Sara Fairfoot fundraising for Habitat for Humanity Project Colombia

In November I traveled with a team of volunteers to Bogota, Colombia. We spent one week in Ciudadela Sucre -- a neighborhood in Soacha, a “suburb” just south of Bogota -- improving homes and advocating for greater awareness and support from within the country. Soacha’s population includes tens of thousands of refugees from Colombia’s internal conflict who have fled their homes and erected cambuches, or shacks, because life close to the capital city has been safer and offers more services than life in the rural areas they left. The residents of Soacha need safe and stable housing, better public utilities, and paved roads—amenities we take for granted. Will you help me and my team meet our fundraising goal and work for better lives for those in Soacha?

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Extreme need calls for extraordinary solutions. You are invited to join Habitat for Humanity on a transformative journey to turn around an informal settlement in Colombia. You will construct houses and community resources and also rebuild your imagination for what a team can accomplish together.

Are you ready to be part of this team of builders and peacemakers? Email co-leader Flora Calderón-Steck right away to talk about joining us.

Our team’s projectOur Global Village team will be foundation-setters for Habitat for Humanity Colombia’s project. During our November trip we will:

Build and improve houses. We’ll work with families who are currently living in the settlement to improve houses where substandard conditions are causing serious health problems for children.
Get an insider’s view of economic and social development. We’ll meet with private sector actors, partner organizations and government officials to learn about their work to make Colombia a better place.
Improve community infrastructure. We’ll pave a community street to improve accessibility, prevent landslides, improve the inhabitants’ health and support residents in their own community efforts.

Global Village is Habitat for Humanity’s international volunteer program. Teams travel to over 40 countries to work alongside communities, build housing solutions, and experience local culture. Our goal is to change the lives of the people we serve, as well as the lives of the volunteers.

To join a team or learn more, visit www.habitat.org/gv.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in more than 1,300 communities throughout the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.