1. 2008-2009 2008-ANNUALREPORT PAGE 2:PAGE 3:PAGE 4:PAGE 5: 2008-2009Model Blitz Builds & More Highlights & Year at a Glance Communities Family Profile Upcoming Events

2. 2008-2009 YEAR AT A GLANCELetter from the Executive DirectorDear amigos of Habitat El Salvador,Saludos desde El Salvador! We are pleased to share with you our 2008-2009 Annual Report, in which we highlight our achievements from this past fiscal year.We have a saying in El Salvador that when the United States sneezes, then El Salvador gets the flu. Now that the U.S. (not to mention the whole world) is in the midst of a very serious economic crisis, you can imagine how severely our country is being affected.For example, from January to May 2009, a total of $1.44 billion was received, which reflects a 10% dropA partner family ready to move into their new home. in remittances from the same period in 2008. Furthermore, many Salvadorans have lost their jobs here in-country. As a result, low-income families were more hesitant about committing to a home loan. Nevertheless, we were still successful in pro- 2008-2009 Achievements viding more than 1,100 housing solutions, including complete houses and home rehabs.Families served:1139 We were able to reach more families during this fiscal Houses:534 year in part because of the opening of a new regionalHome rehabs: 605 office in the department of San Miguel. This office now serves families in San Miguel, as well as theMortgage nearby departments of La Unin and Morazn. We repayment rate: 84.11% (families) also continued to offer holistic housing solutions, with98.87% (financially) the final construction and dedication of the Charlotte Model Community and the beginning of the Thrivent Builds Worldwide Villa Esperanza Community.Tithe:$17,827.00 sent to We have started this new fiscal year on a good note, Habitat Haiti to as we celebrated our 7,000th housing solution on support families July 1st. We would not have reached this milestoneaffected by without the support of so many Habitat affiliates, churches, foundations, businesses, and individuals.hurricanes. Thank you for donating your time and resources.Funds raised The estimated housing deficit of 400,000 units still internationally:More than $2.4 million looms large. Your ongoing support gives us hope that we will not only weather the current economic Funds raised crisis, but also serve even more Salvadoran families in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.locally:More than $290,000Peace and hope,GV teams hosted: 69 Local volunteer Jorge Molinateams hosted: 82 Executive Director Habitat for Humanity El Salvador 2 3. MODEL COMMUNITIESThrivent Builds Worldwide Villa Esperanza CommunityAs announced in the mid-year report, Thrivent Financial for Lutheranshas partnered with Habitat for Humanity El Salvador to build acommunity by the end of 2010. Thrivent Financial, a Minneapolis-basedfinancial services membership organization, will invest up to $1.3 millionin this project and will send a total of 60 volunteer teams to help withconstruction, alongside masons and national volunteers. The Villa Esperanza Community, translated in English to Hope Village, isalready under construction on land adjoining that of the Charlotte ModelThis Thrivent team spent aCommunity (see article below). This holistic project will include the con-week building in June.struction of 75 houses, basic infrastructurewater, electricity, sanitationsystem, roads, and sidewalksas well as a vocational training center. Atotal of $1.7 million will be invested in this project. Luis Fernando Daz, a Habitat social worker, is helping the twocommunities to integrate, as eventually one board of directors will over-see them both, and Charlotte and Villa Esperanza residents will haveaccess to all community facilities. As of the end of the fiscal year, six teams have helped build the first 16HFHI CEO Jonathan Reckfordhomes. The community was also the site of the July 1st dedication of (right) with Thrivent CEO Brad Habitat El Salvadors 7,000th housing solution (see page 5). Hewitt (left) and Family 7,000.Charlotte Model CommunityThe Charlotte Model Community was designed to help landless, low-income familiesand is Habitat El Salvador's first holistic housing project of its kind. Located in thedepartment of Santa Ana, the community provides housing, land, basic infrastruc-ture, a daycare, and a community center to 60 low-income families. We hope thatCharlottenamed in honor of our friends and partners in Charlotte, NCwill be amodel not only architecturally, but also in terms of human development. The Charlotte Model Community is an exciting example ofcommunity empowerment and leadership. Volunteers and masonsfinished construction of the last six houses by August 2008, and thecommunitys board of directors was sworn in by the local mayor inOctober during the official inauguration.Community membersThe board is already working on a wide variety of community at one of the generaldevelopment projects, with support from the Habitat social worker. assembly meetings.One of their first priorities was to negotiate with the mayors officeto install street lamps for their security and to commit to biweeklytrash collection. They have since worked with various NGOs on pro-jects such as: obtaining eco-friendly stoves, creating a communityarts and crafts market, and organizing community celebrations. Theboard continues to hold regular assemblies with all communitymembers to discuss upcoming plans and projects.Habitat El Salvador would like to thank Habitat for Humanity ofCharlotte for raising funds for land and infrastructure, as well as thePalmer Foundation for sponsoring the construction of the daycare,the community center, and the playground. We would also like to Charlotte resident Florthank Price Charities and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bis-poses in the daycare.marck, ND for helping to equip the daycare. 3 4. BLITZ BUILDS & FAMILY PROFILE 2008-2009 Blitz Builds2008- Building on Faith 2008: Our first blitz build of the year was held in two different locations:San Rafael Obrajuelo in La Paz and the Brisas del Sur Model Community in San Vicente. Withthe support of 45 international and 99 local volunteers, we built a total of 14 houses! Christmas in Action 2008: From December 1st-5th, 13 Canadian and 71 nationalvolunteers helped the Mndez Trejo family (profiled below) to build five homes in PiedrasPachas, Sonsonate. Rise Up and Build 2009: Held from April 6th-11th, 50 international volunteers were joinedby 109 national volunteers to build seven homes in Santa Mara, Usulutn. The Mndez Trejo Familyheart, without expecting to gain anything inreturn. We remember them every day. May Godbless them all. The family used to live together in one house on ahacienda, where they worked. Now that they nolonger depend on the hacienda, they have startedto rent a small plot of land where they can plantvarious crops that, during a good season, providebasic sustenance for the entire family year-round. Vicente says that since moving into their newhomes, their lives have changed for the better.He notes that they all feel happy and literally areliving a dream come trueland and a house foreach family unit. The five houses are occupied by Vicente and four of his grandchildrenVicente, Hilaria, and their family as follows:pose in front of one of the houses. Vicente and Hilaria live with their 19-year-old The 2008 annual Christmas in Action blitz buildson, Francisco Javier, and their 5-year-old was a very special event because volunteers andgranddaughter, Estela Abigail. Francisco works masons helped the Mndez Trejo family build five at a repair and parts business. homes! The family is headed by Vicente and his Jos Luis, 22 years old, works at the same wife of 45 years, Hilaria. In their mid-sixties, the business as Francisco. He married his wife couple now lives in their new Habitat home. TheKeni in late December 2008. She is a teacher other houses are occupied by five of their 13at a nearby kindergarten. children and their families. Oscar Daniel is Jos Luis twin. He is studying In 2003, when Vicente and Hilaria first tried to for a university degree in accounting and also build the homes, they discovered that they mustworks in the same repair store as a traveling first pay off the mortgage on their land. Thesalesman. He shares the house with his 24- family spent the next three years paying it off andyear-old brother Ricardo Eliseo, who works as the two years after that fighting a bureaucratic an administrative assistant and who is also battle to get clear title. Once they had legalized studying accounting. their land, they applied for the Habitat houses and Felipe Francisco, 28, is a police officer, and his were accepted! Construction finally began in wife, Marisa, is a homemaker. They have a 6- November 2008! year-old son, Kevin, who is in the first grade. Salvador Ernesto, 32, is the administrator at Vicente and Hilaria fondly remember the volun- the hacienda where the family used to live. He teers who helped build their homes. We wouldlives with his wife Nancy and their three like to thank all of the volunteers because they children: Benjamn Ernesto, 10; Edwin, 9; and are all very special to us, Vicente says. It was Steven, 3. Benjamn and Edwin study in fifth a great example of people working from the and fourth grades, respectively. 4 5. MORE HIGHLIGHTS & UPCOMING EVENTS Other 2008-2009 Highlights: Starting the 2009-2010 Year: Valle Nuevo: Twenty more houses were built Family 7,000: On July 1st, we dedicated our in this rural community in Cabaas, as part of7,000th housing solution in the Villa Esperanza a multi-year differentiated subsidized housingCommunity, in the presence of 400 national projectsponsoredby ShalomMissionand international supporters and partner Communities and Waco Habitat for Humanity.families. Celebrating this milestone with us was the Executive Steering Committee of the Brisas del Sur: This model community was Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity expanded this year during the Building on Alliance, including HFHI CEO Jonathan Reckford Faith blitz build, when seven houses were and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans COO Brad built. Ten more are under construction using Hewitt (see photo on page 3), as well as area an alternative metallic mold system, sponsored vice president for HFH LAC, Torre Nelson. in part by the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, CEDES (Salvadoran BusinessKeep in Touch: Council for Sustainable Development), and Befriend us on Facebook! CESSA (Cement of El Salvador). In addition to connecting with fellow 2008 Benefit Dinner: We announced our Habitat El Salvador supporters, you will Solidarity Award winners (profiled in our mid-receive monthly updates. Join us at: year report) and raised more than $12,000 Habitat for HumanityGV El during this years event, held on October 23rd. Salvador. San Miguel Regional Office: On March 5th, Follow our blog! we inaugurated our new regional office in the Leave us a comment, become a department of San Miguel. follower, and check out photos at http://habitates.blogspot.com/. One of the 30 houses New houses in Brisas del SurThe inauguration of the built in Valle Nuevo. using the mold technology. San Miguel Regional Office. Mark your calendars! Aug. 3-8, 2009 Building on Faith Blitz BuildHabitat for Humanity El SalvadorColonia General Arce Nov. 30-Dec. 5, 2009 Calle Jorge Domnguez # H-4 Christmas in Action Blitz Build San Salvador, El Salvador KStewart@habitatelsalvador.org.sv5