Siete de Abril

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Background

Siete de Abril is the largest squatter community in El Progreso, housing over 75 families including 200 children. It is also the poorest neighborhood in the entire city. Families do not have access to healthcare, clean water, or proper housing. Their homes are made of cardboard, plastic and rotting tin, giving them little protection from frequent rains.

Our Projects:

Homes for Siete de Abril

From December 2007 to November 2008, SHH will be constructing homes for families of Siete de Abril. The cinder block houses will be reinforced with steel so that they can withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. Each home will cost approximately $4,000 to build, slightly higher than what was projected.

The men and women of the community will provide sweat equity in terms of labor, and will pay a symbolic amount to reinforce the feeling of ownership. To reduce costs, SHH will produce its own cinder blocks using machinery, and bring down volunteers from the U.S. to help with the construction.

School of Hope

For many years, the children of Siete de Abril did not have a school to attend. They could not afford to travel to schools far away, and could not pay the bus fees or buy the uniforms. Desperate to educate their youth, several parents tried to teach math and reading to the children on a patch of dirt. The kids sat in plastic chairs and shared a handful of tattered books and dull pencils. They could not have classes in the rain and had no bathroom except the jungle.

After one year of planning and construction - in August 2006 - SHH and the villagers finished building a temporary structure for the School of Hope. The CCC, Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Rotary International, and James Monroe High School provided support throughout the year to make this happen. Nearly 100 children attend the school today. Our next challenge is to reinforce the school with cinder blocks and steel.