Since 1851
ND students and the family with a new home they built in Tijuana.
Students hard at work mixing cement.
Students gather inside the frame of a house.
Preparing the frame for stucco.
Students abandon their spring break to fully immerse themselves into a cultural and service driven experience. The journey of this call to service provides students and faculty the opportunity to work with a family in Mexico providing a “helping hand” to those who work so diligently for a better life.
Working with Amor Ministries, Notre Dame students are allowed the opportunity to examine the life of a developing nation in an authentic way. We discuss the issues related to our neighbors in Mexico , explore solutions for improving the quality of a dignified life and decide how we can make choices for a better future. Students serve the local church in Mexico, while creating cross-cultural understanding through direct exposure to the Mexican culture. Students don’t just build a house in a developing nation; as a group they are given the opportunity to understand the conditions of poverty through immersion.
Students build an 11’x22’, two-room home with a slab floor, stucco-finished exterior, two windows, and a door. An AMOR house is a simple design, built according to the standards of the community so that a group without skilled labor or power tools can still complete the project.
For several years, a group of juniors and seniors from Notre Dame led by Bridgit McGarry, Tijuana Service Immersion Trip Coordinator, head out to Tijuana for a week to build homes for families in need. The two houses, both 11 by 22 feet, contain two windows and a door, and are made without the use of power tools or running water. The ND girls put a lot of effort into their task.
“We mix cement, build a foundation, build walls and a roof, put it all together, and attach tar paper, chicken wire, and stucco to the outside of the house,” says Candace Britton,’07.
While they are there the girls try to relate to those who they are helping, “Since we are serving those who are the working poor, we try to understand the way they live, so we live in poverty as well,” says McGarry. It is an opportunity that not only allows one to understand another lifestyle, but also to bond with friends.
The biggest reward, of course, is the hope given to the deserving families. “The thing I’m looking forward to the most is getting to know the families,” says Chang. “While building the house is exciting, I love playing with kids and just hanging out with them.”
“The people that we serve are amazing. They have this outlook on life that is just about love of family and love of God and love of friends,” says McGarry. “When you see that they are working so hard to provide basic needs for their family and they have no time or money to secure appropriate housing, and we can come and help them get a home, it is unbelievable. Handing them the keys to the door of their new home and realizing that they will be protected is incredible.”
“People think that it takes a large group of people to make a change, but it’s the individual that starts the change. If the individuals going on the trip did not make the decision to commit to it, the families in Tijuana would not be expecting a house today. It makes a difference in their lives and the hard work is worth it,” says Chang.