With a safe haven from filthy, rat infested garbage, hundreds of garbage dump dwellers now live in homes built by International Samaritan. These simple dwellings transform lives and work real miracles by giving people indoor plumbing, electricity, and a small garden. Each home costs so little, but each one gives a family a chance to break free from the chains of poverty.

"My children no longer wake up with the nightmares they had sleeping in the dump. Our family is healthy because we have clean water, electricity, and warmth. We have a great place to be a family…I will always be grateful."

--Nina Mendez, Resident, Colonia San Juan Housing Project

God Never Makes Mistakes.

Brenda López is a 44-year-old Guatemalan working woman whose only sin was to be born in poverty.

Never able to attend school, she had to make a living by collecting recyclable materials in the landfill.

All her life, Brenda's goal was to have her own house, but this was difficult to achieve by working in the landfill of Guatemala's capital city. Money was always scarce. Six years ago her family lived as squatters in an empty lot next to the garbage dump. For a long time they lived with no protection against the weather, garbage, animals, and crime.

Brenda's family of seven children, her husband, and her mother endured years of living in a 13x16 foot lot, with neither a real roof to protect them, nor walls, water and electric services, or sewers. Her children were often ill and, as there was no money to take them to the doctor, Brenda had to treat them herself.

Brenda recalls the many sleepless nights spent carrying out the rainwater that filled her improvised "house" made of cardboard, nylon, and random, jagged sheets of aluminum.

"Sometimes I had to get up because the worms emerging from the garbage kept coming into the house,” Brenda says, describing the tribulations they had to bear for lack of a decent home. “I had to burn them with a candle or a burning stick, and cover up my kids' ears so these bugs wouldn't crawl inside."
 
But that was not the worst.

One day while Brenda was away working, an acquaintance entered their improvised, door-less house and raped one of her daughters. As a result, her daughter got pregnant.  Their search for the man responsible was fruitless; he had already fled the area. Despite feeling helpless, Brenda took care of this baby as if he were her own son.

Though she does not know the exact date, Brenda recalls working in the rubbish dump when one of her sons brought news she would receive a house. At first she thought it was a joke, but facing her son's insistence, she finally accepted the truth.

"Some foreign people spoke to me and explained they were going to build my house,” Brenda recalls, still excited. “I couldn't believe it, and I almost fainted.”
 
"They built my house in a few months; now we don't have to carry water out, now we have electricity and a safe place to live," Brenda says. "International Samaritan put an end to our ordeal of being without a real home; now my kids are happy, some of them are in school and others work with my husband. Little by little, we are getting ahead,” Brenda said, smiling. "God and International Samaritan fulfilled my dream."
 
The security Brenda's family needed came in the form of concrete and cinder blocks of the best quality, a real roof of metal sheets, and strong metal doors. In addition, the house has 2 bedrooms, a living room, dining room, and kitchen, small bathroom, and laundry area.
 
Moreover, Brenda's children now attend the Francisco Coll School, an institution supported by International Samaritan.

"God never makes mistakes," Brenda says. "Now that I have my new home I look forward to my kids' graduation. I also want to build a second floor even if it is made with aluminum sheets to begin with." Brenda is setting goals and assures us she is going to achieve them.

Though we have been able to help thousands like Brenda, the massive human suffering that goes on in garbage dumps continues worldwide. Now in six different countries, International Samaritan is the only organization serving the chronically poor of the Third World's garbage dump communities. But we cannot do this alone.

Please take a moment today to continue your support of this important work, with a generous contribution to International Samaritan. Together, we can help others know that God never makes mistakes.

Q. How many houses has International Samaritan built?
A. Working in partnership with national and local governments, hundreds of homes have gone up. But International Samaritan does not do it alone; municipalities provide access to electricity, water, and sewer services, and many of these houses were constructed by volunteers while on IS Service Trips.

Q. Where have you chosen to implement the housing program and why?
A. We are building homes in Guatemala, Honduras and Egypt. This is where garbage dump community populations - and thus the needs - are greatest.

Q. What impact has International Samaritan's housing program had?
A. A house means stability, hope, self-respect, safety, better hygiene, security, and more privacy. Free from the contagion of dump living, families enjoy healthier, happier lives. Children living in houses built by International Samaritan perform better at school. Knowing their kids are safe at home, parents can work longer, allowing household incomes to rise 12-15%. Families are also able to safely keep what they collect from the dump and sell these items when necessary.