This August, my wife Bernie and I will return to the beautiful land of Sri Lanka. We will bring with us an adult team of 16 volunteers from all over the world and for two weeks we will help several Sri Lankan families build their new homes. This will be the eighth Global Village team we have organized with Habitat for Humanity in the countries of Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.
At home in Honolulu we see people who live in their cars or in camps on the beach or under highway bridges. In many ways these “homeless” people share the plight of their counterparts all over the world.
Bernie and I worked last two years with Habitat for Humanity building five homes in Waimanalo and Papakolea. Because of their work Habitat Honolulu has helped these five families move from substandard decaying houses to brand new affordable homes. Still we recognize our responsibility to do more to help our homeless neighbors.
From our experiences with Habitat for Humanity since 2003, we have learned many things about working with those who are trying to better their lives and those of their families. We would like to share seven of the most important lessons we have learned.
Homeless must solve their own problem—with dignity
Our first lesson sounds like a hopeless paradox. The only ones who can raise a family up from the plight of poverty and substandard living are the family members themselves. There is no free lunch. A homeless widow (my mother) once said, “We might not have any money but we are not poor.” Poverty is a state of mind and has very little to do with material wealth. A homeless person is a unique human individual and as such feels dignity and pride. This person needs to recognize that he (or she) can and must shoulder the responsibility for his own self improvement.
Cannot solve problem alone
Having said this, it is also clear that a person with no job, no savings, and no home lacks the very basic things that are needed to make this self improvement possible. This person will need to recognize that his or her problem is not an individual issue but a social one. Poverty and homelessness are a violation of social justice and as such require social action. This person and his family need to join forces with others in the same situation to recognize they face common issues and to search for common solutions. Tent cities on the public beaches of Hawaii are an example of this type of social action. But clearly this is not enough…
Must organize to achieve goal--nothing is impossible
As an individual working alone a homeless person really is powerless to change the system. The problem is far too great for any one person to solve. The virtue of social justice requires organization. Social justice can only be achieved when those suffering the failure of social justice band together in an organized way to recognize and solve their problems. Working together, nothing is beyond the reach of these people.
A larger organization needs to provide support
Here is where the city, the state, the NGO, or the Diocese of Honolulu comes in. These larger organizations are in a position to provide the homeless group support in many ways. Habitat for Humanity is a great example of such a group. With a worldwide fundraising and volunteer base, HFH is able to bring resources into the village or community that are necessary to fulfill their needs. But Habitat always works with the country and village organization (Affiliate) which assists the families to band together in organized groups to work out their needs for a better life.
New owners learn financial responsibility
The first step is to learn how to manage the family finances. Multiple families often live in single substandard housing. They need to build their own home but lack the money. The local affiliate, often associated with a church, teaches basic budget and money management. Future homeowners learn to save and when enough is saved they may apply to build a Habitat home. The breadwinner must learn to keep a job and to spend his money wisely.
In Sri Lanka, Habitat for Humanity sponsors a factory to make the bricks and window frames that are used in their homes. Habitat families are employed in this factory.
In one scheme, a dozen future homeowners pool their savings. When enough has been saved to build a house, they cast lots to see which family will be first. This process continues until all twelve homes are built. The families in the group form a real sense of community this way.
In Honolulu a new habitat house costs about $80,000 to build. The owner must qualify for a 30 year no-interest loan. Each new habitat family is assigned a “mentor” habitat family to provide support and advice. The national Habitat for Humanity foreclosure rate is 2%, much lower that the national average, and the foreclosures did not increase during the recent recession.
Must be involved in the work
Five hundred hours of “sweat equity” is required of any Habitat family wishing to build a new home. Often this time is spent working with volunteers in building a neighbor’s home. The family is in charge of their own building project. Volunteers come in teams from all over the world to help the new owner. It is interesting when your Global Village team consists of four or five engineers and construction people who must very quickly learn that the ways of local third world construction are the correct ways and must follow the lead of the local construction supervisor.
Can only do what is possible
Versatility and adaptability are the rule. No one formula fits all cases. In fact the local homeowners and affiliates must plan and decide what is possible within the means available. For example, in Sri Lanka, the families were so poor they could not afford to build an entire home. So half the home (two small rooms and a squat toilet) was built with stub outs for construction of the rest of the house at a future date. In Vietnam the families could not afford to build a house at all. Instead GV teams came in to build foundations and terracotta tile floors where families had been living on dirt (very messy in the rainy seasons). Then the community would come together and pick up the old stick and palm house and move it onto the new footings. In Cambodia and the Philippines families could build complete homes.
If pictures are worth 1,000 words
Two families pictured at the beginning of this article live across the street from one another at the site of a cleared land fill in Sri Lanka. On the left, the families live across from the habitat build; on the right the new Habitat for Humanity village. These two pictures summarize why we are returning to Sri Lanka again this August to build with Habitat for Humanity.
