I’m sure for all of you who live here, you
have already heard about this NGO by now, especially in fund-raising time when
you see volunteers in every street light in Managua; but in case someone isn’t
quite clear of how we work, here it goes: TECHO (formerly ‘‘Un Techo Para Mi
Pais’’) is an organization formed by young volunteers that was created in Chile
but spread all over Latin America. The original purpose of the organization was
to help overcome poverty by lowering the housing deficit with the construction
of emergency tenements. Although the construction is the most popular part of
the work, we also have other complementary programs. For instance, we realized
that sometimes there are bigger problems than housing in communities, and
that’s why we started “Habilitación Social” (Social Empowerment) which consists
in forming working groups of volunteers and community leaders to establish
short and long-term goals for the community. TECHO as an NGO does not pretend
to play the role of a “hero” and solve all the problems. Rather, the role of
this social movement is to act as a mediator between the community and society,
and to be there as an always available helping hand. Another project is the ‘‘Catastro’’; this is a
census being currently carried out in the Pacific Region of Nicaragua with the
purpose of determining the quantity, characteristics and location of the
spontaneous settlements in the area. I had the opportunity to coordinate the
census in the 7th District of Managua, and understood the importance
of it because we now have a clearer idea of what we’re dealing with and are
able to do a more organized work.
TECHO just recently started in Nicaragua
and even so, it has shown great results within the country. I think what makes TECHO special is the direct
participation of young volunteers, because what could be a plain and impersonal
construction turns into a bond-creating experience that presents a world
unknown for many of the volunteers that participate. In fact, many agree that
the greatest result of TECHO’s work isn’t the construction itself, but the fact
that it’s breaking down the concepts of social strata. When you go there,
you’re working for and with the families in the communities and this forms an
impression that can be hardly ever forgotten
Finally, I’d like to announce that today
we’re going to start the Christmas Constructions and after more than 4 years of
hard work in Nicaragua, we’ll be celebrating the construction of more than 1000
emergency tenements! I don’t hesitate to say that working in TECHO has been a
life-changing experience for me, and has given me many of the happiest and most
exciting moments of this part of my life. Therefore, I encourage the reader to,
if not join TECHO, at least do something, because "Many small people, in
small places, doing small things can change the world." Eduardo Galeano.
- Eric Ramirez
