Students become humanitarians over seas
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Courney McClure
May 29, 2009
Filed under Student Life
For four East Meck students, spring break meant more than a party on the beach or a road trip out of town. Instead, students became humanitarians.
In the name of Habitat for Humanity, students traveled to El Salvador on a mission to build a home for a family intensely in need, in the middle of a city stricken with poverty. Among the volunteers were juniors Olen Little, Jomani Cheeseman, Rachel Gaylord-Miles, senior Anna Simpson, parent Connie Reed and trip leader Kevin Strawn.
“Twenty years ago a friend came to me with a quiz an organization he’d been apart of created. The first question was: There are one billion hungry people in the world name them. The second was: now name one,” said math teacher Kevin Strawn about the trip’s origin.
The trip began by the group riding through the capital city of San Salvador and witnessing the way of life that existed. To their amazement, it was similar to that found in America.
“They had malls and shops just like the ones back home,” reflects Cheeseman. “Then on the other side of the road was a city not so rich and people living under extreme conditions of poverty,” she continued.
With the help of more volunteers and a block mason named Alvarro, the group constructed a home for a woman, Christina, and her son, Ricardo. The previous mud brick home was nearly destroyed in an earlier earthquake. Their new home was made of steel concrete blocks with a tile floor, and was equipped with indoor plumbing.
“At home we see things about poverty and hunger all the time, but we just turn the channel. This experience has opened my eyes to reality. You can’t just change the channel,” says Cheeseman.
To Simpson, who has worked with Habitat for Humanity in the past, this experience was worth sacrificing her spring break.
“This experience made me want to do more,” Simpson says. “It was totally worth it and I’d do it again in a heart beat.”
Next year’s trip is already underway. Strawn plans to raise more money through fundraisers that could supplement the cost of the trip. He also wishes to have a greater turnout in the number of student volunteers.
“If you are really ready to grow up, come with us to El Salvador next year,” he says.
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