Building homes, building communities
![Domingo Rodriguez and his children in his new house [Marcella Haddad]](/var/storage/images/media_folder/cafod/images/international_images/latin_america_caribbean/nicaragua/domingo_rodriguez_in_his_new_house/136692-1-eng-GB/domingo_rodriguez_in_his_new_house_medium.jpg)
Domingo Rodriguez works as a carpenter, building houses as part of the John XXIII Institute’s housing project. Along with 27 skilled workers from other communities, Domingo built 23 new houses in three weeks in his home town of Cerro Pando in Nicaragua.
“I am the only person in Cerro Pando trained to build houses here. The rest of the community helped with food and labour and water.
"I earn about 100 cordobas a week (that’s £3). That’s when I’m working but I don’t always have work. We will be building 50 or 60 more houses in another community soon.
“Before we had an adobe house made of mud. When it rained it used to fall down. We had a lot of rain last year.”
“In Hurricane Stan we were living here in the old house made of mud” says his wife, Rosa. “There were seven of us in the house. Most of the house was flooded. Thanks to God now the house is much safer.”
Rosa also helped build the house. “I cooked for the 15 people building the house.
In Hurricane Stan we were living here in the old house made of mud... Most of the house was flooded. Thanks to God now the house is much safer
"In the middle of all the work the youngest child got a fever. It was difficult. There was no space and we were all involved in building the house.
“In the old house it was really uncomfortable. We couldn’t have family visits or other visitors. Now we have lots of visitors.
“We nearly couldn’t afford the new house even though we’re both working. We had to borrow some money from my mother to buy sand to complete the house.”
Each beneficiary has to contribute something to the project according to their ability to pay. The John XXIII Institute provides the rest, then collects an additional monthly amount over a period of ten years. The money goes to expand the project and provide more houses for others in the community.
“Now we are thinking of ways to get water to the house,” says Rosa. “We hope there will be a project for this. In the winter when there’s lots of rain, we can’t drink the water here. It’s really muddy.
“We have to walk for half an hour to collect water and half an hour back. If not we can only find contaminated water. At this time of year we can use the water here but when it rains, we can’t.
At the start I only managed to persuade one woman to come to the meetings. Now men are involved too. They can see the importance. They could see education and health and other things improving
“If we get water things will be much better,”says Domingo. If we don’t have rain, we don’t have a harvest. When there’s no harvest we have to search for something to eat.”
The John XXIII Institute has been working in Cerro Pando for four years. Domingo has been coordinator of the housing committee there for two years. There are also committees for education, health and water. Some families in Cerro Pando are already benefiting from water fountains.
“At the start I only managed to persuade one woman to come to the meetings,” he says. “Now men are involved too. They can see the importance. They could see education and health and other things improving.
“Lots of people weren’t interested in the housing committee at the start. Those that didn’t get involved are disappointed now because they don’t have new houses. Now they have to wait for the next phase of building here.”
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