Craig Kirkpatrick fundraising for Colombia-Teton Habitat Team
Craig Kirkpatrick
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From Craig Kirkpatrick
I have been given the opportunity to do good by helping to improve the living conditions for families in Colombia. I invite you to share in this opportunity.
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About Me
I was raised on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Doing good isn't optional; it's compulsory. The Holy Bible is rife with passages admonishing us to care for the needs others. At times I ask myself what I have done for God that he owes me my next breath. The answer is always "nothing," but here I am, still breathing. No matter how much I give, the scales will always be unbalanced in my favor. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul said "As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men." I have found that opportunity is endless, though I haven't always availed myself of it. So much good needs doing and I can do so little. Nevertheless I will do what little I can.
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Our Team
I'm thrilled with the enthusiasm and dedication of our team! Adversity hasn't stopped us. We faced a sudden change of leadership, a change of destination, change in trip length, and an unexpected increase in trip cost, all while our timeframe for fundraising and preparations dwindled. With every new challenge we've adapted and pressed onward. But these complications don't compare to the trials endured by the people of Colombia over the years. Maybe this is simply our small way of sharing in the struggle.
Need in Colombia
5.9 MILLION Colombians displaced since 1985 as a result of violent internal conflict (CODHES, 2014)
3.8 MILLION households do not have adequate housing (according to Ministry of Housing estimates from 2013)
660,000 families are homeless
Our Work
We will build in Ciudadela Sucre, a neighborhood in Soache, Colombia on the outskirts of Bogotá. Past decades of violence drove families here to establish an informal settlement of crude and unsafe housing. We will work alongside Colombians to provide neighborhood infrastructure and housing improvement as part of their continuing community development.
Funding
Our team’s contributions are the sole source of funding for the projects we will engage in.
Our contributions fund 100% of each project we will help with. Work will begin before we arrive and continue after we leave.
$5,000 funds 1 housing improvement project
$10,000 funds 1 infrastructure project
Habitat’s contribution in Colombia
Challenges posed by the informal settlements include lack of secure tenure; lack of access to basic services; poor structural quality; low accessibility to resources for the progressive construction of a house; and unequal access to educational equipment, social and health services, and employment possibilities.
Habitat Colombia enables holistic slum improvement projects led by the communities, with the active participation of public and private partners, donors and volunteers. The goal is to reduce the qualitative housing deficit in urban zones by 10 percent by 2018. This is performed through strategies at the community, sectorial and societal levels.
Global Village is Habitat for Humanity’s international volunteer program. Teams travel to over 40 countries to work alongside communities, build housing solutions, and experience local culture. Our goal is to change the lives of the people we serve, as well as the lives of the volunteers.
To join a team or learn more, visit www.habitat.org/gv.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in more than 1,300 communities throughout the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.
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