Katerina Zakharenko

Braids for a great cause. Jeimy's house was upgraded by Habitat and since then she added hairdresser and caterer to her businesses. Wow!

Hard to leave. Juan thanked me for noticing him. It just wrecked me... I want to raise even more $$$ for him and others. Please join me.

Happy Holidays! Wishing you success and fun. Because fun without sucess can feel pointless and sucess without fun is just no good.

There was hardly anything here but a hole in the ground when we showed up in November. What a difference!

The outside of Jeimy's house with new plaster. We got such a great deal of good started in Soacha.

Photos of the great work we have done together for the families of Soacha! Jeimy looking ar her almost completed kitchen.

This is Jeimy in front of her house which is currently uninhabitable. We worked on the floors and roof so this can be her home with the kids

This is happy Jeimy & her kids. She worked so hard along with us to fix her house. "Next year I will open a hotel & you stay with me"

Meet Jess the well poised 16 year old volunteer with a new friend. And behind Maicol is getting a photography primer from Mark.

The seniors of Soacha danced for us in dresses made of recycled bags & wrappers. Eager to be in photos so we would not forget about them.

One of the deeply moving experiences of the trip was when the seniors in Soacha gifted us a dance and song performance to say "thank you"!

Cartwheels are fun and wheel barrels can be used to move concrete over and over again to pave a community road.

Oh boy - we never looked this clean since. This is a before the build photo of the team and local community center volunteers.

Hello to all of my generous supporters! Today’s Colombia project update is meant to let you know that the money you help me raise will create lasting shelter that transforms communities.

Colombia is a country of sharp contrasts: while foreign investment and the economy have been growing rapidly in the last decade, 44.7% of Colombians still live on less than US$4/day. This population is located mainly on the outskirts of the main cities, such as Soacha where we are working, and are often displaced from rural areas because of the armed conflict. Families living here work hard – often 2 or 3 jobs – and struggle to find a plot of land and materials with which they can build their houses. On average, a family takes up to 15 years to see their houses completed!

Based on this striking reality, Habitat for Humanity Colombia has chosen to focus its efforts on urban areas, especially in settlements that were informally built by families. Habitat believes that these communities have made a substantial effort in building even the simplest structures, we want to value and enhance what they have done. In other words, Habitat Colombia helps families *complete* their houses, per the definition adequate Housing Quality Standards, so that they can focus on work, school, and their health and remove themselves from the cycle of poverty.

I only have a little bit of time left to reach my fundraising goal of $5,000 goal so if you were putting off donating until later now is the time! As always, thanks for your support in multipying our impact in the world

http://share.habitat.org/katerina-zakharenko-habitat-for-humanity-project-colombia

http://share.habitat.org/katerina-zakharenko-habitat-for-humanity-project-colombia

In Bogota now. My brain is getting a serious workout. This HFH Colombia project is proving to be so much more than building adequate housing for 3 very special families. This immediate distribution of assistance and hope is a very important start. But, this project is also working to challenge us to radically redefine how the global community thinks about housing for the urban poor. Long term solutions lie not simply in the quantity of housing but in its quality. I am learning a lot about sustainable housing and will keep sharing with my community.

Thank you once again to those who have had the opportunity to enable this important work. Feeling inspired.

Help me reach my campaign goal on #Share.Habitat! Check it out: http://share.habitat.org/katerina-zakharenko-habitat-for-humanity-project-colombia