“This house represents security and peace, a gift that could have only come from God,” expressed Pablo Chacon with great joy as he set the roof for his new home located in San jacinto. Neighbors from the local church worked alongside him, glad to be a part of this grand blessing. For Pablo, this new home has not only given safe and secure shelter to him and his family; it has given him new hope.
Pablo with his daugher MelissaFor at least 35 percent of rural Salvadorans a decent home is only a dream. They live in homes made from sheets of torn plastic, rusty aluminum, crumbling walls and dirt floors. A six-month rainy season adds to the problems as rain and humidity seep into cracks and holes causing property damage and chronic illnesses. Such homes are often built on mountainsides and marginal areas prone to danger as excessive rain makes roads impassable and landslides a constant threat.
For Pablo, his wife Rosa, and children, building a home had been impossible. Pablo, a landless farmer, could no longer make enough from farming to rent land. Even- tually he found work at a local bakery, but the pay was never enough to build a home. The best he could do was to maintain their old home, which was composed of scraps of wood and aluminum.
The situation was even more dire for 90-year-old Erlinda Garay and her daughter Catalina. They lived in a dwelling made from pieces of wood and plastic. At their age, they cannot work and rely only on a small sum of money given to them by a relative. When it rained, they would move and cover their meager possessions no matter if it was noon or past midnight.
During the dry season, their uneven, dirt floor was difficult to navigate; Erlinda is almost blind. And when it rained a stream of water turned their floor into a pool of mud. The Zurisadai Church in their community of San Jacinto has worked with the community association to identify cases like Pablo and Erlinda. The church recognized that addressing the need for adequate housing was a great opportunity to serve its neighbors. They helped to identify both Pablo and Erlinda’s families and 23 others in most need. ENLACE technical staff helped the church and community to design a two-bedroom, electricity-ready, improved adobe block home which cost no more than $6,000 to build. Church members worked alongside beneffci- aries (if able) to offset the cost of labor.
Having a decent roof over your head and a clean dry floor under your feet is nothing short of a miracle for families living in poverty. However, knowing that God is at work through your neighbors who reach out in sacrifice and love is the seed of a community-wide transformation of spirit. In this and many other ways, hope is “made flesh” in Santa Ana, El Salvador.
Pablo's new home. Pablo's wife outside their old home.
Erlinda's new home still in construction.Erlinda, her son and daughter outside their old home.
