Eganville – Families suffering poverty in Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala, will have their lives changed forever this year thanks to a local golf tournament raising tens of thousands of dollars for charity.

The 6th annual Guatemalan Open fundraiser last Saturday was hosted by From Houses to Homes Canada co-founders, Howard Winters and Jeannelle Romain.

From Houses to Homes was founded by the late Joe Collins after visiting Guatemala in 2001 to find the breathtaking country had most of its Indigenous people living in poverty. He partnered with Guatemalan Program Director Oscar Mejia to form the organization.

Despite his partner’s passing in 2015, Mr. Mejia was determined to continue the work they had been doing for the Guatemalan Highlands.

Mr. Mejia met Mr. Winters in 2016 when he went to Antigua to help build a house. Three years later, he approached Mr. Mejia with the idea to form a charity to raise money from Canada for the program.

Since partnering with Mr. Mejia and establishing From Houses To Homes Canada as an official charitable organization in 2019, the Guatemalan Open at Whitewater Golf Club has raised approximately $30,000 every year, 98 per cent of which goes towards funding home-building projects in Guatemala.

The tournament also marked a special occasion since it was the first time Mr. Mejia and his wife, Lorena’s visited Canada.

Ms. Romain said the 13 x 19-foot homes provided two to three times a year by volunteers is strikingly simple yet genuinely life-changing.

“It provides them with a safe area where they can actually close and lock the door, which they have never had many times. So, it’s life-changing for them forever, but it’s also life-changing for the volunteers that come with us,” she said.

“One of the things that Oscar has said in the past is that his goal is for his people to live a life with dignity,” Ms. Romain said. That is something we strive for and accomplish. We have made friends there. We always take the time. We have become friends with Oscar and almost feel like we’re family, so it’s always special for us to be going.

“On the Monday morning, they start with a bare square, and on the Friday, they have given that family a home. Every week, they change family’s lives. We are the ones who are blessed to be a part of it,” she continued.

Volunteers build two homes over a 10-day visit to Central America, and while Mr. Winters says the program is physically demanding, it’s not all work and no play.

“Antigua is actually a world heritage city that was originally the capital of Spain when they ruled that part of the world,” he said. “So, there’s all sorts of interesting history, churches, buildings and things to explore. It’s also become a tourist destination. There are all kinds of places to eat so we like to have enough time to be tourists as well as take care of our humanitarian goals.”

The program costs approximately $2,500 for the 10-day trip since volunteers must pay their way to Antigua, living expenses and a $500 donation. Volunteers can expect a crash course in the local dialect, endless extra-curriculars and a cheap cost of living, allowing them to experience the city’s culture without financial restraints.

“Other than food, the airfare, hotel, parking, any incidental costs like that become tax deductible. So, volunteers get about 40 cents back on the dollar,” Mr. Winters added.

As one of Central America’s poorest countries, Mr. Mejia said breaking his people away from the poverty cycle means a lot to him.

“Since the beginning, we wanted to work with three main goals: housing, education and healthcare,” he said. “That’s what we have been doing all these years. They have been doing a really nice job for us. We are very grateful to them for everything they have been doing for us. That motivates us to continue with our work.”

The program follows a five-day construction schedule consisting of building a foundation, placing walls, pouring the floor, gathering amenities and, finally, painting the walls a colour of the families’ choosing.

The organization funds cinder block homes that include a concrete floor, window, locking metal door, panel roof, cement cook stove, water purifier, bunk beds and a monthly provision of food items for the first year.

“During the pandemic, we thought we were going to have serious problems with our funds, but people that have been in Guatemala, they know what we like to do,” Mr. Mejia said. “They were helping us. They were donating money and we didn’t stop building. That was really nice.

“What we have been doing in so many years is wonderful and we love it very much. It’s very special.

“For many years I considered the organization very small, but now I don’t think you can say that,” he continued. “It’s very special for us and the people are more than happy with everything we provide to them.

Mr. Winters said another way to look at it is the average family has six people.

“Sometimes there’s seven or eight, sometimes there’s four or five,” he said. “So, that’s 12,000 people who have had their lives changed.”

From Houses to Homes has built 2020 homes so far in their time operating. For more info visit fromhousestohomescanada.ca.