Teamwork in Trinidad

Last month, a team of 6 volunteers spent a week in Trinidad on a Habitat for Humanity of Omaha Global Village trip. This was not Don Browers’s first Global Village trip through Habitat Omaha. He has traveled to Haiti (2012), Romania (2013), Paraguay (2013), Macedonia (2014), and Argentina (2015) partnering with Habitat all along the way.

“We worked on a house for a delightful woman, Christiana, and her extended family of children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren,” Don said of his latest Global Village trip.

Global Village trips allow participants to experience another country and culture while helping build decent, affordable shelter alongside members of the volunteer team and the host community. It is a life-changing experience that often results in lifelong relationships. This team, like the majority of other Habitat Omaha Global Village teams, was filled with volunteers from Omaha, making it even easier to stay in contact and build upon relationships after the trip ends.

“In fact, we have a post-trip barbecue already planned for June 1st. It will be fun to relive our memories of the trip,” says Don.

Meetups are not uncommon with group members from all over.

“On May 14th my Romania team is meeting for a 5-year reunion dinner, which I know will be great fun!”

When Don and the other volunteers landed in Trinidad then arrived at the house, the floor and walls were almost done.

“The walls were made of the typical red-clay tile blocks,” Don recounts.

The team had two main objectives: digging large holes for the septic system and pouring concrete to form an apron around the home’s perimeter for rain water drainage.

The biggest challenge the team faced, Don says, was the abundance of potholes on their 30-minute drive to and from the worksite every day.

“As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoy the Global Village experience,” Don says with a laugh. “With a Global Village trip you get to experience a country on a whole deeper level than you would as just a tourist. You also get to meet and work alongside the Habitat families and see firsthand how owning a clean, safe and comfortable home means so much to them and how that improvement in their lives will ripple through generations to come.”

The need for clean, safe and affordable housing is everywhere, locally and abroad. Owning a home strengthens both the family and its community. Don shares that he admires the Habitat model of a hand up, not a hand out.

“A Global Village trip is a vivid reminder that as human beings, no matter where in the world we live, we are all connected.”