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Gregor Homes Participates in Massive Humanitarian Effort in the Dominican Republic’s Poverty Stricken Neighbourhood of Aguas Negras

At a time when all Canadians are feeling the financial stress and overriding fear of the global economy, it is also a time to remember how fortunate we are to live in a county such as Canada, where food, water, shelter, and myriad of resources are at our disposal.

On November 22nd, 2011, a crew of 189 members of the Ontario Home Builder’s Association, including 5 from the Gregor Homes team (Luke Bazely, James Bazely, Gail Bazely, David Bazely, and Melissa Bazely), departed for Aguas Negras, just east of the Haitian border in southern part of the Dominican Republic. The challenge for the crew was to change the lives of 6 local families, as together we would build 6 homes in just 4 days, in a poverty-stricken community so overrun with sewage that its name, Aguas Negras, was an actual translation of the phrase “black water”.

The team arrived at a beautiful resort, Riu Bachata, and enjoyed some fun, drinks and camaraderie, but little did we know that the next morning, Day 1 of our build, would begin the life changing experience that would took place over the following 7 days.

The poverty and deplorable conditions would shake the strongest, and often caused the participants to question their own priorities, and what they perceive to be needs in life. Upon arriving on the ground at the site, all of the time spent leading up to the trip, wondering how bad things really could be, wondering how much of a difference a group of Ontarians can actually make in a community that faces such adversity and ongoing struggle, wondering how well equipped we were emotionally, seemed futile, because there is no way to truly understand what is going on in areas like this without actually walking the streets. You have to smell the air, hold the hands of the little boys and girls that live there, speak to the mothers who are trying to feed their families, and empathize with the father who doesn’t have the resources to fix the leaky roof that keeps their family up at night.

As Canadians, most of who are involved at some level with building houses and infrastructure, we could not fathom the concept of living in an area where there is no sewage treatment. We could not grasp, until we saw firsthand, what it would be like to live in a house where black water covered the floor in the house most of the year, sometimes up to 12 inches deep. We could not truly understand what it would be like to live close to a beach, where thousands of tonnes of garbage washes up every time it rains. It became evident for most, within the first hour or two of being in this community, that building these six houses, as amazing as the effort was going to be, was not going to be the “Extreme Makeover” that we anticipated.

As the week progressed, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of helplessness at times, allowing yourself to become overwhelmed with the enormity of the effort required to make this a safe, clean and healthy neighbourhood. It seemed an impossible endeavour, but as we learned from the locals, and got to know them on a more emotional level, it all came into perspective.

As James Bazely, President of Gregor Homes so eloquently stated in his speech at the house dedication ceremony, “we came down to make a change in your lives, but you have changed us.” The people of Aguas Negras, in the face of extreme challenge and consistent setbacks, have empowered themselves, and are making changes in their own lives to improve their living conditions, and fight against adversity. This was most evident in their successful lobbying to the government to change the name of their community from Aguas Negras (Black Water) to Nuevo Renacer, which translates to “New Life”. The sense of community, hope and gratitude would be an example to all of how the human race can overcome even the worst of challenges. They have learned to help each other, to never leave anyone behind, and most of all, to deny being victims.

It would be quite simple to focus this entire article on the lack of clean water, on the sewage which flows through the streets, on the malnourishment, on the lack of education and funding for schools, on the garbage which rolls up onto the beach whenever it rains, and how most of the housing would not be acceptable for the family dog in Canada. It would be simpler to use those tactics in an attempt to encourage others to stand up and take on a challenge like this, but that would not show the people of Nuevo Renacer how much we appreciated what they gave to us, and how proud we are of them for fighting back and taking matters into their own hands. It is not to say that they will likely ever be in a place where they don’t need help from others, but they accept that help with a hug and a smile, and they use experiences like this as leverage to continue the progress they have made on their own. What we gained in spirit and hope was far more prolific than what the entire community gained from us, but those 6 families have had their lives changed, and that is something that will never be forgotten.

For more information, please visit http://thestar.blogs.com/galebeeby/, www.humanitarianbuild.com, and the Gregor Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gregor-Homes/195462787152313.