For Elena's family, José and their 13 children, the last rain in early February was very different; they had been living in their new house in Recoleta for a week. Elena tells us: " This is the first rain where I don't have to go out with the blankets and mattresses, like in previous winters. I lost a lot of things that were wet and we didn't manage to dry them during the winter. "I never imagined having a house like this, but inside I had hope. My children are happy, my 13-year-old son Luis (autistic) tells me "I love my room" and my youngest son tells me "I love the bathroom, because it's ours".
In fact, until January 2021, her family lived in a 3 by 6 meter shack, without toilets or insulation and with a precarious electrical installation. Today, the situation is very different: their new house is 140 square meters on 2 floors, it has 2 bedrooms plus a living-dining room, an American kitchen and their own bathroom and it is the result of coordinated work between Fondacio, the Cristo Vive Foundation and Elena and José's family, of course.
It was the Cristo Vive Foundation, through Carol Osorio, social worker, Ignacio Rosselot and Sister Karoline Maller, who provided a house in Quinta Bella, for 5 months, so that the family could live there while the mediaga was demolished and Elena's new house was built.
For Fondacio's UHMD team, carrying out this project represented a double challenge, as they not only had to resolve the limitations of working during a pandemic, but also face the replacement of French volunteers, which was absorbed by Chilean professional volunteers.
Alfonso Rossende assumed the direction of the work with the support of the rest of the professionals: Juan Pablo Montalva, Carlos Bascuñán, Guillermo Menares, Roberto Bascur, each with their expertise. For their part, the social work and the preparation of the meetings and minutes were assumed by Verónica Muñoz and Elba Muñoz.
The fruit is there for all to see. An exciting adventure, a smooth mission and dignity for all who participated in it.
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