Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program sends volunteers on build projects around the world. I'm blessed to be one of the many trained and qualified team leaders stationed in America to recruit for and lead these projects. The region closest to my heart is Latin America. Since 2012, I've served in Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Bolivia with volunteer teams that have helped build five homes. In June, I'm leading another team to journey back to Guatemala. This trip is very special to me because I have a sponsored child with Compassion International, a Christian nonprofit organization that helps release children from poverty, that lives in the area where my team will build. My hope is to see him at the end of the build project and show him photos and talk to him about the work of our Habitat volunteers in his country.
During our Global Village trip, we will get our hands dirty on the work site, meet the families in need of a safe, decent and affordable home, and immerse ourselves in the Guatemalan culture. No experience is required to join my team. I've partnered with volunteers who have never been on a construction site, have never heard of Habitat for Humanity and have never traveled outside of the United States. That's the beauty of a Global Village team - everyone comes from various backgrounds and have different interests, skillsets and travel experiences, yet we come together as a family to help those in need.
Our partner families are always so grateful for our help.The most rewarding part of our trips, in my opinion, has been to see the faces of the families at the end of the week and stand for a photo in front of their home. Many times, the home was not complete because the work is done by hand and can be a slow process, but there is always progress that can be seen. Our Habitat affiliate staff members are great about sharing updates with us on the progression of the home and will even send us photos of the family in their home once it is finished. It's exciting to see because they're one step closer to a brighter future in a safe home that they can raise their children in.
It's a life-changing experience that can make the journey home bittersweet. We leave our partner families behind, along with the structure that we toiled over for five days. We leave behind a piece of our hearts, but we take with us the assurance that we have helped make a tangible difference in this world. We've given a family hope and helped build a community, but we learned so much about how others live and how we can be better family members, neighbors and citizens when we return to our communities.
I invite you to consider joining my team to Guatemala. Travel with a purpose. You can truly have the best of both worlds by exploring a different country while making a difference at the same time. This build can be your next step to make the world a better place to live.
~Tammie
During our Global Village trip, we will get our hands dirty on the work site, meet the families in need of a safe, decent and affordable home, and immerse ourselves in the Guatemalan culture. No experience is required to join my team. I've partnered with volunteers who have never been on a construction site, have never heard of Habitat for Humanity and have never traveled outside of the United States. That's the beauty of a Global Village team - everyone comes from various backgrounds and have different interests, skillsets and travel experiences, yet we come together as a family to help those in need.
Our partner families are always so grateful for our help.The most rewarding part of our trips, in my opinion, has been to see the faces of the families at the end of the week and stand for a photo in front of their home. Many times, the home was not complete because the work is done by hand and can be a slow process, but there is always progress that can be seen. Our Habitat affiliate staff members are great about sharing updates with us on the progression of the home and will even send us photos of the family in their home once it is finished. It's exciting to see because they're one step closer to a brighter future in a safe home that they can raise their children in.
It's a life-changing experience that can make the journey home bittersweet. We leave our partner families behind, along with the structure that we toiled over for five days. We leave behind a piece of our hearts, but we take with us the assurance that we have helped make a tangible difference in this world. We've given a family hope and helped build a community, but we learned so much about how others live and how we can be better family members, neighbors and citizens when we return to our communities.
I invite you to consider joining my team to Guatemala. Travel with a purpose. You can truly have the best of both worlds by exploring a different country while making a difference at the same time. This build can be your next step to make the world a better place to live.
~Tammie
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