November 26, 2008 – a group of fourteen GE Volunteers led by Ann Bayan-Flora trooped to Pinagbuhatan, Pasig and lent a hand to Habitat for Humanity in building homes for families of the said community. We were welcomed by the site and safety engineers who gave us a brief orientation. My apologies, their names escape me at the moment.
The local government of Pasig City, headed by Hon. Mayor Robert Eusebio, signed a memorandum of agreement with Habitat for Humanity Philippines last October 2, 2007.The local government has recognized poverty reduction to be its primary concern, with housing being one of the basic services to be provided to depressed communities. Armed with the same mission of empowering the needy families to obtain a decent dwelling, Habitat for Humanity Philippines and the local government of Pasig has agreed to form an alliance to pursue this goal. Habitat for Humanity, with its exceptional building competency and concrete-interlocking block technology, will build two medium-rise buildings that will generate 120 family dwelling units. Meanwhile the Local Government Unit (LGU) will take charge of land filling, site development, road network and drainage system provisions, and recruiting other soft program partners who will ensure the holistic development and nurturing of the community. Habitat for Humanity Philippines will also provide capacity training for the home partners and will mobilize volunteer builds (http://habitatphilippines.multiply.com/).
This community service gave us volunteers a chance to meet other volunteers and no less than an international cast was also present that day. They’re from a group called Up with People and we learned they’ve been working at the site for a whole week! We introduced ourselves, traded questions and got so entertained that the site engineer might have been irked by our chatter. Shortly after, we made friends with Cindi from Singapore, Uli from Germany, Jacqueline from the US, Paulina and Umberto from Mexico and others from France and Ethiopia. Through travel and cultural immersion, our new friends attested how Up with People has allowed them to experience personal growth, leadership training, service learning and performing arts as they travel through three continents. For many of them, it's a global education that lasts a lifetime. For others, it's a life-transforming experience (http://www.upwithpeople.org/).
Habitat for Humanity is not a “giveaway” program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest their own labor – “sweat equity” – into building their Habitat house and the houses of others. This allows homeowners to work alongside neighbors and volunteers, increasing the pride of ownership and fostering the development of positive relationships within a community (http://www.habitat.org/).
One thing that should stick to mind as a motto while working on site is “Safety First.” And with hard hats, gloves and sunblock on, we hauled concrete blocks while others made new ones using concrete mixers and molders. Even though we only worked for about four hours (a far cry from the hours worked by our Up with People friends), we felt what little human strength we had leaving us as we near noon and the sun blazing on top of our heads. But the hardworking volunteers that we are, a short rest, laughter and a cup of taho is enough to bring our strength back.
Habitat is well known for the tangible, hands-on construction experience it offers tens of thousands of volunteers every year. The “muscle” volunteers provide means homes can be built at considerably lower costs. More importantly, the experience transforms lives, both for the volunteers who work alongside Habitat home partners and for partner families who see that there are “outsiders” who care enough to help them break the cycle of poverty.
To be able to break the cycle of poverty – now wouldn’t that make you feel like a superhero?
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