project, an HPHA partnership with ACDI, to participate in construction tasks in Villa del Parque and Barranquita Sur neighborhoods.

The volunteers were welcomed with much joy and enthusiasm by the community. During the week, significant progress was made on the Ibáñez-Benavídez Seed House and on the Grismado-Rojas Progressive improvements. “We are very happy because it was a week of much activity working together with the families which are part of this project”, says Joaquin Lichter, Global Village Project Manager with HPHA.

In addition to working with the families, the volunteer group participated in neighborhood activities including maintenance and upkeep of the community garden and repair of chairs, doors, furniture and other items and materials.

Missions to Chaco and San Juan Provinces

Between June and October, volunteer teams from HPHA carried out two Remote Communities project missions; one to the Impenetrable Chaco and one to San Juan. The objective of both missions was to whitewash homes with lime in order to reduce Mal de Chagas disease risk.

HPHA volunteers, together with the Argentine Red Cross, visited the Control Forestal community in San Juan Province between June 13 and 17. Between June 19 and 24, with the support of the local branch of the ASADECICH organization, volunteers visited the Toba Native American communities of Pampa Argentina and Ferrocarril. Both communities are located within 20 kilometers of the small town of Juan Jose Castelli, where the volunteer teams set up their base of operations.     

A total of 35 homes were whitewashed during the 11 days spent by the volunteers in both provinces. Volunteers also shared information with local families regarding links between housing and health conditions. Upon their return, the volunteers expressed satisfaction with their accomplishments and were happy to have been well received by the families and by local social organizations.

Habitat para la Humanidad Latin America and Caribbean Director’s Conference

In early September, our national Director, Ana Cutts, participated in a “Strategic Conversations” meeting attended by other Latin America and Caribbean Area Directors and by the Regional Vice-president Torre Nelson.  In addition to sharing experiences specific to each country, the Strategic Global Plan was discussed. The discussions addressed the need and potential means to increase our impact on the community and on society and to maintain our organizational viability and sustainability. Our Director also chaired a session on the significance of our Christian identity as a central part of our mission.

Give a gift of hope this Christmas!

Juana Baltazar (38) and Jorge Perez (41) live with three of their four daughters, Carolina (19), Leticia (15) and Agustína(3). Juana used to have a home business selling poultry but now she spends much of her time at Children’s Hospital with Agustína, who has Down’s syndrome and acute leukemia. Jorge works as a bricklayer and plasterer.  

The family home, which reflects Jorge´s fine workmanship and construction knowhow, was impacted by a major flood in 2003. The consequences of that event remain visible today as moisture on the walls, and the resulting health effects are felt by the entire family, particularly by Agustína who is especially susceptible to respiratory problems.

Their run-down house has a kitchen/dining area, a bathroom and two bedrooms. There is a yard in back and an open space in front where Juana previously operated her business. The roof is made of sheet metal and leaks constantly, even during dry weather, as a result of moisture condensation. Large cracks are visible in the girl’s bedroom wall and in the kitchen. The bathroom is made entirely of concrete without wall covering, fixtures or hot water.  The bare concrete floors are cracked and spalled.

Funded by your contribution, the Baltazar - Perez family would receive a credit which would enable them to purchase the materials needed to fix up their home. Jorge would do most of the installation and repair work himself with technical input from HPHA assessors. This family hopes to install proper bathroom facilities, hot water, fixing the roof, fixing the wall cracks, plastering the bathroom walls, and fixing and covering the floors. 

DONATE TODAY to help the Baltazar – Perez family! 

*Remember to designate your donantion to Argentina.

**The names of the family members have been changed to protect their identities.