Building hope one house at a time
-Habitat for Humanity
By Edlyn Benfield
Stabroek News
January 5, 2004
Before: Shane Hinds (second from left) and his siblings outside the one-room shack at Agricola where they lived before moving into their Habitat home.
Orlene Berry, a working-class mother once lived in a choked single-room apartment at Agricola, East Bank Demerara with her husband and six children.
"Whenever the rain [fell], the yard would flood and the water [seeped into] the apartment. It was very uncomfortable because the toilet and bathroom were outside and we used to wash wares [dishes] outside too," Berry recalls.
But her life took a dramatic turn for the better, thanks to Habitat for Humanity whose tenet 'Building Faith, Hope and Community' has guided its activities since 1995 in helping numerous families across Guyana to build their own low-income homes.
Berry says she became aware of the Habitat programme through her sons who attended the Bible Way Church where Pastor Ivan John, one of Habitat Guyana's founding members, officiated.
"I [had] already made a down payment of $8,000 on a piece of land through the Ministry of Housing, so I hurry up and pay off the balance of $54,000," she told Stabroek News.
Unlocking a hopeful future: Doreen Hall, one of the first Habitat homeowners, opens the door to her new home shortly after it was officially handed over. Also in photo are her daughter, Michelle, and granddaughter.
According to Berry, in order for a family to qualify for Habitat's assistance in building their home, they need to own a plot of land and contribute at least 250 hours in assisting the workers in the construction process.
Today, Berry is one happy Habitat homeowner, and despite having endured several tragedies including the recent loss of her husband and two of her children within months of each other, she remains strong.
But the memories of when she and her family lived in Agricola are still fresh.
Shane Hinds, one of Berry's sons, is a trained teacher and his twin brother, Wayne, is a draftsman.
"[Me and my siblings] had to share everything, it was difficult to study," Shane disclosed, adding that Habitat provided a home environment that was conducive to personal and professional improvement.
"Habitat gave us a chance to earn respect and improve [ourselves]," Berry remarked." She proudly said her youngest son, Mark, was a Queen's College graduate currently employed as a junior accountant.
Berry, who earns her living as a fish vendor, said she is still paying the monthly instalments on her home and is grateful for Habitat's zero-interest policy.
"Habitat is like family...they made my dream of owning a home come true."
And the same goes for Doreen Hall who along with her daughter and granddaughter (who was very young at the time) were unexpectedly thrown out of the small house on D'Urban street where they had briefly stayed before 2000.
"The owner lived abroad and she came and dumped all our belongings on the road. We put everything under a shop and I used to sleep there to keep watch and my daughter and granddaughter stayed with a friend."
She said that because her earnings as a domestic worker were limited, so were her options.
Eventually, Hall went to live in the Corentyne, where she is from originally, and stayed there for some time before moving into an apartment in Agricola.
"The rent was $5,000 and the place was leaking real bad and we had to run our own electricity and water."
But Hall shared her story with Pastor John with whom she said she had been acquainted for a long time. She had earlier applied for a plot of land from the Ministry of Housing but through Habitat the procurement procedure was speeded up.
But it initially seemed that Hall and some of the other families who had qualified for assistance from Habitat, had reached a dead end. The land which had been allocated to them at Grove, EBD, was not appropriate for property construction because of the soil composition.
"But I insist that they start building my house because I would have to wait three more years and I couldn't [endure] that," Hall stated.
"It was wonderful moving into my own home. It was something very special. As soon as I moved in, it gave me a feeling of hope," she recalled.
According to Hall, although there is no electricity, (Habitat families usually have to make their own application for electrical supply), life has improved for her small family.
"I have a sick foot now so I can't work anymore but my daughter, Michelle, is working and she pays the instalments."
Michelle, a security guard attached to Federal Management Systems, also pointed out that her 14-year-old daughter is better able to study because of their new home.
"It's more relaxing now...you can do whatever you want in your own home," Michelle declares. She noted that Habitat is non-discriminatory and she hopes other low-income families will take advantage of the opportunities.
Habitat Guyana has built nearly 200 homes to date and has affiliates located in Georgetown and Linden, on the East Coast and East Bank and West Demerara.
Information provided by Resource Co-ordinator, Sinikka Henry, indicates that persons seeking the aid of Habitat in building an affordable home should be: able to pay the mortgage (within a period of 15 years at a cost of approximately $5,000 per month), participate in "sweat equity" and prove their level of need.
The houses built by Habitat, according to Henry, are concrete and measure 450 square ft with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and bathroom facilities.
The roofs are made of concrete tiles or zinc sheets depending on the design and although electrical wiring is not provided, plumbing is complete.
Henry said in some instances, water is not usually readily available, but some houses are equipped with a water tank. She also informed that the houses are not painted but are plastered on one side.
Habitat's assessment of the housing deficit in Guyana puts it at over 50,000 with more than 250,000 people living in substandard conditions.
However, an improvement has been seen following the Ministry of Housing's distribution of house lots and the regularising of squatter settlements.
Habitat, which won this year's International Award for Advocacy, has set out to raise a total of $32.4M during this fiscal year which commenced in July.
Sponsorship of one house totals $1.3M in local currency and every year for the past five years, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has advanced $1M for sponsorship of a Habitat house.
In the future, Habitat plans to adopt a `Save and Build' concept in its programme, which would require potential Habitat homeowners to demonstrate financial discipline by forming saving groups to monitor their monthly payments before construction.
The organisation will also explore the use of alternative materials including indigenous and sustainable options but acknowledges that more research and investment would be needed before this can be effected.
Additional ways of getting involved with Habitat include corporate alliances, work teams, volunteer skills, church donations and youth involvement.