Time to Get a House Built

• Elsat's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Tacloban City

Trip Start Jul 27, 2011 Previous
Entry Trip End Dec 14, 2011 Next
Entry

  Tacloban City, Visayas, Philippines
Thursday, September 15, 2011

Hello Everyone,
Today was a long, hot day here in Tacloban, unusually hot for the season even.  There was no beach trip today to cool off either.  Instead today the director of VFV, Aldous, and one of the sponsorship coordinators, Crisel, took Erica and I to assess the prospects of VFV's next Build-A-Home Project.  My sister Sarah and an organization for graduate students at MSU made it their mission to raise enough money to fund a build-a-home project.  VFV's build-a-home project does just what its title implies, they raise enough money so that a sponsored family living in unsanitary or unsafe living conditions can have a new simple home built just for them.  The minimum amount to build a home is 800 US dollars. My sisters organization was easily able to achieve and surpass this minimum, most importantly through my sister Sarah's motivation and generosity.  To her hard work I am truly grateful.  The donations did not stop there, however.  Through the unfortunate passing of my Aunt Madelyn's father, we were able to raise enough money in his memory to put the funds at 1000 US dollars. Again thank you to those who were able to donate to this cause. Allowing us to have a greater ability to build a sufficient home for one needy sponsored family.  I am pleading and praying currently though, that the donations will not stop here.  A thousand US dollars builds a family a home here, but only the home, and not a bathroom.

I would like to propose to all of you to really think about what it would be like to not have a bathroom in your home.  To squat outside your house to do your business without privacy or sanitation. Imagine that every time it rained the area where you live would flood to nearly 4 feet of sitting water. At the same time imagine where your drinking water would come from if you did not have running water in your home.  Now think about how much money you would be willing to pay to have a bathroom added to your own home if one did not exist?  My guess is, is that you might pay quite a bit for this much appreciated America luxury.
The sponsored family whom we are going to be able to build a home for does not have this luxury, or even the prospect of creating such a simple "pleasure".  I want to make myself clear, I am not asking all of you to donate your life savings, your grocery money, or your weeks pay check.  I don't want any of you to give up an amount you can't live without, especially if you yourself are struggling in the current economy.
First of all, I am asking for your prayers, that the people out there reading this who can afford to donate will feel called to do so.  And most importantly for you to pray for the sponsored family who is currently staying with their loving family members while they are homeless.
Secondly I am hoping and praying that 45 of you would be willing to spend 20 dollars towards building this family a bathroom.  The donation process is as easy as buying something online, through the support my travels button on my blog.

Think about it, pray about it, and imagine what your help could do for this family.


-Elsa

Please email me with any questions, thomaels@mail.gvsu.edu.

Slideshow Share

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Grandmother's home

Previous Entry Next Entry