Project Info
To Improve Living Conditions of Families in Extreme Poverty
Our construction projects are designed to help provide some basic needs of the village: safe, adequate housing for the children. Roofs on homes in the village consist of over-lapped sheets of galvanized, corrugated metal. With exposure to the elements, they eventually rust, become pitted, and develop holes that allow rain to drip onto household belongings and beds of the families. The men working for around $2 per day can barely afford to feed their families; a new roof is completely unaffordable. Providing a new roof will vastly improve the quality of life by keeping the families dry, comfortable, and healthier.
Typically, multiple small children all sleep together in one bed, so our teams build bunk beds for families in need. These bunks will allow children to spread out and get a more restful night sleep and do better in school. These high-quality bunk beds will also help to improve the health and living conditions of a family for years to come.
Many of the homes in the region have dirt floors. Our concrete teams replace these dirt floors with a cleaner, safer, healthier alternative for the families.
The need for clean water is one of the foremost problems in places like Santa Maria. These containment tanks keep rainwater fresh for long periods of time.The tanks are fully sealed with a top cap that keeps dirt, ash, insects, and parasites from getting into the tank. The inside of the tanks are coated with an anti-microbial surface that prevents bacteria from growing. The thick black exterior blocks all sunlight, which prohibits the growth of algae. The tanks, mounted on a wooden rack, provide a family the ability to store 200 gallons of water for their family use.
To Improve the Health and Well-Being of Families living in Extreme Poverty
Our construction projects are designed to provide long-term improvements in the homes of the children of the village. However, several of our projects are designed to provide immediate relief to the families: namely clothing, shoes, and food.
Each summer we host a donations clinic for the children of the village. Our volunteers collect new and gently used shoes and clothing and bring those items in their checked luggage. Last year, over 500 children came through the donations clinic and we able to receive some much-needed items for everyday living.
Our volunteers from the team worked cooperatively with the volunteers from Santa María to identify families in the village who were in dire need of the basic "staples" of food: corn, sugar, beans, rice, soup, etc. We purchased and distributed thousands of pounds of food to needy families in the village, many of whom were elderly, widowed, or suffering serious medical conditions.
We have also been able to distribute vitamins and anti-parasite medications to help improve overall health and nutritional needs.
To Share the Love of Jesus Christ with the Children and their Families
One of our largest projects in the mission is our Vacation Bible School Program. Each year, we serve between 200-300 children in a daily bible school program, which is especially written and designed for the children in the region, who may not have access to regular children's bible programs. Children participate in bible stories, games, crafts, and snacks, all centering around the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.
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