It is easy to recognize the severe shortage of adequate housing in rural Nicaragua. Makeshift roofs of salvaged plastic tarps cover dirt floors. Bathrooms consist of holes in the ground and showers are often taken in the open air with a bucket of water. In 2014, a woman by the name of Julia Hunt visited Nicaragua and changed the course of history.
She came with a group from her church to build concrete floors and clean cookstoves in the community of Los Robles. Comunidad Connect had begun to collaborate with volunteer groups to address overarching health concerns of the community in collaboration with local families. In order to be eligible for the aforementioned projects, benefiting families had to accumulate community service hours.
Julia Hunt in Nicarauga (oranga shirt)
When passing a particularly humble home, Julia remarked, “What about that family? Are they being helped?”. Because that particular household had not completed community service hours, they were not in the queue for a project. Julia was not satisfied and inquired further about the family. It was determined that the family was not able to fulfill the community service requirement because the single mother was caring for a child with special medical needs. Julia passed away shortly after her trip to Nicaragua but her legacy lives on today in our Homes For Good program.
Home construction site
Homes For Good creates generational impact with families living on the margins of society. Each house has concrete floors, bedrooms with walls for privacy, doors that lock, a kitchen with clean cookstove, and living room. They are not perfect, but they provide adequate housing for families struggling to meet their basic needs. Neighbors volunteer an average of 16.5 hours of labor on each home build. The balance is financed by Comunidad Connect donors. This critical support covers materials and paid local labor, about $3,000 for each home.
To learn more about the Homes For Good program, meet some of the homeowners and the team that makes it all happen, click below.