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Step outside your door on a warm July morning and listen carefully. Amid the crickets and the traffic, do you hear the distant sound of a hammer ringing out? That sound is a sound of hope for many families across Canada whose Habitat for Humanity houses are currently under construction. Summer is, of course, prime building season in Canada. This summer, Habitat for Humanity plans to build more than 150 houses. If you would like to know about how to get involved with a Habitat for Humanity partner affiliate in your area, please check our 2005 building schedule by clicking here.
Please read more about the exciting building already underway. | |
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Much to Celebrate, More to Build
Habitat raises walls on its 200,000th home built
worldwide, looks to a future of more building
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Shelter in Mbandaka, Zaire, 1977
Courtesy HFHI |
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Habitat home in Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) Courtesy HFHI |
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Watch the Video of the 200,000th House Groundbreaking! Courtesy HFHI |
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We’ve raised the walls on our 200,000th house! Two days of building have been completed, and the future home of the Kouassi-Harper family of Knoxville, Tenn., is looking more and more like just that—a home.
Rain over the past two days did not deter these committed volunteers and homeowners. In spite of intermittent showers, the crew managed to shingle the roof and hang most of the siding, and more work was done on the front porch. When the sun came out in the afternoon, the build had jumped ahead of schedule.
This is good news to Tonya and Koffi, who are eager to move their family into their new home.
”It’ll be our house!” Tonya says.
In Kanyakumari, India, volunteers and homeowners are eagerly awaiting their own chance to start building. While the Kouassi-Harper family represents the culmination of three decades of building, those in India who in just a few days will start building the 200,001st Habitat house, the future home of Michel and Vivitha and their five children, represent the future of Habitat’s work to eliminate poverty housing from the earth.
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The “Fab Four” and their New Home
By Megan Despard, Program Coordinator, Habitat for Humanity Canada
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Three of the 'Fab Four' photo courtesy of Robert Peace |
On June 24 , 2005 , a very special Habitat for Humanity dedication ceremony took place in Cobourg, Ontario . On this very hot day, Sislian Cameron-Walters and her four daughters -- “the fab four” as Sislian calls them -- accepted the keys to their new home, the house that women built.
A Habitat for Humanity house dedication is perhaps the most moving and satisfying element of working with Habitat for Humanity. Dedication ceremonies provide an opportunity for volunteers, donors, dignitaries, family and friends to celebrate with a Habitat partner family the realization of a dream of owning a home.
This dream became a reality for Sislian and her family during a 16-day blitz build where 400 women volunteered on site and behind the scenes. Some already had lots of experience while others were newly introduced to the many tools, tips and tricks of home construction. Sislian remarked, “I knew that if women were building it then it would be done right.”
Building a Habitat for Humanity house is more than simply a construction project. Wendy Curtis, Habitat for Humanity Northumberland Women Build Chair said at the dedication, “Each of us is a little bit taller, a little bit more enriched and part of an energy that is much bigger than ourselves”
At the dedication ceremony, Sislian had many stories to share, emotions to convey, and people to thank, demonstrating the courage of a woman determined to make a difference in the lives of her daughters – the “fab four” Jessica, Tanesha, Kira and Jaedynn.
Note: One of the many volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity Northumberland Women Build was Sheila Martin, wife of Prime Minister Paul Martin.
WOMEN BUILT HOME
By Sislian Cameron-Walters
New Habitat for Humanity Homeowner
From far and near they’ve come to help,
Hard hats, boots and tool belts,
Ready, willing and able to do,
Partnered off to make a crew.
A safety session before you start
Itching to go and do this art,
A man or two to give direction,
A woman’s touch, it’s done to perfection.
Scaffolds, clippers and saws all,
Women did it from wall to wall,
Walls, roof and siding too,
Women did it, without saying boo.
Drills, saws, hammers and nails,
This house was built by all females,
Sweat, blisters and help from above,
This here house was made with LOVE.
Used with permission | |
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National Student Build in Winnipeg , Spring 2006
By Quentin Sinclair, National Youth Council Build Committee Chairperson
On November of 2004, Habitat for Humanity Canada created a National Youth Council which will develop and implement strategies for getting more youth involved in Habitat’s mission in Canada , at the local and national level. Open to youth across Canada aged 17 to 27, this council lays the foundation for a strong future for habitat for Humanity in Canada .
In addition to developing a fall 2005 outreach and awareness campaign to encourage university and high school students to get involved with their local affiliates, the Council is also organizing the first-ever National Student Build for 2006.
The National Youth Council is pleased to announce that Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg has agreed to be a partner in this exciting project which will bring youth together from across the country in the spring of 2006.
“We have seen a lot of success in building the long term capacity of our affiliates, through projects such as these,” commented Megan Despard, Project Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity Canada. “Women Build projects break new ground for those affiliates who have had them. A Youth Build raises the level of awareness among youth about the mission of Habitat for Humanity, with participants sharing their experiences with their peers when they return home.”
The National Youth Council is currently working to secure funds from corporate and individual donors for the project, with the target of $60 000.
If you would like to know more about the project, want to get involved, or would like more details closer to the actual build date, please send us an email at nyc@habitat.ca. We would love to hear from you!
Measuring the 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project
By Terry Petkau, Director of Special Projects, Habitat for Humanity Canada
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Jimmy and Rosalynn Cartner pose with group in front of house. Photo courtesy HFHI. |
The 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project was a tremendous success, however you measure it. For more information, and photos, please read more.
Measuring by the smiles
It was my privilege to be able to build with the six families in Windsor along with the great team at HFH Windsor-Essex.
From Connie Wong whose house was sponsored by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, who is excited about a fresh start for her two young daughters and who said, “Many members of my family are volunteering on the build site, basically helping in any way that we can. I am so very grateful for this opportunity”
to Catherine Chauvin whose house was sponsored by Windsor Habitat for Humanity’s revolving Fund for Humanity (mortgage payments from other Habitat for Humanity houses which are used to build new houses) who said “I’ve learned that Habitat is all about community, helping people and lifting spirits. I think the people involved with Habitat have the biggest hearts. They are so generous and I’m moved at seeing how hard they work. It makes me want to give more back to Windsor ,”
to Mohamed Farow and Rahma Ali and their five children whose house was sponsored by The Home Depot Canada, Tembec Inc. who are excited about a house which will be adequate for their family and suitable for Mohamed’s disability,
to Al Smoudi/Mstoui, his wife and their five children who were concerned about safety in their old neighbourhood where they had had windows broken and never repaired, and had a problem with mice due to garbage in the neighbourhood whose Habitat for Humanity house was sponsored by Genworth Financial, MCAP, Mortgage Intelligence
to Rana Al-Khulaidi and her two young daughters whose former house had a stream of water running through the basement whenever it rained and who compared her participation in the building of her Weyerhauser Company –sponsored to watching a baby grow up. “I find myself continuously discovering and learning new things about the house,”
to Trish Reaume, a single mom with a 16-year-old daughter, who says,. “When I received that phone call from Habitat for Humanity it was wonderful news! I am very thankful and grateful to have been selected.”
Each of the partner families has a new and continuing reason to smile – a house they can call home.
Measuring by the numbers
Jerry Hollister of Habitat for Humanity Michigan measured the Jimmy Carter Work Project differently, demonstrating the impressive accomplishments during the 2005 JCWP “by the numbers”:
1 Former President and his wife participated
1 Catholicose (the top faith leader of the Armenian Church) participated
1 Miss America (in Benton Harbor ) participated
1 Miss Teen Canada (in Windsor ) participated
1 Governor and her husband participated
2 US Senators participated
3 Cities visited by the Carters ( Benton Harbor , Detroit & Windsor)
4 Caucuses of State Legislature that participated (House Dems & Repubs; Senate Dems & Repubs)
5 Event wide corporate sponsors: Whirlpool, Masco, Dow, Lowes and Great Lakes Capital Fund
6 JCWP homes built in Windsor Canada
10 Number of homes built in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
12 Number of affiliates that built 5 or more JCWP homes
15 Members of congress from Michigan that participated in JCWP (there are 15 members from Michigan )
16 Affiliates that Blitz built as part of JCWP
18 Departments from the State of Michigan that had employees participate
30 Countries represented by volunteers
50 States represented by volunteers
50 Number of state employees that volunteered on JCWP
63 Affiliates that built homes
75 Cities where JCWP homes were built
100 Rocking horses made by DOC inmates (given to families with children
under 6 years old)
178 Houses using the Prison Build Program panelized walls
232 Homes built across Michigan
238 Total homes built during JCWP 2005
390 + people attended Jimmy Carter visit in Windsor
1000 Number of people that will move into the JCWP homes within the next month
6500 Sheets of OSB used by Prison Build Program
10,000 Dollars given to each home for down payment assistance by MSHDA
20,000-25,000 Number of volunteers that worked on a Carter house somewhere in Michigan or Ontario
75,000 Number of studs used to build walls by the Prison Build Program
714,000 Approximate number of volunteer hours to build the homes
9,600,000 Nails driven—one nail for each of the 9.6 million residents of Michigan !
19,500,000 Total dollars raised for JCWP by HFHI, HFHM and the local affiliates
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Who We Are
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the benefits of home ownership to low-income families by building and renovating simple, decent and affordable homes with the assistance of volunteers and community partnerships. This national association was formed in 1985 and today consists of 67 member affiliates throughout Canada who are proud to be part of an international movement that operates in 100 countries and has built over 180,000 homes for approximately one million people worldwide. |
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