Community Service

In October 2004, Rick Pratt, founder of Classic Homeworks volunteered two weeks of his time building homes in Diriamba, Nicaragua alongside people who need a decent, affordable place to live. He was part of a work group organized by Habitat For Humanity's Global Village program. When asked why he went, Ricks says that it's "in honor of both my grandfather's consistent encouragement to share my time and skills with others."

Rick's Itinerary
Rick spent about 10 days working on the project sites getting his hands dirty and getting to know the people. Rick has been studying Spanish (again) since May and learned even more while working side by side with the family that occupies the home. The other days were spent visiting folk markets in Masaya & Granada, old archeological sites, Omotepe Island, local churches, and a coffee plantation. He aslo had a chance to explore Volcano Momotombo that overlooks the spacious plain between Masaya, Granada and huge Lake Nicaragua, which is filled with the only fresh water sharks in the world! He also managed to fit in a swim in a nearby extinct crater!

About HFH's Global Village
Known as "A Vacation With a Purpose," Global Village trips are filled with hard work and fun, and are geared so that volunteers can share something of themselves. It is an opportunity to learn about the developmental challenges of alleviating poverty housing and the attending frustrations, while helping a family (or two!) build a simple, economical and safe house made of cinder blocks, reinforced with "rebar" and cement.

About the People of Nicaragua
Nicaraguans are energetic, having learned when to build and when to conserve their energy in the shade. Diriamba's altitude (1,750) and climate in October provide more wind than sun or rain. Nicaraguans are easy to develop relationships with in a cross-cultural environment, such that volunteers have new found friends in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

About Nicaragua
The fertile, volcanic Pacific coast of Nicaragua stands in sharp contrast to the swampy, lowland "Mosquito Coast" of its Caribbean side. Nicaragua is a stunning, often overlooked country bordered by Honduras in the north, and Costa Rica to the south. Devastated by revolution and civil war in the 1980s, the country was left in financial ruin and for the most part, forgotten by the world media once the war ended. The country suffered further catastrophe in 1998 when Hurricane Mitch hit, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Statistics from United Nations indicate that 74.8% of Nicaraguans live in poverty, 39% do not have sanitary drinking water, and 69% live in unsanitary conditions.

HFH Nicaragua builds houses to withstand hurricanes and tremors. Houses are usually two-bedroom and have tiled floors, block or brick walls and a corrugated iron roof. Depending on access to a sewage system, houses have a bathroom or a latrine.

Located about an hour south of Managua, Diriamba is the birth place of Nicaragua's most famous poet, Ruben Dario.

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