While our main region of impact is King and Kittitas Counties, occasionally Habitat staff and volunteers have an opportunity to take their efforts to build abundant affordable housing to far flung destinations through Global Village. The weeklong international volunteer experience happens across five continents and emphasizes collaboration with the local communities. A total of 16 individuals from Habitat SKKC participated in this year’s Global Village, including 14 volunteers and two staff members who served as team leaders. This was our affiliate’s first Global Village trip since we visited Nicaragua in 2018.
For Global Village 2025, the team worked on a home in Siguatepeque, Honduras. The homeowner, Erika, owned the land and applied to Habitat Honduras, where she was approved for their homebuilding program. The group shoveled dirt from the foundation, assisted masons with brick laying, and tied rebar forms that were later set for the house’s walls. During the trip, a Habitat Honduras Board Member volunteered alongside the group, and Erika joined for one day to work on her future home.
Team highlights happened on and off the build site. The team maintained a positive attitude throughout the physically demanding task of shoveling dirt and successfully completed the foundational dirt work by the end of the build week. They also had the opportunity to speak with Martha Robleda, the Executive Director of Habitat Honduras, to learn more about the organization’s work in the region.
Away from the build site, the group toured historical landmarks in the town of Comayagua, gaining insight into the area’s rich history and culture. They also participated in a cacao factory tour at the chocolatier Atucun, where the owner explained the process from cacao bean to chocolate bar as the group sampled a variety of chocolates. Midweek, they visited a local pottery maker who demonstrated her craft and allowed some team members to try shaping clay on a manual pottery wheel.
Throughout the week, the team enjoyed regional dishes such as anafre (a bean and cheese dip), baleadas (meat, cheese, and avocado served a on corn tortilla), fresh plantains, and a variety of fresh-squeezed juices.
Habitat SKKC Volunteer Program Manager Caroline Keck facilitated evening group conversations, where participants reflected on their impact on the local community—and the local community’s impact on them. At one night’s reflection session, volunteer Janet D. praised Honduras, noting that the country’s “superpower is their people.” She appreciated the local community’s warmth and friendliness, and their supportiveness of Habitat’s work in the region.
Homeowner Erika is a devoted mother to her 7-year-old daughter, Ashley. She currently rents a home for approximately $153 (4019, in Lempira, the local currency) per month and lives with her mother, Juana Esperanza, who generously donated the land for Erika’s new house. Erika’s greatest dream is to provide a stable home for her daughter—Habitat SKKC staff and volunteers were humbled and honored to help her work to achieve this dream.
Interested in volunteering? Learn more about Global Village here.
