Previous | Next 

Winnipeg, Man.
MCC builds more than just homes in El Salvador


When Albert Heide of Winkler, Man. flew to El Salvador this past spring, he went expecting to help local residents rebuild their homes in the wake of the devastating earthquakes in January and February. He left two weeks later with a lot more than he had expected.

“We felt we were going down to make things happen, but when we got there, we found we were building more than just homes,” Heide says.

Heide says the Canadians provided physical labour, but more importantly, they brought a much-needed injection of morale. “We were helping people get back on their feet.

An estimated 1100 people were killed and another 1.5 million were left homeless following the earthquakes that destroyed a number of schools and hospitals. Much of the country lost electrical power as a result of landslides and tremors that followed the initial shock.

Mennonite Central Committee sent three teams of eight people from Manitoba to work in the community of La Linea for two weeks at a time. The village of about 400 people is located a half-hour southeast of the capital city of San Salvador.

“Many people live in poverty,” says Heide. “Some homes are little more than a tarp. To be honest, we could not always tell which homes had been damaged by the earthquake.”

Heide and his co-workers worked alongside members of a small Baptist church located in the community. Together they built 140-square-foot homes on concrete pads and used pressed fibre sheets for walls and corrugated tin for roofing material.

Heide says he was overwhelmed by the giving nature of the Baptist church members. “Some of them were helping people who were better off than they were. Things are different when you look at poverty, where people are simply fighting for survival.”

Heide says he feels good about what he and his co-workers were able to accomplish during their short-term stay, adding he would like to return to continue what the group started.

A woman from the community came with tears in her eyes to thank them. She said she felt that her community had entertained angels.

“I think God had a plan,” says Heide. “We were able to energize the people of the church – to help themselves. Now they will go on to help others.”

Approximately $300,000 was raised by communities in southern Manitoba for El Salvador. The money will be used to build 100 homes.

 – from an MCC Manitoba release

Previous | Next 

Last modified November 30, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
Masthead and usage information.