Building opportunity

SMILE! You are about to follow a volunteer Paterson Habitat Build.

Fifteen volunteers. For one week. August 20-27, 2012.
OK. Sounds good. But where?
Only a plane ride to Buenos Aires, where we will build homes in August 2012.

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America. Located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent, this is one of the ten most populated urban metro centers in the world with just under 13 million people. Most of the country's activity is highly concentrated in the city and its surroundings. A favorite for tourists from all over the world, this cosmopolitan city offers a large choice of cultural events, nightlife, restaurants, and pubs.

Contrast this to the metro area’s high poverty rate and substandard housing, and you can see why Habitat’s work here is important. How it will be meaningful for the volunteers who use their skills to build clean, safe homes for local people.

FACTS:

• In the city, 2.8 million residents and a poverty rate of 8.4% in 2007.
• Including the metro Buenos Aires area, about 15 million people and a poverty rate estimated at 20.6%
• Some studies indicate 4 million people in the metropolitan Buenos Aires area live in poverty.

LEADERS:
Barbara Dunn and Donna Brightman have plenty of experience leading groups to locations far from the New Jersey office of Paterson Habitat for Humanity. Dunn has lead groups 6 times to the Mississippi Gulf CoaSt for annual building visits and Brightman most recently led a group to build the 500,000th Habitat for Humanity house in Kenya. Now, they will together lead this team on a Build in Argentina.

Check back to see the progress.