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Students to Build 280 Houses During Spring Break for Tijuana's Underprivileged
San Diego-Based AMOR Organizes 4,600 Students to Provide Shelter
And Hope for Region's Poorest Residents
SAN DIEGO, April 6, 2001 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of students will begin arriving in Tijuana on Sunday, April 8 to celebrate their spring break by building 280 homes for the city's poorest residents.
According to AMOR, the San Diego-based non-profit community service and home-building organization sponsoring the trip, more than 4,600 students from across the United States and Canada will work and live in Eastern Tijuana over the next two weeks, building adequate shelter for Mexico's underprivileged and sharing in a unique experience.
"With stories of wild students coming to Mexico on spring break to 'tear up the town,' our volunteers represent an inspiring contrast as thousands of young people dedicate their vacation to help build a community," said Gayla Congdon, AMOR founder and chief development officer. "The mission of AMOR and our volunteers is much more than just building houses in a developing nation. Collectively, we strive to understand the conditions of poverty through immersion, and bridge the gaps between the United States and its international borders."
According to Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Geografia e Informatica, there are more than 3 million people in Mexico currently residing in substandard housing.
Built by students ranging from junior high school to college age, the AMOR homes provide much-needed shelter for the region's most needy residents. Most recipient families currently live in makeshift shacks built of tarps, cardboard and other recycled and cast-off materials.
The homes will be built in the Eastern Tijuana neighborhoods of Altiplano, El Florido, El Pipila, Rio Vista, Mariano Matamoras and Valle Verde. Consisting of a slab floor, wood frame and stucco walls, the homes are typically 11'x22', about the size of a two-car garage. Two types of homes will be constructed: single-room houses for families with fewer than five members and two-room homes for families of six and more.
During the spring break trip, student volunteers will experience life much like those they are coming to help, sleeping in the tents without running water, electricity, and other First-World comforts. Unlike their beneficiaries, however, AMOR students are guaranteed meals each day.
Students will wake up at 5:30 each morning, and work in teams from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers contribute to all home building processes, including clearing and leveling land, pouring foundations, framing, roofing, and applying stucco.
Students are recruited mainly by word-of-mouth from past student participants.
"Before participating in AMOR's spring break project, I never experienced the daily hardships of real poverty - people living without running water, electricity and regular meals," says Mindy Estes, former AMOR student volunteer. "I returned home with new appreciation for the many blessings in life, and now have a much deeper respect for family, community and volunteerism."
Homes are provided at no cost to recipient families, who have been selected based on need and ability to gain title to land on which the homes will reside. The material costs of constructing each house is approximately $1,000, which is funded entirely by program fees and private donations raised by AMOR.
The home-building trips average five days, with a $140 participation fee paid by each student to help underwrite the costs of building the homes. Most participants are members of various secular and religious community service groups, and have completed a variety of fundraising activities to pay the associated transportation and trip costs.
About AMOR
AMOR is a San Diego-based, non-denominational and nonprofit organization dedicated to building hope throughout the impoverished communities of Mexico. By constructing much-needed homes, schools and community buildings, AMOR unites students from throughout the United States to help families of all faiths in dire need. Funded by donations and program fees, AMOR provides homes to occupants at no cost.
AMOR-sponsored building trips are held year- round, and are open to students of all ages and in various secular and religious organizations.
Since 1985, AMOR has built more than 6,100 houses in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Puerto Penasco. For more information about AMOR, please visit http://www.comebuildhope.com.
SOURCE: AMOR
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