Global Builders, ROMANIA | Jucu de Sus

This was the moment I’d been preparing for—meeting 11 volunteers in Cluj-Napoca to kick off our week of building with Fuller Center in Jucu de Sus, a bucolic village about 35 kilometers outside of Cluj.

First, The Best Part

Let me begin by saying, for me, and I believe for many volunteers, the best part of being in a community on a worksite is getting to know your teammates and your local crew. The partner families are hard-working and kind. The staff and board members that we met of Fuller Center in Romania are exceptional, and we loved being with them every day. From morning exercises limbering before a day of physical labor, to shared meals, warm hugs and absolutely hilarious conversations using Google Translate, we had so much fun. The work we do is important and meaningful, but also a seriously good time!

About the Homes

The land is leased to homeowners by a local council and the homes, all duplexes, are designed to minimize build costs yet offer families safe, decent shelter. Foundations are built from sturdy reinforced concrete, walls are wood framed with thermal insulation; homes have electricity, running water, and gas heating. For the first time in Jucu de Sus, these homes will also be connected to a centralized sewage system, thanks to an investment of the City Hall and water supplier.

Homes range in size from 35 to 66 square meters (from one to three rooms), depending on the size of the family. Even better, these homes are designed to grow with the family. The foundation and walls are built to carry heavier loads than initially needed, so that in the future the family can expand by adding an attic, creating more rooms, another toilet, or extra storage space.

About the Families

Most partner families have between one and five children and come to the program from situations where they live with relatives in crowded spaces. Others come from small, rented spaces without access to basic utilities such as potable water, flush toilets and adequate heat. Some live in shacks and shelters.

A typical family with whom Fuller Center Romania partners usually has a working mother and father earning minimum wage, an obstacle to obtaining decent housing through traditional mortgage opportunities in an expensive market.

All families become true partners in the process, helping in the construction of their homes and repaying the costs on a no-profit, no-interest basis. Their repayments remain in Romania and are recycled to help the next families get a much-needed hand-up. Therefore, partner families both receive and give back.

How Global Builders Can Help

Local Romanian volunteers actively support these efforts, but international volunteers take the housing program to further heights. Teams bring labor and capital into the program, as well as the very important but potentially overlooked benefits of cross-cultural exchange, building walls yet tearing down barriers.

My team and I worked on the future home of the Bica and Rus families. This duplex #9 needed external drainage set up, which meant digging in the hard soil to later lay pipe and support structures. No easy task. Thankfully, the brawniest (and bravest) of the bunch volunteered to dig, move and pack the heavy dirt into place.

Next door, in duplex #11, a place that two more families will soon call home, the team worked hard on placing insulation in the ceiling and walls then and covering walls with a thick layer of plastic sheeting to insulate and ensure stable temperatures, a smaller heating bill and more comfort for future homeowners.

By the end of the week, both houses were one step closer to that special moment when they become homes.