Today is a long time coming. Planning for our build in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town began nearly one year ago. All twenty of our team mates are here now, safely having flown thousands of miles to join Habitat for Humanity South Africa on our combined mission to eradicate poverty housing from the … Continue reading
Old Man Winter reared his ugly head making departure from the eastern United States difficult for many of our team mates. All but one of our Habitat for Humanity Global Village volunteers has arrived, and with Lady Luck the 20th team member will arrive Monday morning. The rest of us kicked off a fantastic start … Continue reading
The Cape Winelands region of South Africa surrounding Cape Town boasts charming small towns, gorgeous mountain landscapes, and thriving farms and vineyards producing some of the world’s best wine. Just a short drive outside the city center and you’ll be breathing fresh air and taking in spectacular views. Located in the region, the town of … Continue reading
This deliciously light soup was born of a misunderstanding. I was on safari in the spectacular Kenyan Masai Mara lodging at Basecamp Explorer. One evening our waiter, a characteristically tall thin Masai man named Senit, came to our table to announce that evening’s menu. The first item mentioned, “skinny” basil soup. He continued with the … Continue reading
Joseph greeted us with a warm, broad smile at the Kayak Africa reception at Cape Mac Clear on the southern shore of Africa’s third largest fresh water lake. Lake Malawi is so big you’d think you were looking at an ocean. Home to more species of fish than all those in the lakes in North … Continue reading
Safe to say it was the perfect ending to a fantastic week building houses in Thanguli village. Our house dedication and celebration with the community was as festive as any. Filled with dancing, singing and heartfelt words of endearment, it makes it all that much harder to leave. Sharing our intangible feelings is as important … Continue reading
Apart from having nearly finished all the bricklaying on both houses, one thing left an indelible impression upon us today – seeing the inside of Salanawo’s old house. If you’ve been following, you will remember that she is the grandmother caring for her seven orphaned grandchildren. It is absolutely astonishing that this family sleeps in … Continue reading
Another banner day at the worksite! We made a lot of progress on both houses thanks to the hot, dry and sunny weather. The walls are nearly complete. The local craftsman erected wooden scaffolding in order for us to be able to reach the top levels. Once the walls are up, the roof will go … Continue reading
Rain delay. The rains came yesterday afternoon and they’ve decided to stay. Working in the rain isn’t always a problem, but when you are building with “matope” (mortar) made with mud, too much water ain’t a good thing. Dirt roads that turn to mud when they are saturated also would make it challenging for our … Continue reading
Global Staci 