BUILDING “SIMPLE, DECENT HOUSES” WITH AND FOR MAYAN FAMILIES IN GUATEMALA

If you have a desire to provide hands-on help to the world’s less fortunate and are possessed of an adventuresome spirit, participation in the Global Village program of Habitat for Humanity International provides a wonderfully fulfilling experience. This is an account of my experiences as part of a 14-person team which worked for two weeks with five Mayan families and local HFH staff in Guatemala to build houses on the shore of Lake Atitlan in November, 2000.

Our adventure began with a get-acquainted dinner in Guatemala City after everyone had arrived from the four corners of the US and Canada. The next day we bused to Panajachel, a small tourist town on the shore of Lake Atitlan, then took boats across the lake to the little town of San Lucas Toliman. Once we had settled into our hotel, we walked to the local Habitat headquarters, where we were given a heart-warming welcome. Throughout this day our group leader (Molly Hodson) and the GV coordinator (Kevin Gilmore) provided orientation on the history and current situation in Guatemala, on Habitat’s involvement in the country (7000 houses have been built, so far) and on local mores and manners. I was surprised to learn that Kevin is the only non-Guatemalan HFH staff person in the country.

THE GROUP. Front row: Ann Pratt, Alison Nelson, Cate Baril, Molly Hodson, Tak Takasu; second row: Paul Naumann, Gloria Watson, Lynda Sellar, Don Sellar, Marick Payton; back row: Bill Prat, Dale Lee, Tom Bloom. (John Short had to leave before this picture was taken.)

The next day we set to work. One of our building sites was in San Lucas Toliman. The other four were in the rural community of Panimaquip, half an hour’s ride--a beautiful ride--in the back of a pickup truck up into the mountains.

A view from Panimaquip.

I worked with the Panimaquip group. Most of our work was on the house for the Tun family, shown below. Three rickety little one-room wooden huts, with dirt floors, currently provide a cooking and dining room, sleeping quarters for the seven family members, work room for weaving, and storage.

The Tun Family. Front row: Byron, Leonzo Jr., and Juan; middle row: grandmother Andrea, Vilvia, mother Izabel and baby Jesmy; back row: father Leonzo.

Our work began with helping to dig the foundation and tieing rebar. Subsequently, we shoveled and sifted a heck of a lot of sand, schlepped tons of concrete blocks, mixed cement and helped with the cementing of row after row of blocks. The work was led by local stone mason Juan Ajcalon, a Habitat employee. The other four crew members were the homeowners. El jefe (boss) Juan did a great job of engaging us amateurs in all facets of the work. He also had a wonderfully infectious sense of humor, which further helped break the ice between us newcomers and the locals.

Getting started on the Tun family house.

Our work day was from 8:30-3:30, long enough to thoroughly tire out the gringos. Needless to say, the local guys put in a substantially longer day. When el jefe gave the welcomed call of “descanso” (break) or “almuerzo” (lunch), we had the opportunity to play with the kids of the family and neighborhood, which was a great delight to all.

Working together with the homeowners provided us an opportunity to improve such Spanish skills as we had. In a turn-about, Bill Pratt, with a career of teaching Spanish in the States, began teaching one of the homeowners (Cesar) English greetings. “Hello. How are you.” “I’m fine, thank you.” The next day Tak took these language lessons in a new direction, as the rest of us learned, when Cesar suddenly and rather loudly exclaimed “I am in love!” Not content with this success, Tak and Cesar were soon exchanging greeting lessons in Cachecal (the native tongue of the area) and Japanese (her native tongue).

The Panimaquip Gang, with a week of work behind them.

My favorite day was spent pushing wheelbarrows of dirt excavated from inside a nearly completed house in preparation for pouring the concrete floor. As you might imagine, “driving” a loaded wheelbarrow (up a hill, no less) wasn’t intrinsically as much fun as driving my motorcycle, but I enjoyed the fact that I was again piloting a wheeled vehicle. It became really fun, however, when word spread among he neighborhood children that I had a camera and delighted in taking pictures of kids. Pretty soon a large gang gathered at the top of the hill, cheering me up with cries of “photo! photo! photo!” I shot a roll of film on top of that hill and had the time of my life.

I feel very privileged to be able to provide these kids and their families pictures they would otherwise never have. We were able to leave some photos on the spot, thanks to Gloria’s thoughtfulness in bringing a Polaroid.

When we left Panimaquip, the Tun’s new home was one row short of being ready for roofing and flooring. When finished, it will have 800 weather-tight square feet and a concrete floor. While it will not be wired for electricity (although electricity is available in this community) nor will it have plumbing, it will be warm and dry and it can be kept much cleaner than their current home. It also has a view that Californians would pay millions for.

On our last day in San Lucas Toliman the homeowners, the HFH staff and other well-wishers threw a wonderful barbecue picnic for us on the shore of the lake. The weather was beautiful. The setting was spectacular. The food was delicious. The ball games with the children were rousing good fun. But, best of all were the heartfelt expressions of our mutual joy at being able to work together to help provide “simple, decent housing” for their families. It was a day all of us will cherish forever. Alison’s comments very well summed up the feelings of most of us, I think:

“It has been an honor and priviledge to help your families and community build these new homes. We are impressed by the commitment you have to each other. No one can do this alone. Your community has seen some hard times, and you have pulled together and committed to each other. Habitat for Humanity is a development program; you need this commitment for the Habitat program in San Lucas and Panamaquip to succeed and have longevity. We see more love and commitment between your families than in most of our American neighborhoods. With this commitment and caring for each other, you will progress until each family in San Lucas and Panamaquip can have a simple, decent home. We came to San Lucas not knowing anyone, and we leave with you as friends, and many memories in our hearts.”

View back on San Lucas Toliman as we departed.

For me, it was a very sad departure the next day as we boarded the boats for the trip back across the lake, a sadness somewhat assuaged, however, by the good companionship of the team and the prospect of a day in Antigua before the return home. At our farewell dinner at the end of the day in Antigua we shared our thoughts about what had been our most memorable experiences and what the experience as a whole had meant to us. Two themes predominated in this conversation, first, that interacting with the children of the families we were helping had been the most memorable and gratifying experiences for most of us and, second, that after this experience all those everyday concerns to which we would soon be returning didn’t seem nearly as important as they had when we had left. Living among and working with families so bereft of the luxuries we take for granted--abundant good food, spacious houses, warm showers, good medical care, excellent educational and vocational opportunities and, perhaps most important, the freedom to be politically active without fear of “disappearing”--changes your priorities, beliefs and values. Molly and Kevin counseled us that the folks back home might well find this change in perspective troubling.


If you would like more information about the Habitat for Humanity Global Village program, click here.

For a brief political and social history of Guatemala, click here.

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