The past weeks since I've been back in Bolivia have brought an exciting end to my project here. I arrived just before New Year's Eve, which I spent dancing to cumbia and reggaeton with Bolivian friends until 8am. The next day, (with difficulty) I got back to work on finishing up the construction in time for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony which we held last week. Click here to see the pictures from the Ribbon Cutting and wrapping up the project.
The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was simultaneously incredibly touching and a lot of fun. It was especially meaningful for me since my mom made the 24-hour trip to southern Bolivia to celebrate with us. And some of my closest friends who had built with me came out to support the families and see the results of their labor. Frankly it was the first time I really was able to step back and appreciate how deeply we've impacted the lives of the 16 families who are now home-owners, instead of just sweating the details about each roof, door, window and wall.
The day brought unseasonably perfect weather, about 85 degrees with sun, low humidity. The homes looked great all painted red with yellow or blue trim, and decorated with ballons and ribbons. The families had organized to bring empanadas, snacks, and the local wine. A local priest said some words blessing the day and the families. Then the head of the Habitat Tarija office spoke giving thanks for you donors and for the project.
Even after 6 months of Spanish down here, my words were hardly adequate to convey my happiness and satisfaction as I congratulated the new 100 home-owners on behalf of each of you, thanked the construction team and Habitat for their fine work, and talked about how humbling it is to be able to represent the over 250 donors from as far away as Greece and Hong Kong that made the project possible.
The tears and words of appreciation from each of the families was incredibly gratifying, and I wished each one of you could have been with us for the experience. The families time and again spoke their words of thanks for donors helping them fulfill a lifelong dream of home ownership. There's nothing that really is more impactful than a parent thanking you on behalf of their children, who will grow up in a home as opposed to a shack or tent.
We went home by home cutting the doorway ribbons and blessing each room and family. Then we gave the families key holders and plants to decorate their new home. We even had a symbolic planting of one of the trees, and talked about the importance of caring for the land and their new neighborhood.
As you can see in the photos, the houses have turned out quite nicely. The beautiful wooden doors, and metal and glass windows are a huge step up in terms of keeping bugs and germs out of the houses. Plus the septic tanks and water connections will radically change the families' sanitation and cleanliness.
The families can't believe the amount of space inside. With 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and living room, the homes are 4 to 5 times the space they are living in now. Many of the families moved in before the actual ribbon-cutting, which basically entailed moving a mattress and a few pots and pans into their spacious new environs.
Now it is time for me to start packing up, saying my goodbyes to my friends here, and planning my return to the US. I have 2 more weeks here, which will be spent wrapping up the details and contracts on the project, traveling a bit with Bolivia, and hanging out with my favorite folks here.
I can't say enough how much these months have meant to the families and to me personally. I have been overwhelmed by all the support from each of you. Financially, we well-surpassed the goal of $100K to end up at almost $111K. That extra money is being used to build a sustainable water system, not just for my 16 families but to benefit all the Habitat homes that will be built in the neighborhood (over 30 are scheduled, with land to build another 50 in the next 2 years).
But beyond the donations, your emails and encouragement, your prayers, and your funny anecdotes about your own quirky experiences in developing countries and doing slightly crazy projects have meant the world to me these past 6 months. To my group of friends who came down for weeks to help build, your energy and encouragement carried me at a time when I needed you most.
A number of folks have reached out to learn more about doing a similar project. I was deeply inspired and supported by my friend Dave McMurtry's work in Colombia, and hope to pass the torch! So let me know how I can be helpful.
To each of you, I am endebted to you in a million ways, and hope to keep in touch.
Saludos,
naomi
som
congratulations naomi!!! the houses look great and that's fantastic news that you were able to exceed your fund raising goal and provide water for the entire community. you're amazing!!! enjoy your finals day in bolivia and get home safely.
Posted by: brian | January 22, 2008 at 08:55 AM