GV Trip Habitat for Humanity Orange County January 7th – January 15th, 2012 Team Leaders: Sharon Ellis & Adelle Yeaton
PROJECTS ACCOMMODATIONS ACTIVITIES DESCRIPTIONS
GLOBAL VILLAGE NATIONAL PROGRAM
Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua 2 Global Village National Program HOSTING PROJECT Habitat Improvement in the Community of La Gallina The community of La Gallina is located in the municipality of San Rafael Del Sur, Managua. It is about a 45 minute drive from Managua. San Rafael del Sur the only municipality of the department of Managua with a pacific coast, in fact the community is located 7 minutes away from the ocean. The project took shape when HFH Nicaragua in alliance with two local organizations completed a housing project of 50 houses in La Gallina in 2009‐2010. A project that is still in execution, the first 25 houses have been finished and national and international volunteers where involved in the process. The intervention in this community is considered a success due to the strong commitment of all the parties involved, particularly the organization and hard work of the community. Additionally, strong partnerships where built with the entities involved, creating the 1rst Phase of “La Gallina”, an ideal project to be replicated. Two hundred and eighty families live in extreme poverty in this community; 96% in homes have dirt floors. In the best cases, the walls are constructed primarily with wood sheets, mostly in poor conditions, plastic or rusted zinc. “La Gallina” does not have a drinking water system. Water is provided from three artisanal wells which do not provide adequate sanitary conditions. The water for washing clothes, cooking and household cleanliness is obtained from the river that runs through the region. Field studies indicate that these families have an average per capita income of less than US$1 per day, Now, Phase II, intends to Improve the living conditions of 150 families and strengthening local capacities for the consequent upgrading of social production of Habitat in the community of ”La Gallina”. The expected results include: 100 Housing Units Built , 150 Latrines, 1 Rehabilitated Well with new water pump, 700 People benefited , 100 People trained in Financial Education, 124 People trained in home construction and 24 Temporary jobs generated. Habitat will provide technical assistance, community organization and will lead the educational campaign as well as it will introduce volunteers in the constructive activities and the production of the adobe bricks needed for the houses.
Mary Zuleyma Guevara, La Gallina, San Rafael del Sur
Climate San Rafael del Sur, being so closed to the ocean has very low height above sea level, reason why the heat may be really strong during the summer. During the rainy season May‐October in generally rains in the afternoon and during the night, but the soil becomes really muddy and rubber or construction boots are highly recommended. During the summer which is usually from November‐April (best times to come) temperatures can go as high as 38 Celsius, and depending on the house there can be a lot of trees or no shade at all. A river runs by La Gallina, so groups are encourage going on their lunch break to cool off by the river, where the water is clean and there’s a lot of shade. Children from the community take long and refreshing showers at the river.
Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua 3 Global Village National Program Community Profile There are 280 families residing in La Gallina, of these 280 families 50 families are involved in the production of adobes and the construction of the first 50 houses, one or two family members alternate to work on the project as their counterpart of the project. There is a community leader which happens to be the pastor of one of the local churches, his name is Pastor Nelson, and he is in charge of the factory and supports the municipality with all the construction logistics and manages the warehouse of materials. Most of these families are evangelical, nonetheless a very small percentage of the families are actually married, civil union is very common and they all have many children at early ages. There is a school in the community where most small children go to, this school only takes elementary and middle school. The high school institute is located in Masachapa, the fishermen town about 9km away from the community, meaning that for children to go to high school they would need to pay a bus ticket every day, reason why most of them only finish up to 6th grade. Women are a strong figure in La Gallina, despite the sexism that takes places in the household, women are the ones bringing up the project, and they are the most dedicated of all.
Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua 4 Global Village National Program Accommodations & Transportation HOTEL VISTA MAR Hotel Vistamar bungalows are located on a 10,000 square meter lot. We have 17 bungalows comprising 43 regular rooms and one suite in the middle of a tropical paradise. You will enjoy waking up to the singing of birds, the ocean breeze and the breaking of waves. From the balcony or the terrace of each bungalow, you can take the perfect picture of the sea or of nature surrounding hotel Vistamar compound: the beautiful greens of nature, the shiny beaches, the flashing blue water and rainbow sunsets. All rooms include: Private terrace with sisal‐made hammock and beach chairs Full bathroom with hot water heated by solar panels Ceiling fans Air conditioning Satellite television Safe deposit box Telephone Kitchen (in some bungalows) Queen size or single beds HFH Nicaragua offers double and triple accommodations, but if anyone prefers to have a single room there are also available but an additional charge will apply, all rooms have air‐conditioner, private bathroom (not all of them with hot water) and comfortable beds. Breakfasts and dinners are served at the hotel, unless the group requests a dinner outside the hotel which will incur in a slight change in the budget. Lunch is served on the worksite, under a tent arranged by Habitat with tables; chairs and a small place to cool off during breaks; these lunches are brought by the hotel so that sanitary measures are assured. Purified water and beverages are also brought to the worksite and they are available for all volunteers to cool off. Transportation is also assured for volunteers, a van is rented for entire duration of the trip and a driver will also be available in case of any type of emergency that required a volunteer to be transported anywhere. Volunteer Activities Global Village Volunteer must follow the minimum standards of safety, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t allow to actively participate in the construction process of complete houses, home improvements or brick production. Among the activities volunteers can help are: ‐ Sifting sand ‐ Pushing wheelbarrows full of soil, sand, gravel or limestone ‐ Carrying blocks ‐ Mixing mortar ‐ Placing blocks ‐ Filling blocks with mortar ‐ Carrying water ‐ Painting latrines ‐ Pouring floor
Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua 5 Global Village National Program Cultural Day On the 9 day trips, Habitat Nicaragua usually arranges one day of rest and recreation, which is usually advertised as a cultural day due to the visit to several historical and natural destinations. The R&R does not depend on where the team decides to do their build because Nicaragua is relatively small, and roads are in good conditions to move from one region to the other. ITINERARY
Saturday, January 7th – Arrivals, Check In at Hotel, Dinner Sunday, January 8th – Transportation to Masachapa, Lunch, Orientation and Meet the Families Monday‐Thursday January 9th – January 12th ‐ Breakfast, Construction Work, Snacks, Lunch, Construction Work, Transportation to Hotel, Dinner Wednesday afternoon activity with Children (coloring books, personal hygiene) Friday January 13th – work half day, Lunch, Cultural activity, Dinner hosted by HFH Nicaragua Country Director Saturday, January 14th – Breakfast, Cultural Day to Masaya and Granada, Dinner at Granada, Colonial City, overnight in Granada Sunday, January 15th – Ride to airport from Granada, early morning, Departures
AN AVERAGE DAY
Breakfast served at 7:00 am Ride to Worksite at 7:45 am Work from 8:00 am to 10:00 am Snack at 10:00 am to 10:15 am Lunch at 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Work from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Ride to Hotel at 4:00 pm Dinner served at 6:00 pm
COST: $1,770 USD plus Airfare per person