1st Esperana House, Oaxaca!

“I am one of those who dare to hope we shall be able to solve the difficulties of the present”. -Joseph Kennedy

(ambassador to England in 1938, with the threat of WWII looming over Europe)

Friday, August 20th:
A generous, gentle and grateful man; his face says it all.

Don Willy is the soon-to-be recipient of the first Esperanza home here in Oaxaca. His community chose him to be the first, knowing how deserving he is. For a man in his seventies, Don Willy’s energy and work ethic is awe-inspiring. He lost his wife two years ago to a drawn-out illness and now rents a small house for himself, his daughter and his two grandkids. To pay each month’s rent and provide for his family, Willy has worked as an ice cream vendor at a high school from 9am-3pm Monday – Friday for the past 15 years. Each morning he walks to the town center where his ice cream cart is parked and pushes the cart along a bumpy dirt road about a mile to the school.

Though my encounters with Don Willy have been brief, he is never without a huge smile and a humble heart. As the recipient of an Esperanza house, it is expected that at least one member of Willy’s family is at the worksite helping to make blocks and construct the home. When our group arrived at the worksite today, not only did we meet Don Willy, but also his daughter and her two children, who will be sharing this new home with him. Even the youngest grandchild, no more than 2 years old, helped in construction of the foundation, carrying rocks no bigger than his little fist to his Grandpa, who received the help ever so patiently and placed the rocks in the foundation trenches with the most delightful smile.

Not only did Don Willy`s family show up for construction of his home today, but so did more than 30 members of Esperanza`s four Oaxaca community groups: Los Olivos del Sol, Cacalote, El Venado, and Rio Grande!! We were amazed by the turn out! There are currently 65 families here in Oaxaca who have partnered with Esperanza in the construction of their home, and the numbers continue to increase! Each community group is at different stages of preparation for the construction of their Esperanza homes. All have purchased land to build on, and many are in the process of saving money for construction, which will begin in January or February 2011. The Rio Grande community is in the process of making 2400 Ado-blocks for each home to be built in their community, as posted in day 1 and 2 of the Esperanza blog. The Los Olivos del Sol community, of which Willy is a member, has begun construction on the homes! Today, the volunteer group I´ve been co-leading this week, helped to dig the foundation trenches of a man named Maoru`s home, as well as pouring the floor of Willy`s house!

Happiness IS.
Don Willy and his NEW floor!

For photos and more info on this Esperanza home-building process and the experience of our first-ever volunteer group here in Oaxaca, Mexico!! Head to the Esperanza blog where Ive been doing updates: http://esperanzaint.blogspot.com/2010/08/oaxaca-trek-day-4.html

Con mucho amor (with much love),
Hana T.