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El Salvador Update Archive
July 2010
- Thrivent Financial member's life changed – wants to change more lives
- New proposal for Sustainable Livelihoods Program offers an opportunity to give!
- How to donate to the Villa Esperanza Sustainable Livelihoods Program
- Stay involved! – Advocate and Volunteer!
- Send us your story
- El Salvador Update Archive
A Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member had a life-changing experience in El Salvador – and now wants to change more lives.
When Thrivent member Todd Sipe signed up for a Thrivent Builds Worldwide El Salvador Community trip he admitted to being nervous. He had never traveled to Central America and he had many questions and some apprehension about what to expect.. When he spoke with his team leader about his expectations for the trip, he had only one: "Just change my life. That's all I ask…just that one thing."
Todd arrived in El Salvador and was greeted with both intense heat and exuberant hugs from the Habitat for Humanity El Salvador volunteer coordinator. As the week went on, he was the first to volunteer for the hardest, dirtiest tasks, including digging a nine-foot deep hole for a septic system.
Todd eagerly interacted with the Habitat masons and the family members in the community. He didn't speak much Spanish, but he found ways to share stories through gestures and a few words. As the week of building came to a close, Todd was tearful as he stood in front of his team mates and the Villa Esperanza community to thank them from the bottom of his heart for giving him an experience that did exactly as he'd asked: it changed his life.
When he returned, Todd Sipe – who is also the president of Thrivent Financial Bank – wanted to do more to help the growing Villa Esperanza community. All he needed was a way to channel those funds and enthusiasm.
A new proposal from Habitat for Humanity El Salvador makes giving more to the Villa Esperanza community possible!
Many Thrivent Financial members, like Todd, have returned from their Thrivent Builds Worldwide El Salvador Community trips and expressed an interest in doing more for the Villa Esperanza community after they've returned home. In response to this grassroots interest from members, Habitat for Humanity El Salvador is creating a new Sustainable Livelihoods Program in the Thrivent Builds Worldwide community, Villa Esperanza. When completed this year, Villa Esperanza will provide homes for more than 75 families.
In this next step toward holistic community development, the Sustainable Livelihoods Program could help the 135 families in the community learn new skills and produce marketable goods that can help generate sufficient income for their families. Read the full proposal (PDF, 656K) to find out more about the project, budget and methodology.
The full project budget is approximately $155,000. Thanks to the generosity of a Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member in North Dakota, Habitat for Humanity El Salvador has already received a $50,000 donation! Will you help raise the rest?
Todd Sipe has issued a challenge to his Thrivent Builds Worldwide El Salvador Community team and is providing seed money to raise funds for the proposed Sustainable Livelihoods Program. He encourages you to do the same!
How to donate to the Villa Esperanza Sustainable Livelihoods Program
There are two ways to make a tax-deductible donation to the Villa Esperanza Sustainable Livelihoods Program (PBF Code SV08001).
- Telephone: Call Habitat for Humanity International at (800) 422-4828. Explain that you would like to donate to Habitat for Humanity El Salvador, specifically to PBF Project Code SV08001.
- Mail: Please make your check payable to Habitat for Humanity International and write PBF Project Code SV08001 in the check memo. You can send it to:
Habitat for Humanity International
121 Habitat Street
Americus, GA 31709-3498
Unfortunately, online donation is not an option at this time.
Stay Involved! Advocate and Volunteer
Advocate Your Support for the El Salvador Community
- Recruit future participants by using the prepared El Salvador Community recruitment materials, including a bulletin insert, newsletter article and a program fact sheet.
- Share your experience by using the prepared El Salvador Community post-trip resources, including a PowerPoint template and a post-trip news release.
- Watch the El Salvador Community Video, featuring inspirational and motivational interviews of trip leaders, team participants and partner families.
- Read printed trip participant stories, featuring heartfelt experiences from an El Salvador Community trip participant in a creatively designed travel diary brochure.
- Read about all the global volunteer teams working with Habitat El Salvador, posted on the Habitat El Salvador blog.
- If you're on Facebook, join the Habitat for Humanity - GV El Salvador group, become a fan of Hábitat para la Humanidad – El Salvador and become a fan of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans!.
Volunteer as a Team Leader or Team Participant
- Join an existing trip
- Be a team leader – Recruit teams of 10-13 volunteers for one of the 32 teams between January and September 2010. The price has been reduced to $695 for members!
- View weeks available to lead trips in 2010 (PDF, 31K).
Send us your story!
Have you been part of a Thrivent Builds Worldwide El Salvador Community trip? Do you have stories or photos you'd like to share with others? Send them to Nicole Doebert for consideration in future issues of the El Salvador Update. We want you to share the experience and inspire others to help!
El Salvador Update Archive
If you would like to read previous issues of the El Salvador Update, simply access the El Salvador Update Archive from this link or from the left navigation bar.