Homes-for-hope

Homes for Hope is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to improving the lives of families in El Salvador. Through the support of volunteers and donations from local Canadians, they provide safe and secure housing, by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Their mission is to provide hope while improving the quality of life and providing lasting economic change for families and the community. 

Since 2005, a group of citizens from Southwestern Ontario have been travelling to El Salvador to build homes for the impoverished. They have concentrated their efforts on a tiny community just west of San Salvador called Las Lajas. Las Lajas has 3000 inhabitants. The main industry is a large coffee plantation, where most of the people of the village work. In the recent past, however a move was made to grow organic coffee, and the coffee plants became infected with blight, which resulted in no crop, and much financial hardship for the people in the village.

Homes for Hope teams construct new homes for families, distribute donated clothing, medicine and school supplies, and most importantly, provide a sense of hope for the future. Each home is 16’X16’, and costs about $1900 US to build. The homes are prefabricated in El Salvador. 

Rotarian Steve Rae and his wife Carolyn made a trip to Las Lajas, El Salvador to volunteer with Homes for Hope and were impressed and moved with what they witnessed. They encouraged the Rotary Club of Stratford to make a $3000 donation, which Homes for Hope used to sponsor an El Salvadoran doctor to go to the village for a medical clinic once per month. They also were able to purchase a dental chair to be used at the clinic.