Reconstruction Project Santiago de Chile - A Sucess Story!

It all started November 8th, 2009.

It was a horrible night. The tragic memories are still very much alive. With every raindrop that falls, young kids smiles are erased by the fear of another bad storm. The area of San Vicente still morns the deaths of innocent people, many of which were women and children. New houses are built and fresh monte grows over the boulders that came crashing down in absolute darkness.
With my new job with Habitat for Humanity, I am working in a new community made of 50 families that lost everything that night, everything except the sounds, smells and terrifying memories of what Mother Nature can really do. ‘Don Jim, I really like our new house, I just don’t like that I can still see the volcano because it scares me’, an 8 year old girl from my new community confides in me. A lot of innocence was lost.

A week after the destruction, while the local pueblos were still in the beginning stage of healing, I went home for two weeks. Amongst a range of emotions I was scared. It had been 20 months since I had last touched US soil and my current living situation was very different to my Michigan way of life. Confronting who I was in Michigan with who I am here in El Salvador while trying to make sense of the scariest night of my life made me very uncomfortable.

A little over six months later, I am still in awe of everything that has happened.

Walking into the Crow’s Nest with Erin Williams (a dear friend that was a major player in this project), I remember thinking – I hope we raise a few hundred dollars to help get the people from my community back on their feet. This was before I shook hands and hugged just about everyone that I have ever met from the Plymouth Canton area. Everyone that I had met in 20 some years all in the same night. The emotional support that I received and the financial backing has led us to have unprecedented success in our efforts to give people a sense of security. It has also taught me so much about compassion and the desire to help that we as US citizens have. My words will not do justice to what my eyes have seen and to what my heart feels.

From a numbers standpoint, the Santiago de Chile Reconstruction Team (because WE are a team) collected donations varying from quarter collections to large checks. The spark that started in the Plymouth Canton area led to people that I have never met that live in other states donating to the cause. All in all, your support and the hope to collect a few hundred dollars has been the base of a collaboration between Peace Corps and multiple levels of AID: local mayor and advisors, the governor of our department, the National Ministry of Living of El Salvador, the Catholic Church and a serious of NGO’s and other organizations: CoCoDa, Intervida, Rotary Club, Lions Club, and Save the Children.

We recently held an event to celebrate the success of our project and give thanks to the hundreds of people that helped. That day, all of you back home were applauded. The day also was my going away party now that I live in a new area and have a new job. I had already moved away from my community and was too busy with new work to help out with the ceremony plans - the community organized everything. Upon arriving to my old home here in El Salvador I was blown away by the community response. Here is a look into the final day of our project:

We designed a sign to help commemorate the project, its purpose and all of its sponsors. Once I am able to access some files on my laptop, I will be putting up the actual design so that all of you can see it from close-up. Here it is hung outside of the community's meeting area.


Inside the meeting area the community set up a table of honor where I was joined by the governor of La Paz, our mayor, a Catholic priest from San Salvador and representatives from many NGO's.

The man speaking is my former counterpart.

A shot from the table of honor. As you can see, many people attended. The kids in front started the ceremony off by singing the national hymn - probably the cutest thing ever.

Here, the governor of La Paz shares with us some words about the tradgedy and our projects efforts.


My favorite moment of the day. Another counterpart of mine, Miguel, came up and gave us his words, "Jim, after the time you have spent and the project that we have done I do not look at you as a North American or a volunteer. It is clear that we are brothers." I cannot tell you how touching that was to hear after being away from home for so long.

Then of course, the gringo had to speak.

I had a million things to say, but after listening to the kids sing and the kind words of my counterparts I had to fight to keep the tears from falling:

This project is not a series of walls that we have put up after a tragedy. It is a symbol of what can happen when a group of people who are compassionate and willing to allow a complete stranger that comes from a different country and speaks a different language into their home. Because when that level of trust is offered, skin color, nationality and other differences cease to exist. I hope that we all look at the retention walls today and remember that there are hundreds of people in the United States that even though have never been here or met all of you care about who you are and how you live. If anything, I am blessed because I have lived with both groups of people and now from personal experience know that we are all equal. Where I do look different and come from the United States, from this day forward, I have two homes and consider myself a member of Santiago de Chile. Thank you so much.

A shot of my with our mayor and Father Quintanilla, Catholic priest from San Salvador

The entire community walked the project and then at the top where we started our work (remember all those shots of the tubes?) Father Quintanilla blessed the community and our hard work.

A shot of me with Miley, my 2 year old sister from Santiago de Chile. When I moved here, she couldn't walk. Now she runs and talks.

At the end of the ceremony, my counterparts presented me with a plack for my time spent in the community and the success of our project. I will be taking a close-up shot to put on the blog for all of you to see. This plack is not for me, it is for all of you. My job was easy. I have been here for the last months working and learning - doing what I love. That has been my reward. If it wasn't for all of you none of this would have happened.

More than just a fundraiser, more than just one project, the last six months have completely changed my life. I had never worked in disaster relief before this. Now I write to you as a Habitat worker who specializes community organization working with victims post-tragedy. As I look to the future, I also want to go back to school keeping in mind all that I have seen and experienced here. Peace Corps and this project truly have touched me.

A special thanks goes out to all of my friends and family. To everyone that participated. There is no way that I could ever repay you. Just know that there halfway up a volcano, in a rural, coffee planting area that there are 500 people that sleep a lot better at night because of the relief that you have provided. I have personally seen the effect, and it is without a doubt a miracle.

To my mom and dad - thank you for understanding when I said, 'I'm thinking about doing Peace Corps'.

To my entire family - from all the letters, packages and support during this project. What a great family I have.

To Erin Williams and her family - thank you so much for jumping right in. Your energy and motivation to talk with the press and design the fundraising night made everything possible.

To Father Matthew - I will never forget walking into your office as a scared kid to talk to you about El Salvador. Over two years have passed. Thank you so much for you support. It has been such a blessing.

To Wayne Titus, Deacon Don and Ivan Villasboa. Thanks for teaching a young guy the importance of the financial side of project management. It has been such a blessing to meet and work with all of you. Wayne, it is an honor to have had the support that you have offered me.

There is not a real way to end this journey. Nothing I can say that will wrap it all up. I have grown up in so many ways. I am no longer a stranger in this country trying to find my way. I now walk with a new confidence and a new love for El Salvador. I have also never been more proud to be from Plymouth-Canton and the United States. Many volunteers worry about moving back home after their time serving as a volunteer because of cultural differences and the fear that friends and family won't understand everything that has happened here. All of you have made my experience here so amazing. You have all impacted my life so much and because of that I am so grateful. I will be home in November without the typical Peace Corps volunteer fears.

Muchas gracias por todas las memorias,

Jimbo