I am so proud that we were invited to spend a weekend in El Salvador, building two homes for families in need. We joined in on a project funded by the Key For Key™ initiative started by Concierge Auctions and Giveback Homes to fund hundreds of homes over the last few years.
My colleagues at West + Main Homes enthusiastically sponsored my part of this trip when given a chance to participate, and we are now planning a build day for our agents in April.
Caroline Pinal from Giveback Homes brokered a partnership with Techo, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes young people to fight extreme poverty in Latin America.
She also nailed the logistics, gets full photography credit, and made sure everyone had fun.
Youth of Tomorrow
The children of these communities are what bring the most hope to residents and the volunteers. They possess an infectious optimism that makes you want to fight for them.
They are enterprising and strong. Besides offering to sell us cold drinks on-site, we put in a bulk order of the best donuts I’ve ever had from an aspiring young baker named Angela.
Caroline met a little girl who was carrying big jugs of water back and forth to her home several times a day. There are only a couple of sources of safe water in the neighborhood.
The kids showed us around a beautiful cemetery and down to the river where they wash clothes and jump in to cool off. We played games and chased each other around to wind down.
They’ve known some of Techo volunteers for years and enjoy meeting new visitors too. I wondered if they knew that I still felt like I wasn’t doing nearly enough for them, though.
One billion children worldwide are living in poverty, and more than 750 million people lack adequate access to clean drinking water, and we have the power to change it if we want to.
Building Basics
My team was tasked with building a new home for Juana, a 60-year-old lifetime resident who lived on her own. She was living in a dilapidated structure made of scrap metal and dirt floors.
We started out with the grueling task of digging the foundation, which tested my tolerance for the tropical heat. Just when I thought I was going to need a time out, Juana surprised us with a late morning snack of homemade pupusas that brought me back to life so I could carry on.
I didn’t know quite what to expect when arriving in the La Agujita community early Saturday morning. I had seen photos and videos of past trips, but it feels surreal when observed from a tiny screen in the comfort of your own home where you can can scroll to something else.
I’ve seen homelessness and poor neighborhoods before, but I had never felt like I could help, so it felt good to be able to build in one of these communities with my own two hands.
Day Two was less physically taxing and was focused on the roof, paint, and finishing touches.
Building homes is just the first step in a long transformation. The community needs an upgraded water supply, flood abatement on their recreational fields, and other shared infrastructure.
All Hands on Deck
It is common for people to question a focus on worldwide endeavors when we have problems to solve in the United States. Our agents are involved in the community and build homes in Colorado. But we also believe we can and should help our global neighbors out of poverty too.
What struck me about building a home in Latin America was how quick and seamless it was to finish a project that would take several years to discuss, let alone approve in the U.S.
That’s what makes funding homes and volunteering labor so useful in other countries. We can use our knowledge and resources to eliminate poverty here, in El Salvador, and wherever else it exists. While it can feel overwhelming to decide where to start, our company feels a moral obligation to do everything we can and will expand our work further with Giveback Homes.
We are proud to have enough interest to send a group of West + Main agents down in April.
Thank you to Chad (and your family) for welcoming me and to Betsy, Jane, and Torin of Concierge Auctions for being such incredible teammates. Thank you, Stacie and Madie, at West + Main Homes for prioritizing new opportunities for our agents to pitch in. And thank you, Caroline, at Giveback Homes for championing this and helping our companies do more.
