300

For the second consecutive year, Colegio Roosevelt has organized a community build in one of the most impoverished district of Lima, alongside Techo, which is the South American equivalent of Habitat for Humanity.

The idea to start a Techo club at Roosevelt stemmed from a high school student who approached my colleague, Corey Topf and together they delved into this project. Apart from providing emergency housing for the less fortunate, this club aims to raise awareness about poverty in the community and break down stereotypes that plague society. The latter is seen as a central aspect in the club's ethos since stereotypes act indeed as a barrier in a country like Peru which has such a great economic divide.

Since its inception, this club has grown considerably and last year we launched it in Middle School. Students are active throughout the year as they fundraise to pay for the house that they construct at different Techo events, which also include the school community build.


So last Saturday and Sunday, 300 members of the community composed by students, teachers, parents, admin and members of the board ventured into the hills of San Juan de Lurigancho, one of the poorest districts in Lima, to build 26 emergency homes. As I walked with my group of students, I felt chills running down my spine. Here I was sharing this experience with my "tribe" of 300. I still struggle to articulate this catharsis; all I can say is that never before did I feel so connected with the rest of my community. It is, after all, through experiences like this one that we relate to one another other and become cognizant of the strong ties that hold us together.

Moreover, this is yet another reminder of how students shine when they are exposed to real-world problems. Throughout the weekend, they made genuine connections with the families that they were helping and worked collaboratively to finish building the house on time.  This kind of experience allows students to get some perspective on the issues that plague our society and understand that their actions, no matter how small, do matter.

Students know too well the difference between what is purposeful and what is contrived. They yearn to be involved in experiential learning where successful outcomes are not defined by numbers but by the  interactions with the real world.