Global Village volunteers work hard to help homes sprout in Anahola

ANAHOLA — Bob McNamara, the construction superintendent for the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity said on Tuesday there’s going to be a dry spell until October.

McNamara was working with five remaining Global Village volunteer group members at one of three Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity home sites at the Anahola Hawaiian Homes.

“These are the last of the Global Village people until the next group comes in during October,” McNamara said.

“We need volunteers to help the home owners, or their homes will just sit until the next group comes in.”

Hugh Robinson was the leader of the Global Village group working in Anahola and according to Jessica Clabo, the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity volunteer coordinator, has led more than 11 volunteer trips with Global Village around the world.

“He has two addresses,” said Andrea Bell of Texas. “He claims one address in Chicago, Illinois and another in Arizona. He has a lot of experience with builds.”

Bell, whose husband left Sunday to return to the children, said the Anahola build is her second with the Global Village program.

“Last summer we were in the Honduras with my 13-year-old son,” Bell said. “Before that, we did a build in Mexico with a different group but we had to leave because of the violence.”

McNamara said the remaining five of the original 15 members are still on Kaua‘i because they have different flight arrangements.

“They were supposed to be at the beach, but they said they’d rather be pounding nails,” the construction superintendent said, noting that from Oct. 1, he’ll be in Nepal for two weeks working on the Everest Build II Habitat International project with a goal of building 40 homes with more than 500 people who have committed to the build.

In the meantime, the Anahola home owners need help to get their homes put up, McNamara said.

“We have two volunteers who show up every week on Tuesday, Scott Oakley and Guy Ambrose,” he said. “Our volunteer build days are on Tuesdays, and I’m here on Sundays. The homeowners are working during the week, but usually show up during the weekends.”

He said the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity has plans to hire a person who can coordinate the Saturdays, but for now, volunteers can come out to help on Tuesdays and Sundays, usually from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Katie Muller of New York was another second-time builder for the Global Village.

“This is my time,” Muller said. “In February, I was in the Dominican Republic and now, I’m in Hawai‘i. I go to Costa Rica for a build next February, and hopefully, get to Alaska for a build.”

Muller, who just graduated college with a degree in business management, said she wanted to do something to help America and joined the Global Village with her eye on getting to Alaska.

Clabo said the Global Village group under Robinson’s leadership arrived here on Aug. 25 and worked through Thursday, getting Friday off to attend a mahalo party hosted by the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity at the Grinds restaurant in ‘Ele‘ele.

Several weeks ago, the three Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity homes in Anahola took root, spurred on by a two-day build-a-thon spearheaded by the Kaua‘i Board of Realtors and fueled by several visits from Global Village groups.

The project started with flat plots of land, and during the flurry of activity, two of the three homes now have walls up, the third not far behind with its floor being installed and the Global Village group assembling the wall framework.

But the activity is dying off with the end of summer and McNamara said local volunteers are key to helping these home owners get their homes raised.

For information on volunteering at any of the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity programs, call Clabo, the volunteer coordinator, at 335-0296, ext. 152.