From September 11th to 15th, we hosted a group of 14 volunteers from the US. They came through the Global Village program and helped develop a shelter for homeless men in Gliwice (Southern Poland).
The volunteers supported the project which involved converting an unused office building into a shelter for 60 homeless men. We started it in September 2017 in partnership with the St. Brother Albert Aid Society, a non-governmental organization which runs homeless shelters all over Poland.
You can learn more about the project from its overview: Development of the St. Brother Albert Shelter for Homeless Men in Gliwice.
ABOUT WORK
The volunteers spent 4 days at the build and helped to:
- sand, prime and paint walls and ceilings in 4 rooms
- build partition walls
- clear the area surrounding the building
The efforts of the volunteers brought the results including painted walls and ceilings as well as installed drywall.
ABOUT FREE TIME
The volunteers got a chance to visit popular sights and get to know the local community. They went to Cracow’s Old Town where they had a guided tour led by Krakow Free Walking Tour. They also met up with students of a local school which supports us through a Campus Chapter (a student-led organization that partners with Habitat). They also met with our more mature volunteers, who taught them how to make traditional Polish dishes, such as pierogis.
TESTIMONIAL
The group was led by Robert Harris, who commented on his experience as follows:
Having led four international Habitat trips, I was excited to lead a group of 14 to Poland in September, 2017. All participants were experienced travelers and had taken part in previous Habitat trips. Experience has taught me two things: be prepared and be flexible.
Originally we were scheduled to work on an addition for a single family home for a mother, grandmother, and six children. Shortly before our trip, we learned that the city government had delayed approval of the building permits, and we would instead be working on a shelter for homeless men. The local affiliate had joined with St Brother Albert Aid Society in an effort to rehab and provide housing for a large number of men. While different from previous projects, the importance of providing shelter for people who would otherwise face a cold winter on the streets was readily apparent.
Recently the Board of our local affiliate decided to join with HFH International’s Brush with Kindness initiative to build ramps and make minor home repairs for individuals in need. This greatly increases the number of people that we impact in our community. The project in cooperation with St Albert’s fulfils that same goal. We impacted the lives of close to 70 homeless men, far more than if we had worked on a single family project. Both initiatives, Brush with Kindness and Partner Family housing, serve Habitat’s mission to provide safe, decent and affordable housing.
I was fortunate to lead a group with a variety of skills and a desire to work. From building walls to scraping, painting and even some outdoor gardening, they all pitched in to make it a productive week as they worked side by side with Habitat volunteers and future residents of the facility.
In addition to four days of meaningful work, we enjoyed many cultural opportunities. Sightseeing at local points of interest, pierogi making, a visit to a local school with a Habitat student chapter and excellent dinners in local restaurants made for a memorable adventure.
We are grateful to our local hosts for all that they did to make us feel welcome. Thank you!
