Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Central Okanagan Public Schools
March 17, 2017 - 9:33 AM
Kelowna, BC – Six Central Okanagan students are off to Central America today to spend their spring break helping to build a house in El Salvador. Students from Mount Boucherie Secondary and Rutland Senior Secondary will travel with their teachers to volunteer for the international non-profit housing organization Habitat for Humanity Global Village.
"As a citizen of the developed world, it's easy to take for granted the security of having a roof over my head," says Jane Newall, a grade 12 student from Mt. Boucherie Secondary School. "The El Salvador trip is an incredible opportunity to embrace a different culture and acquire new perspectives while helping a family in the most meaningful way. Whether locally or abroad, volunteerism is so important to the strength of a community and I encourage everyone to become involved."
This is the fifth time Central Okanagan students will make the trip. Students worked on every phase of a house's construction during their past trips, including laying the foundations, raising the walls, and finishing the interiors.
"We are very proud of these student and teacher volunteers using their time off in such a positive way," said Kevin Kaardal, Superintendent of Schools/CEO of Central Okanagan Public Schools. "Their compassion and hard work will have a real impact, which equips them with skills as well as the knowledge that they can truly make a difference in the world around them."
Habitat for Humanity Global Village estimates that at least half the population of El Salvador lives without decent homes, and that around 630,000 houses are required to meet the country's housing needs. So far, the organization has constructed more than 10,300 houses in the country. The homes they build in El Salvador use metal sheeting for the roofs, clay tiles for the floors, and steel-reinforced concrete blocks for the walls, as each home must be made secure against the natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, that have contributed substantially to the nation's housing crisis.
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