During our Global Village trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia with Habitat Para La Humanidad, we worked on building a home with the Moya Family. When completed, the home will measure 624 square feet and cost $14,240 US. The family made a $2,000 deposit, so their mortgage will be $214 per month over 6.5 years. The couple has one son and is expecting a baby in December.

My team helped shovel, wheelbarrow and place thousands of pounds of sand, stone, brick and gravel over five work days. We moved, cut, bent and twisted countless feet of rebar that will be used to fortify the walls of the home. Each task, though at times tedious and strenuous, was a labor of love.

For our cultural activities, we toured a center for abused and abandoned children, saw a breath-taking traditional Bolivian dance performance, visited the famous Cristo de la Concordia, viewed the Habitat national office, shopped at the Main Plaza and La Cancha markets, toured the Natural History Museum and the majestic Palacio Portales.

Habitat Para La Humanidad Bolivia has served more than 50,000 families and built nearly 11,530 homes over 29 years. Utilizing Global Village teams, like ours, helps to offset their costs and increase progress on the homes. For example, our team raised almost $15,000 in funds, almost the total cost of the home, using peer-to-peer fundraising for our trip. That doesn't include the offline funds submitted by our volunteers and their supporters. Also, our team of 14 people was able to move enormous amounts of materials on the site in a short amount of time, saving the small construction staff at Habitat and the Moya Family time, money and energy.

I'd like to thank my team members Jerald, Karen, Jim, Andy, Tommy, Amy, Marci, Lori, Kate, Meriem, Ashley and Pieter for accepting the call to service and putting love into action during this trip. I'd also like to thank my supporters, especially my top donors, Bob and Roderick, for their generosity and helping transform lives in Cochabamba. Your compassion has helped make the dream of home ownership come true for the Moya Family!

Please take a moment to view my short video recap of our experience in Cochabamba.

If you can not view the video, watch it here.

Hi Team,
I received an email today from our GV coordinator with Habitat for Humanity Bolivia and she said that we need the Yellow Fever vaccination proof to enter Bolivia. 

"Yellow Fever is found in tropical and subtropical areas in South America and Africa. The virus is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. Yellow fever is a very rare cause of illness in U.S. travelers. Illness ranges in severity from a self-limited febrile illness to severe liver disease with bleeding. Yellow fever disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings, laboratory testing, and travel history, including the possibility of exposure to infected mosquitoes. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever; care is based on symptoms. Steps to prevent yellow fever virus infection include using insect repellent, wearing protective clothing, and getting vaccinated." - CDC.gov

There are currently no travel health notices for Bolivia, but I recommend visiting the CDC page with information and recommendations for travelers visiting Bolivia. Also, for more information on Yellow Fever, please visit the CDC page. 

~ Tammie

I have a great update to share with team members for our trip to Bolivia - we have officially met our minimum requirement of volunteers! After almost six months of recruitment, dozens of applications and nearly 25 phone interviews, our team is now complete. We've built a team of 12 so we can build homes with two families in Cochabamba. I will continue to accept applications and conduct interviews until we reach our maximum of 15 people. 
Our team members range in age from 19 to 60+ and are from every region across the U.S. Some are new to Habitat for Humanity and our mission of building homes, communities and hope around the world and some have been on multiple Global Village trips or volunteered with a local Habitat affiliate. Each member has unique interests and skills, but all of us agree that we want to do our part in helping families in need of adequate shelter have a simple, decent and affordable home to live in. I'm so excited that we have reached this milestone and I look forward to equipping you with as much information and guidance as I can to help you prepare for our trip to Bolivia. ~ Tammie 

I've learned that previous Global Village participants are interested in volunteering with another team, but need help securing their deposit. I have great news! You can fund raise with a Share.Habitat page for your $350 to hold your spot on a Global Village team. Recently, a member of my team set up a page and overnight she received more than $1,100 from family and friends! Get started today with your 8-digit Habitat ID number and trip code GV14516.

The benefits of volunteering on a Global Village trip

• You will have an opportunity to contribute to Habitat's mission of "Seeking to put God's love into action" by coming together to help "build homes, communities and hope" for those in need of decent and affordable housing.
• You will learn about poverty housing and how 1.6 billion worldwide need shelter solutions.
• You will experience the community’s culture, language, construction and social practices while working alongside homeowners and volunteers of all backgrounds, races and religions.
• You will take part in a transformative, lifelong journey that may ignite your passion for making this world a better place. 

What Global Village trips are like 
While every Global Village trip is different, you can expect to gain once-in-a-lifetime experiences and memories. Itineraries are balanced with plenty of work, rest and free time. During your trip, you will do more than help build houses―you will become part of the local community and participate in cultural activities. 

If this sounds like an adventure that you would like to be a part of, apply today to join my Global Village team to Bolivia in June 2014.

When you volunteer with Habitat for Humanity on a Global Village trip, you become one of thousands of volunteers worldwide who have given of their time, energy and resources to partner with families in need of decent and affordable shelter for nearly 25 years. Your contribution to the construction of the partner family's new home not only impacts them, but also adds to the vitality of the community. The effects will be felt throughout generations. Whether the construction of the home calls for cinder blocks, clay bricks or wood, the foundation that a new home gives the family that will dwell within it is solid. The security that it gives the children that will eat, sleep, play, learn and grow within it is priceless. The opportunity it gives families to serve in their communities and pay their blessing forward are endless. People like you make affordable home ownership a reality for so many working families who are looking for a hand up, not a hand out. Experience the adventure of a new country while sharing the experience of love in action. When you volunteer on a Habitat Global Village trip, you work alongside partner families and volunteers from all works of life using the construction techniques of the native country. We'll also spend time within the community exploring the culture through native foods, music, dance, history tours and other cultural activities. You become more than a volunteer or a tourist - you become a member of our Global Village family, which transforms the lives of those living in poverty housing conditions around the world. You can get involved by joining my Global Village team to Bolivia and help two families build their simple, decent and affordable homes in June 2014. 

My Share.Habitat fundraising site for my Global Village trip to Bolivia is now live! Would you like to get involved with our mission, but you're unable to volunteer and build in Bolivia? You can still help. By donating to my trip, you help our team meet our goal of covering the cost of the Habitat homes that we will be constructing in Cochabamba. The partner families will still have a low-interest mortgage, but the funds help the affiliate in Bolivia continue to serve those in need of safe, decent and affordable housing in their community and they also go to the Global Fund for Habitat for Humanity International to help serve millions in more than 70 countries worldwide. With a donation of $50 or more, I will give you a gift from our Habitat Online Store. The items that I have available are some of my favorite Habitat-branded specialties - our new 2014 calendar, our 2014-2015 day planner and the award-winning book, The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree. 

With Habitat for Humanity, you can watch your seed (your donation) grow from the ground (or the foundation) up. From the two families we will partner with in Cochabamba, to the families on the six continents where Habitat operates, your contribution makes an impact. Give today and help transform lives for those less fortunate than us around the world!