Building Juana´s House Project
Massive thanks to all of you who spread the word, donated and helped to make this project possible!
We reached the goal and Juana and her brothers have a proper roof.
Please let me introduce you to Juana Gomez (right) and her mom Lucia (left) from Zinacantan, Chiapas.
Juana is the only woman among her 6 brothers and the second child, she´s 28 years old and her young life has been dedicated to create traditional textiles using back strap loom, cross stitching and pedal sewing maching.
She leads the textile cooperative "La Tierra de mis raices / The land of my roots" and Lucia leads
"Mujeres tejedoras / Weavers women" both are really small weavers network supporting each other without any external help, they survive the everyday with their honest, humble and amazing dedication.
Unfortunately they lost ALL what they have in the earthquake that shook Mexico the past September 19th, 2017.
This include their home and the very few belongings they possesed.
We visited them last January and this is where their house used to be, as you can see is all rubble.
As many of you know this earthquake devasted not only Mexico city but also many municipalities from Oaxaca and Chiapas, were saddly the majority of indigenous population affected, have not recieve help from the goverment and due the high level of corruption chances are they will never recieve this so called help.
We couldn´t stayed just as spectators and we donated them from our pocket an amount of building material that unfortunately was only the 10% of what they really need.
Ralf my husband (in the picture above playing football with Juana´s nephews: Ana and Pancho) was shocked about the generosity from people that practically have nothing and how being this poor don´t stop them from being truly thankful.
It took me a month to come back to Berlin, settle and do research of what they need and the most important a real number and a trustful construction market that will supply them the material to build their house.
Would you like to help them?
Let´s collect them money to buy the material they need !!
You can donate as much as your possibilities allow it, all sum up !!
Pesos, euros, dollars.... All is welcome and very very helpful.
The picture above is the quote in mexican pesos that I personally got for all the material they will need,
the total amount is around:
2,282.00€ or $2,663.00 usd,
depends on the exchange rate.
The quote was provided from their nearest construction shop and best option, you can also read in the ticket
the name and phone numbers of the store, to keep things as transparent as must be.
The item quoted as Producto are 100 cement bags like the ones we donate in January.
The intention is to buy direct to the shop all what they need, so no cash will be handle to them and I will buy all direct to the shop.
My first idea was to create a gofundme but I´m not so happy with the comissions they charge, so the easy and fastest way will be to receive donations via my personal Paypal since comissions are little and is linked to my mexican bank account from where I can wire transfer direct to the construction shop the help you send.
Per every donation that I receive I will send you the screen shot from the exact amount that was reflected in mexican pesos to my Paypal, as well as the picture of the purchase ticket from all the items that we could afford with your contribution.
I will also publish in this web page all the donations received with date, amount and name
(can remain anonymous if you wish and only show your initials)
Would you give them a hand ??
Please don´t hesitate and contact me for any any question or doubt you may have about this project.
This is a non profit cause that I feel the necessity to do were every single cent you donate will be delivery.
In April I will be visiting Juana and her family and will document by myself about how this project developed.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for not being indifferent, for give a little something and for feel the empaty that this world need so much!
Update 1
Today is Thursday, March 1st and I´m speechless from the donations that this project recieved in only 24 hours.
Fortunately for Juana and her family this help arrived just in time before the worker return to his community because the lack of material to work. You literally made a miracle for Juana.
As I promised here are the first reports from the donations received until the moment that I wire transfer to the construction market for the first order of material.
There is no little help and every single donation is HUGE no matter the amount, so I wish to keep it a little annonymous because this is not a competition.
As a donor you can recognize by your first name and the amount your contribution.
$164.40 mx
Total $ 9,066.05 MX pesos
This are the two tickets from the material bought today, you can see the hour and the date :-)
Cement bags
Update 2
Friday, March 2th and the genorosity from all of you blown me away.
Here are the donations collected between yesterday afternoon and today until 18:00hrs.
$201.09 mx
$164.74 mx
Here are the donations made between Friday night and Saturday, I decide to sum them togheter with the prior concentrate.
Total $ 8,778.43 MX pesos
Update 3
Today is Wednesday March 7th and during the weekend and Monday was impossible to reach Juana until yesterday, she told me there were not network working in all Zinacantan during those days. The last contact I had with her was on Friday, I sent her $2,000.00 to buy two trucks of sand with another supplier that have it cheaper. Today Juana sent me the receipt from the two trucks she ordered and some pictures of how the construction is developing.
First things first, here are the receipt pictures from all what we bought with the second amount collected:
Remember there was nothing in the piece of land?
Step by step, block by block this been a great advance in only one week!!
We still need more help, please spread the word so more people like you get inspire and help Juana and her family to have a roof.
Thank you!!!
Update 4
Today is Wednesday March 14th and during the weekend and until yesterday we received more donations.
Thank you so much to each of you and to those who already did it twice I vow to you.
Here is what we collected:
Total $ 2,590.08 MX pesos
With this amount today Juana was able to order 300 blocks!!!!
Here is the receipt and pictures from the delivery!!
Thank you for make this possible!!!
We are almost on the final stage, the next step it´s to get material for the roof, around:
$23,000.00 pesos / $1,300 usd / 1,100€
We need them as soon as possible or the worker will go to build other houses and return to finish Juana´s house in 2 or 3 months.
I have a feeling that probably with a little help from everyone we will reach the goal and keep the worker to finish the house.
Would you give us a hand?
Update 5
Today is Saturday March 17th and couldn´t be more happy with the amazing response from all of you,
we are so close to reach the goal!!!
Thank you for donating, for sharing and spread the word.
Here is what we collected:
$174.40 mx
$837.09 mx
Total $ 14,283.32 MX pesos
The receipts from all the material we bought:
Here are some better pictures that my friend Karem send me yesterday, she´s the one to blame for introducing me to Juana and her family!
Thank you amiga for crossing our paths!
Update 6
Today is Monday April 16th. one month passed by since my last update. As some of you know I traveled to Mexico for work reasons and this kept me very busy but also Juana´s house worker had plenty of material to work with thanks to the last donation.
We are in the last phase and here is the new update from what we received in this month until today!
$322.15 mx
$338.66 mx
Total $ 8,044.98 MX pesos
Update 7
WE MADE IT!
Today is Friday, April 27th and with so much happiness I report that we made it possible.
Juana and her brothers have a roof and separate bedrooms.
Thank you for made it possible, for believe in this cause and for your trust.
Below I present you the last donations collected and the receipts from the last material shopping.
Words are not enought to tell you how thankful I am and needless to say how happy and thankful Juana and her family are.
Total $ 2,072.48 MX pesos
There are two receipts that I´m still waiting to receive in behalf from Juana for the concept of two tons of sand and "grava" (those little stones) for a total of $2,000 MX pesos.
Tadaaaaaaaa!!!!
Here the workers are making the roof....
As some of you know I had the chance to visit Juana in Zinacantan and her family in April 9th and spent one day about 7 hours hanging out with her and her family plus she visited me with Lucia her mom in San Cristobal the next day. Here some of the stories I posted on my Instagram account.
