January 20, 2012
by Hugh Sigmon
We all have the natural tendency to block out horrible news, political strife and economic corruption. We think: What can I, one person, do? Well, there is something you can do to help. It may be a very simple, two-home duplex — 14 by 20 feet, poured concrete and block walls with a metal roof — but if you and your family have been living in a makeshift tent city for two years, it is a dream come true.
One Small House, based in Brewster, N.Y., will send three teams in the spring of 2012 to Haiti to build simple, decent homes for families displaced by the devastating earthquake of January 2010. One Small House has been building homes in rural Mexico for the past decade. Several members of the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco along with Interim Pastor Jack Lohr will join the first and second Haiti trips, scheduled for March 11-17, and March 25 - 31, 2012.
“We will not be building temporary shelters, but permanent homes, designed to withstand earthquakes and category 4 hurricanes, and positioned to be at the center of a new community,” says team leader Dave Dobson and member of the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco. Prior to the 7.0 earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 in January 2010, Haiti was the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Afterward, conditions became immeasurably worse. However, progress has been made. Rubble has been cleared. Rebuilding has begun, and some people have moved out of their temporary quarters and returned home.
Give elbow grease or donate money
Those interested in assisting the local team by supporting the purchase of building materials for the project can make donations through PayPal on the OSH web site: www.onesmallhouse.org/ or by check payable to One Small House, 5001 Stonecrest Drive, Brewster, N.Y.
Donations by check must be accompanied by a form downloaded from the OSH web site. So that PCMK receives credit for the donation, “Team PCMK” should appear on the designation line and the trip ID March 11 – 90028 should be included.
One Small House work teams will be in Haiti, March 11-17, March 25-31 and April 8-14. Those interested in joining a mission trip can register at www.onesmallhouse.org/.
Help move these families out of tents and into real homes!
Hugh Sigmon is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco. Sigmon and his wife, Paula Wiles Sigmon, are part of the first trip—along with Dave Dobson, team leader and fellow PCMK member. Jack Lohr, PCMK interim pastor will go on the second trip.
Copyright 2012 NewCastleNOW.org