Habitat Kenya puts Sustainability into Action

My husband and I have gone on over 15 overseas builds. Over the years we have become aware of how important it is to check our actions and motives to include sustainability of the program as a priority. I know “sustainability” has become a popular catch phrase and an elusive one to describe, but we saw it in action in Kenya. James Waitaka is the in country leader and he has a wonderful ability to work with and build up the local community. A panel of men and women from the community chose the family who would be helped. Everyday a dozen people would come to the site to help mix concrete, haul concrete, and tie rebar. We learned about the school that was built with the community so the children didn’t have to walk so far to go to school. We worked with a young man who had been trained as a mason through his work with Habitat. And the bricks we used to build the house had been made by the local women using a machine Habitat supplied. This job provided income for their families. We came away with a real sense of how Habitat can function at it’s best. It is with joy in our hearts that we continue to support the work they do there.