Find out how Cambiando Vidas first started.
Cambiando Vidas is dedicated to the belief that every human being should have access to all of life’s essentials – shelter, food, clothing, education, and the opportunity to realize one’s full potential and ambitions.
Cambiando Vidas is a true grassroots organization with minimal overhead expenses. When volunteers pay for the cost of their trip, 60% of the funds goes toward construction materials and 40% goes to lodging, transportation and food.
Over the past 15 years, Cambiando Vidas has helped over 100 families become homeowners. On average C.V. helps 8 families per year. Builds were suspended during COVID. They resumed in 2022.
It all started with an act of kindness – a big act of kindness. In 1997, Jose “Pepo” Abreu’s mother’s home was burned to the ground in an unfortunate accident. At the time, Abreu was overseas and could not make it back home to help his family rebuild. In his absence, his neighbors and community joined together and rebuilt his mother’s home in less than a month. When Abreu returned to the Dominican Republic, he was so touched he had to find a way to pay forward the good deed on behalf of his family.
“Cambiando Vidas” is Spanish for “changing lives,” and that’s exactly what this organization does. Since its inception, Cambiando Vidas has helped over 50 families call a brand new house “home.” The organization helps deserving families in impoverished areas. The families are selected on specific criteria including community recommendations, income, and ownership of land.
Cambiando Vidas is all about sustainable community development. It relies on the support and commitment of the community and service-learning volunteers. The organization builds small, safe, affordable, concrete-block homes that are strong enough to survive hurricane-force storms. In addition to providing capital and labor, international volunteer teams work hand in hand with the recipient families and community volunteers who provide much of the “sweat equity.” By the end of the week-long build, this unique mix of concrete, people, and cultures reveals that people are more alike than different, and that a house is much more than a collection of concrete, metal, and wood.
Find out what you can do to be a part of the Cambiando Vidas family.
As you may have discovered by now, Cambiando Vidas is about helping other people. At Cambiando Vidas we value community and new friendships, and that is why volunteering is such a key part of our organization. What could be better than a dozen or more volunteers putting in hard work to provide a new home for a deserving Dominican family?
We are always looking for new volunteers who are willing to get involved and help. With an average of eight builds a year, there is ample opportunity for you and your group to become part of the Cambiando Vidas family. If you are interested and want to learn more please email us at cambiandovidas.dom@gmail.com.
And if you’re ready to…
…click on the PayPal button, below! Credit cards are accepted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZfm_dVm6Ag
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