Welcome to our first day of work in Ramabanta. Our painting group headed out to a school about twenty minutes from where we’re residing. Upon our arrival, we met with the principal, who laid out the main concepts for each room, grades 1-7. Starting with grades six and seven allowed us more time due to the intricate details. We mapped out with tape our spaces for both rooms to apply our base coats. After hours of waiting due to the cool, damp weather, we decided to move to other grade rooms in hopes of making further progress so tomorrow we can begin our designs for each grade. I’m in charge of the sixth-grade solar system and am excited to start tomorrow. To end my day, I sat by the fire working on a puzzle.
-Taryn T.
Hey, I’m Nick Lumpkins, and this is my second time coming on this trip. I’m really glad to be back. Today was our first workday here in Ramabanta, and I’ll be working with the group helping build a Habitat for Humanity house.
I’m definitely not artistic enough to be doing all the painting and creative work that the other group is doing, so construction is a better fit for me. The day started with a little rain, but it cleared up quickly and warmed up once we got to work.
We spent most of the day working on the house. My favorite part was probably forming a chain to pass cinder blocks up the hill to the building site. We laid a lot of cinder blocks for the walls, mixed cement, and worked on preparing the dirt floor so it can be covered with concrete tomorrow.
The house sits on a small hill in the village and is about 10 by 20 feet. It will be home to six people: a grandmother, two parents, and three children. Knowing who this house is for makes the work feel even more meaningful.
I’m really happy for this family and grateful to be a part of this project again. It’s been great working alongside this group, and I’m looking forward to the rest of our time here.
-Nick L.