Habitat starts Phase 2A homes

HANAPEPE — Work on 17 homes for the Kauai Habitat for Humanity Eleele Iluna, Phase 2A started Wednesday with the arrival of Team Currie-Kauai 2018 Global Village group.

“We’re in the final phases of 15 homes in the current increment. Those should be completed by the end of February. We’re starting work on the 17 homes going into Phase 2A. The Global Village team is working on walls for six of those homes,” said Stephen Spears, Kauai Habitat director.

Jean Currie, Global Village team leader, put her group of 11, including herself, to work assembling and finishing the walls for the six houses.

“I’ve done everything,” Currie said. “This is my seventh trip to Kauai, and it’s like coming home to a summer home, or winter home. This beats just being at the beach all the time. You help people, and have fun at the same time.”

Currie said her group includes people from all over the mainland, including one from Philadelphia, four people, including a mother-son team, from Canada.

“I graduated from high school last year,” said David Khazzam of Canada. “This is my break where I can travel and do things I never had a chance to do when I was in school. When I was in school, everything was about academics, and I haven’t had too many opportunities to learn practical skills. This is my first build, and I’m grateful for the chance to learn about building houses.”

Rosa Lazcano of California said she never really had an opportunity to get involved in builds in California.

“This is the only way to participate in building houses. Two years ago in Africa, we really got to see poverty where there is no running water, and they use mud to build houses,” Lazcano said.

Currie, whose team will be building until next Wednesday, said she’ll keep bringing Global Village teams to Kauai.

“I’ve done everything from digging holes for footings, installing walls, roofs, and a lot of painting,” Currie said. “This is my island and I’ll keep on bringing teams here, every January.”