'Winter in VM is a whole different ball game to VM in the summer. The cold for a start - its cold enough for a group of westerners in thermal sleeping bags but when you're living in a shack made of scrap metal and cardboard - the whole family huddled together in one bed, it's a harsh reality. It's a reality that is on record as one of the coldest winters Lima has known for decades and has resulted in the deaths seen the deaths of many children in VM.
To replace a shack with a sturdy wooden house can cost as little as 150 quid and takes surprisingly little know how. Given that my DIY prior to the project stretched to a slightly wonky mirror frame I was surprised to find myself confidently building a door frame and calculating the measurements for a sloping back wall - and trust me, maths was never my hot subject. Thats what's so great about the building project - you don't need to be a mathmatecian or an engineer you dont even need to be particularly strong and fit you just need to want to see these families happily installed in a warm home. Whilst I'm not undermining the very important work that gets done in VM throughout the rest of the year, the difference with construction is that you have a physical 'product' at the end of it. There in front of you is a house that YOU and your fellow team members built. As if standing back and seeing it complete wasn't enough, the tears of gratitude of the mothers and the disbelieveing head shaking of the men who laughed at the idea of a group of (largely female) gringos building ANYTHING gives you an incredible sense of pride.'
Sarah Benson, Villa Maria, 2007
Achievments 2007 Team: