Hurricane Mitch: Out of Despair Grows Hope
- By Chris Little -

Rosario Pineda Lopez's sturdy Habitat for Humanity house wasn't finished when Hurricane Mitch blasted through her Nicaraguan town last fall.

But when the flood waters rose to waist-high levels in her old house, her family headed to the site of their new Habitat house for protection - and that unfinished house protected the family of five.

"Thank God that we are still alive," says Lopez. "This very house protected us." They moved into their finished Habitat house in April.

Hurricane Mitch, which tore through several countries in Central America, proved to many that simple, decent housing can be a matter of life and death. It also motivated tens of thousands of Habitat partners worldwide to donate nearly $6 million to HFHI in order to help provide Central Americans with housing that would withstand future storms like Mitch.

These additional resources have allowed local committees and national boards in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala to dream big - more than doubling the number of houses they had expected to build this year.

Already, more than 465 families in the countries affected by Hurricane Mitch have moved into new Habitat houses, and hundreds more homes are under construction.

In addition, partnerships with other organizations are providing an opportunity for Habitat affiliates to build entire communities in cities where high-priced land has limited Habitat's work.

A $1 million emergency grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will help build a 115-house community in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and a 100-house community in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, including the purchase of land and the installation of infrastructure. And, a partnership with The Godchild Project of Minnesota will help Habitat build a 200-house community in Guatemala City, Guatemala, with families whose mountainside community was washed away by Mitch.


Chris Little is a Habitat for Humanity International partner.


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, August/September, 1999.
This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
©1999 Habitat for Humanity International



The New Millennium
As the new millennium approaches, Habitat affiliates from around the world are preparing to usher in the next century by planning special millennium builds. Among them:
   Fiji, South Pacific: Beginning Dec. 23, 1999, and lasting through midnight, Jan. 1, 2000, volunteers will not only participate in the build itself, but will also experience a traditional Fijian celebration complete with "kava" rituals, dancing, singing and general merriment. For more information, contact Rachael Blair at (410) 956-5158.
   Kentucky, U.S.A.: At least 12 of Kentucky's 60 affiliates are committed to start, finish and/or dedicate a house during Kentucky's "First Homes Build: Hammering in the Millennium." For more information, contact Mindy Shannon Phelps at (606) 233-7614.


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, August/September 1999.
This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
©1999 Habitat for Humanity International



Jobs You Can Put Your Heart Into
Habitat for Humanity has an ongoing need for volunteers, as well as career professionals, at both its international headquarters in Americus, Ga. U.S.A., and many of its U.S. regional offices. To learn more about these and other current opportunities, visit HFHI's Web site at www.habitat.org/hr/


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, August/September 1999.
This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
©1999 Habitat for Humanity International



Building on Faith '99
Mark your calendar now for the week of Sept. 13.
   That's when "Building on Faith" week begins throughout the country and around the world as Habitat for Humanity affiliates place special emphasis on Habitat's spiritual roots through house-building and awareness-raising. The event also encourages faith groups and denominations to take action to alleviate poverty and substandard housing in their communities.
   This year, some 500 affiliates - more than twice last year's participants - have specific, action-oriented plans either to build a Habitat house in its entirety, or to begin construction of a Habitat house.
   During the week, Habitat founder and president Millard Fuller will visit Building on Faith sites in Selma, Ala.; Windsor, Ontario; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Owensboro, Ky.; Atlanta, Ga.; Hickory, N.C.; and Mezquital Valley, Mexico, where the house representing the 85,000th house built worldwide by Habitat for Humanity will be dedicated.
   The annual Habitat event culminates on the third Sunday in September which, since 1984, has been observed as the "International Day of Prayer and Action for Human Habitat."
   Bulletin inserts, which contain a prayer for shelter done as a responsive reading in English or Spanish, are available. A bulletin insert for Jewish congregations is also available. Other items, such as offering envelopes, name tags, yard signs and posters are also available. To order, call (800) 422-5914.