The focus of our build team’s work will be building a 3-room home in just 5 days! Many of the outlying villages are scattered with homes made of wood or bamboo and covered by rusty tin roofs. The inside of homes are typically sparse with only the most basic necessities; a fire pit to cook meals, ceramic jugs for holding water and mats woven from Palms which are rolled out onto the dirt floor at night and used for sleeping. Due to the lack of resources, women and children often suffer most from the poverty.

Children are malnourished and forced to work to help provide for their family. With an already extremely high illiteracy rate, the problem continues to grow. Although many public schools are free, uniforms, books and transportation are still a required expense. Rather than learning in classrooms, many children spend their days rolling wicks for fireworks to help with the income. This job provides an average of $.10/400 fireworks or $10 for a full week of work. In addition, although agriculture provides for 50% of the labor force, residents continue to struggle through seasonal labor on coffee, cotton and sugar plantations.

Working with local pastors, a family is chosen to receive a new home at which point our team goes to work on building them a new home. The homes are 3 rooms with a tin roof and concrete floor. The Casas house we build will last many years and is considered a big upgrade for whomever receives one.

San Raymundo is the town we use as a base of operations and the build site is within the outlying smaller villages, usually within an hour drive. As you leave San Raymundo you will see more poverty as the main way to earn money is mainly fireworks manufacturing and/or farming.

With the help and management of Casas Por Cristo local pastors choose a family for us to build a home for.