What does home look like?

GREAT NEWS!  A GENEROUS DONOR IS PROVIDING WHAT WE NEED TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT!  THANK YOU MS. BETTY BOND and W. M. LEVICH!

In January of this year, the volunteer team from Saint Mary's College of California visited the house of one of our former residents who has since finished his program at Bahay Pag-asa and earned a certification in Massage Therapy from the University of Saint La Salle in Bacolod.  As of yet he has not found employment but is volunteering his time at the local health clinic taking blood pressures of patients.  A big concern of his has been the problem of the house in which he, his mother, and younger sister and brother live.  The lack of any kind of substantial walls has resulted in intruders entering the house in the middle of the night and during rough weather, it is impossible to keep the rain from entering the house.  The kitchen (shown below) is rudimentary at best and there is no floor except for the dirt that the house stands on.

The volunteers were very much concerned about the safety and health of the family and so Ms. Margaret Brown-Salazar and several of the college student volunteers left some donations to help with the improvement of the house.  We also had some funds sent from Br. James Joost in California.  The University of Saint La Salle was generous in giving us access to their materials recycling center and so we began by collecting lots of wooden poles, beams and also plywood sheets with the use of a university truck.

We then drove the lumber to the house and talked to a carpenter who lives across the street from the family.  We arranged for two workers in addition to the family members who could help build walls and we went shopping for hollow blocks at the "factory" where they are made.  These sell for about 10 pesos each and we bought a big supply.  

We then went to the village hardware store (certainly not "Home Depot" but surprisingly well-stocked with what we needed.  We bought steel reinforcing bars, nails, wire, shovels and assorted other supplies.  We also bought rice for the family and for the carpenter's family. 

Next, it was out to the quarry to buy a truckload of sand and a truckload of gravel.  We brought all this back to the house and emptied our truck into the street.  By this time, quite a few neighbors were watching the activity.

When we left, just before dark the house was in disarray but the occupants were very excited that this was the beginning of a project that would give them a safe and weather-proof home.  We were even able to leave two bunk-bed sets that we got from the university and these were a hit with the neighborhood kids.

A week later we returned to find the walls under construction in preparation for a house the would have much more usable space.  We were able to purchase more hollow blocks, more cement and other supplies.  We also provided money for the workers and rice and other groceries for the family.

And now, after three weeks, the outer walls of the house and enclosed area behind the house are in place (with the front wall and door still to be built).  The next projects will be, and in this order: (1) the roof of the house, (2) the floor of the house, and (3) the internal walls / dividers and some fixtures.

Construction will continue through this week and then will stop for a while until we can find donations to purchase the final materials. Here's the list of what we need to get...

32 steel reinforcing bars - $73.00

2 kg of #16 wire - $ 3.00

15 bags of cement - $82.00

5 cu. meters sand - $ 74.00

3 cm. meters gravel - $ 65.00

32 pieces wood (2X2, 2X4) - $86.00

Nails (various sizes) - $ 5.00

5 kg. umbrella nails - $ 8.00

PVC pipes - $ 22.0

Solvent for PVC - $1.40

3 Qts. Vulcaseal - $28.00

Labor, until finished (2 workers) - $300

We hope to raise these funds by June so as to help this family finish their house. If you'd like to help, please contact Br. Dan Fenton (brdanfenton@hotmail.com) for information about wiring donations.

We are delighted to announce (and deeply grateful) that we have received a check from Ms. Betty Bond and W. M. Levich that will cover these expenses as well as some additional needs.  This is a great gift for this family!  The funds for the check are being held at De La Salle Institute until one or our summer volunteers can act as courier in June. Ms. Betty Bond was my employer and mentor was I began teaching and she is still making hope happen in my life and the lives of those most in need!  God bless you!

---Br. Dan Fenton, FSC