Students build homes – and a more human society

August 7, 2009

Tags: Youth, Solidarity, Work

“A university must educate its students to have a sense of service to society,” said St Josemaria Escriva.
In Tunapuna, Trinidad, a group of people ranging from secondary school to university students showed their solidarity with families in difficulties by building them a new house in July 2009.

Julius Leacock, left and Andrei Edoo, both University students, load sand into a wheelbarrow, in Tunapuna. Photo credit: Shirley Bahadur

They were led by their foreman, John, who has been teaching them how to build the house and assuring building standards. The construction project was part of the “You Can Help” programme, which relies on students who offer their time to construct homes for the needy.

The family they are helping in Tunapuna was living in a dilapidated pink wooden house made up of two rooms. Five people lived in the structure, with some sleeping on sponges.

For the students, some attending the University of the West Indies, mixing concrete and laying bricks was difficult. “It’s hard work. The first time I mixed concrete I was sore for a few hours,” Julius Leacock said. Showing how he had assimilated St Josemaria’s message, Leacock, a student from the Natural Sciences department, said, “You have to learn to think of somebody else for a change.”

“You can Help” is a volunteer programme for students and community groups who offer their time and services to construct homes for the needy during the July to August vacation period. It kicked off in 2005, when 70 secondary school and university students pitched in to help build a Gran Couva home for a needy family with eight children. The programme was launched by North Hall, a registered non-profit organisation in St Augustine, Trinidad, that aims to help youths make choices that will lead them to become responsible adults.

At North Hall, students are exposed to human development programmes via seminars, conferences, hikes, spiritual development classes, mentorship programmes and sports. The “You Can Help” programme helps students to understand the value of community service and deepens their holistic development. They are not just building homes: following St Josemaria”s teaching, they are helping to build a more just and human society.

Sources: Malissa Lara, Trinidad & Tobago Guardian; and University of the West Indies

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