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<br />college students, former Peace Corps from the low-lying plains of southern
<br />workers, retired clergy and business India to Puno, Peru, a community al-
<br />leaders, teachers and professors on most 13,000 feet above sea level on the
<br />sabbatical, and a cross section of shore of Lake Titicaca.
<br />Americans who are eager to devote We have had good support from
<br />their vacation weeks to building homes government officials in these foreign'
<br />in this country and abroad. We work countries, who recognize the value of
<br />side by side with members of the new homes and who have become
<br />homesteading families, sawing lumber, quite interested in our system of con-
<br />making bricks, Spanish tile, and con- struction and financing. A lot of hous-
<br />crete blocks, digging and pouring ing can be realized with very limited an atmosphere around Habitat that
<br />foundations, erecting stud walls, con- funds, and in the process of building, makes voluntary work change from a
<br />structing roof trusses, repairing dilapi~ the hOIJ;lesteading families often learn sacrifice for others into an extremely
<br />dated parts of older buildings, and new trades that become ,:,aluable ass.ets enjoyable experience from which the
<br />putting the finishing touches on the to themselves and to theIr commuDlty. ~olunteers receive much more than we
<br />~_~E~E~~s_a~~ ~pa!!~~Et.!:. _~ _'"""=-...~ven . _in-!~olu!ionary~ ~poli!i~al.. cli- _, _, .giv.e._RosalYQll,and.lhav:e_D;eve.r, had fl- __, _
<br />. By careful deSign and tne use of 10- mates, we nave o.een a61e to contInue more memorable and fulfilling expen-
<br />,cally available building materials, we. the work.. . ence than the two work camps we led
<br />are able to minimize the cost of homes. Recently, for Instance, at a Habitat to the Lower East Side in Manhattan.
<br />Furthermore, most of the work is done project in Uganda, our dump truck The work was difficult, dirty, and
<br />by volunteers and the prospective was co~mandeere~ ~y an ar~y com- sometimes even dangerous, but every
<br />owners, who are required to work hun-' mander In a local milItary upnsIng. Af- moment was packed with a feeling of
<br />dreds of hours on their own homes and ter the skir~ish was over, the c~m- gratitude that we could be part of the
<br />those of their neighbors. In order to man?er deCided that he needed the project. We are particularly grateful
<br />hold down the size of monthly pay- relatIvely new trll:ck more than our for the lifetime friends we have made
<br />ments occupants must make, Habitat workers did. After ~everal unsuccess- among the other volunteers and among
<br />follows the Old Testament admonition ful attempts to regain our property by the New Yorkers who welcomed all fif-
<br />(Exodus 22:25), "Hyoulendmoneyto appealing to the . regional leaders, I tyofourworkerswith such open arms.
<br />My people, to the poor among you, you contacted the preSident of Uganda, ex- These work experiences have also
<br />are not to act as a creditor to him; you plained our dilemma, and in a few days let us learn a lot about ourselves and
<br />shall not charge him interest." the truck was returned. The guiltyoffi- about each other. I have done carpen-
<br />These minimal payments are re- cer was punishe? ~nd tra?sferred to try and cabinet work since I was a
<br />quired to be made in a timely fashion, another post. It IS InterestIng t? no~e young farm boy, but Rosalynn and
<br />however, because they are used imme- that one of the key workers In thIS most of our volunteers had never
<br />diately to buy materials for the next Uganda project has been Paula Young, sawed a board or driven a large nail
<br />home. This tends to be a self-policing daughter of Andrew Young, former with a hammer. Within a few hours,
<br />commitment. On one occasion in ambassador to the Unit.ed N~tions. they were performing work of a fairly
<br />Zaire, a few families decided that they Weare now'completIng a lIttle more advanced nature. Furthermore, my
<br />really did not need to make the pay- than one home each day, with an aver- wife has never been more beautiful
<br />ments because Habitat probably age occupancy overseas of ten people, than when her face was covered with
<br />would not evict them. All our work ~as usuallY....cQmptising. an_f'xt~ndf>(U8JD-'black-smut'from-scraping-burned-ceil~-
<br />stopped in the community, and soon i1y. The cost of these homes In U.S. dol- ingjoists,andstreakedwithsweatfrom
<br />the village elders were advertising on lars varies widely. from one country to carrying full sheets of heavy plywood
<br />the local radio station the names of another, dependIng upon the rate of from the street level up to the floor
<br />those whose selfish actions were pre- exchange of local currency and the where we were working. In charge of a
<br />venting the construction of additional a~ailability of suitable I:>uild~ng mate-' smallgroupofworkers,shemadeintri-
<br />homes. In a few days, under severe rials near the construction sIte. How- cate measurements, cut subflooring
<br />peer pressure, the recalcitrant occu- ever, average costs in develop~g with a power saw, and nailed it down
<br />pants recommenced their payments. countries are about one-tenth those In with just a few hard hammer blows.
<br />Because of its unique qualities, Hab- the Unite? ~tates. This ~elps ~o en- We enjoy the manual labor, but we
<br />itat is growing very rapidly. When I at- courage tithIng from proJects In our can help Habitat even more by attract-
<br />tended my first directors' meeting in country, their ten-percent contribu- ing attention to its good work and by
<br />October 1984, we had projects in 52 tions payin.g for a home overseas for ev- recruiting volunteers and encouraging
<br />communities in the United States. ery one built here. . financial contributions to build more
<br />When we adjourned our annual meet- Millard Fu~er ~s .an insl?iration to all homes. Our hope is that many others
<br />ing in October 1985 there were 120 of us who have JOIned him as volun- will join us in this labor oflove. 0
<br />U.S. communities benefiting from teers, and his faith and perseverance
<br />Habitat's projects, and within another have made continual progress possible
<br />six months we expect to add fifty more. even during those formative times
<br />In addition, we are building homes in when a lack of funding made the future
<br />fourteen foreign nations, all the way extremely uncertain. He also insures
<br />
<br />COMMENTARY
<br />
<br />3040/50M/CS/10-92
<br />
<br />Reprinted by permission.
<br />
<br />
<br />Millard Fuller, Habitat's founder
<br />
<br />For those interested in knowing more
<br />about Habitat, write Educational
<br />Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, Inc.,
<br />121 Habitat St, Americus, GA, 31709-
<br />3498
<br />
<br />HOUSEl!< GARDEN
<br />
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