A group of women is bucking the stereotype that homebuilding is men’s work by helping build a housing complex for low-income families on Pandora Avenue under the banner of Habitat for Humanity Manitoba’s Women Build project.
Joanne Machado, a crew leader who chairs Women Build committee, says the Women Build project began in the United States and expanded to Habitat for Humanity Manitoba in Winnipeg in 2005.
“It grew out of a need. Women normally contribute about 70 per cent of all volunteer hours in a community, but they weren’t volunteering for Habitat,” Machado explained. “Habitat International decided to do something about this, so they created this women’s program.”
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Martha Hinton (left) and Trisha Veness put their construction skills to work on a Pandora Avenue home project Thursday.
Machado became interested in building housing for low-income people when she lived in Thompson. She loved the work and was inspired to become involved with Habitat for Humanity Manitoba after she moved to Winnipeg in 2013.
“It’s such an amazing cause,” Machado said. “The families we help are so hard-working. They have to be very hard-working to make it into the family selection portion of it.”
Machado explained that recipient families must meet stringent eligibility requirements to be selected, including putting in 500 “sweat equity” hours towards the construction of their new home.
“Sometimes it can take years from the time they apply to the time they actually get to move in,” she said.
Machado said she was also inspired by her love for children.
“It’s just that mission of helping children, giving children a stable environment where they can succeed.”
Machado noted that most of the recipient families of Habitat for Humanity are families with children.
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Celia Rodd is one of the volunteers in Habitat for Humanity Manitoba’s Women Build.
The Pandora Avenue complex will have 11 5-plexes, enough to house 55 families, or 275 people,.
Habitat for Humanity Manitoba aims to raise $150,000 this year through the Women Build program. It holds annual fundraising events, including a wine raffle, golf tournament and breakfast on International Women’s Day in March.
This marks Habitat for Humanity’s 20th sponsored home since the Women Build program started. It has brought in almost $1.7 million since 2005.
graham.mcdonald@freepress.mb.ca
