Our Habitat Team

Our Habitat team consisted of 16 amazing individuals from all over the world. We had two architects!  Most of the team had participated in Habitat builds in the past, some as many as 10. We had three couples. One of the most inspiring team members, Woody, has Parkinson's disease and starts every day asserting that it is the best day of his life. He and his wife Deb are trying to do one Habitat build a year for as long as they can. One of the strongest workers on the team was a 65 year old, a retired computer network salesperson--he was a machine!

Lake Titicaca!

Our last day together involved a drive to Lake Titicaca, a traditional lunch on a boat, and the opportunity to spend some time on the highest navigable lake in the world.

Bolivian Urban Cowboy Architecture in El Alto

Most of El Alto is permeated by architecture that is brown--tile bricks stacked to make geometric buildings of multiple stories. But from time to time, you can see these fanciful buildings--all shiny, with bright colors, unusual designs. My teammate Pete called this "Bolivian Urban Cowboy Architecture." But there is an architect behind it! Freddy Mamani. More on him here: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/architect-freddy-mamani-transformed-el-alto-bolivia-into-mecca-modern-architecture

Valley of the Moon

Before the build began, the team made a trip to the Valley of the Moon on the cable cars--providing great photo opportunities! The Valley of the Moon is right within the city of La Paz, and is composed of sandstone formed into amazing shapes by the weather.

Last Build Day!

Our last build day involved us getting further along on the sewage hole, laying stones in the new kitchen to start the floor process, then starting to lay bricks on the foundation for the new kitchen. And finally, a moving celebration with the family!

Day Four: The Longest Day

Apparently Thursday is one of the most difficult of all the days on Habitat builds. Our Thursday was pretty brutal. Three of our team members had to stay back sick that day, making our crew even slimmer. But we made more progress on the hole and mixed and poured concrete in the living room.

Gooooaaaal!

After our half work day, we headed to the arena to watch a Bolivian soccer game! Bolivia was playing the worst team in the division. While it started slow, the game ended in a 6-2 win! A super fun way to see a new side of La Paz and its people.

Day Three

Day Three was Wednesday, Labor Day in Bolivia. So we worked a short day. We continued on the septic hole, then dug and laid stones at the entrance to the house--which was previously just dirt. The puppy kept us company throughout the build.

Day Two Progress

On Day Two, we continued with the big hole, digging away with shovels and picks, and using wheelbarrows to remove the dirt. In the house, we removed the concrete floor, leveled the dirt and then placed stones throughout to prepare for the new concrete. We also mixed and poured concrete for the kitchen foundation. I laid about 3/4 of the stones in that room. Very satisfying!

Cooking class!

On our first night, we had the chance to learn how to cook a traditional Bolivian dish in the Habitat offices. The dish includes peppers, corn, fava beans, potatoes and cheese. Ultimately a really rich, stew. Hearty and satisfying.

View from the house

Day One

On the first day, we started to dig a seven-foot deep hole for a septic system. We also started to rip up the concrete in one of the living rooms of the house--it had been poorly poured and the plan was to repour the floor, and then put in ceramic tile. We also started to trench a foundation for a new kitchen.

Our family and team

Our project is part of the "We Are Waiting for You at Home" initiative that focuses on making homes safer for children with chronic illnesses. Through this project, Habitat updates homes by upgrading or building restroom facilities, expanding existing homes, etc.

Our family consisted of the mother, Marina, and her daughter Camilla, who is eight. Camilla has developmental and physical disabilities that require physical therapy and prevent her from attending school. Marina's husband left the family and she is left to support Camilla and her two sisters. Her son works outside the home and helps provide for the family. Both her son and Marina helped us on the build, mixing concrete, collecting rocks, and providing beverages.

We also had an architect and a mason on our team helping to direct and oversee our work.

About the build

I'm back home and on the grid! Here is an update on the Habitat for Humanity Build that I was working on over the past week. More than three quarters of our group had participated in past builds and all said this was the most arduous. The combination of rigorous work and high-altitude was challenging, compounded by the fact that many of us became ill due to the poor air quality and sanitation. But the good news is that we got a huge amount accomplished.

Habitat has spent 34 years in Bolivia, building 14,000 homes, benefiting 120,000 people and training 37,000. Most of Habitat's work is in the city of El Alto. El Alto has 1M people and its own government, is primarily underresourced and home to the indigenous population in La Paz. El Alto has some of the worst traffic in the world--it ranks in the top five.

45% of people in Bolivia live in overcrowded or inadequate conditions. 20% of the population is homeless.