Habitat work takes nun around world

Within the past year, she has traveled to Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, New Zealand, Fiji and India. She has just returned from a trip to El Salvador, Ecuador and Costa Rica where she was the keynote speaker at four separate conferences to increase people's awareness of the need for affiliates to Habitat for Humanity International.

Sister Betsy is director of the international church relations department for the nonprofit, ecumenical organization dedicated to the elimination of substandard housing and homelessness worldwide. Since its inception 25 years ago, volunteers from around the world have donated their time and talent to building more than 100,000 houses in 60-plus countries.

On the road

"My role is to engage the faith community in the work of Habitat for Humanity on a world-wide scale," she explained.

She presents opportunities to churches of different denominations to form partnerships and raise money for building homes for the needy.

Making connections

"In Latin America, there is a huge division between Catholics and evangelical people," she said as an example. "Partnerships such as these become a work of reconciliation for both groups."

She told The Evangelist that there are more than 2,000 such affiliates currently involved in projects. Habitat for Humanity's work is organized at the local level by the affiliates, which coordinate raising funds for house building and select partner families according to need.

Affordable housing

* Houses are sold at no profit, with no interest on the mortgage, which can vary in length from seven to 30 years.

* Homeowners and volunteers build the houses under trained supervision. Individuals, corporations, faith groups and others provide financial support and resources to build the houses.

* In addition to a down payment and monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor into building their house and the houses of others.

On the grow

"Each year, Habitat for Humanity continues to grow," Sister Betsy said. By 2005, the organization anticipates that it will be active in 100 countries, building homes in partnership with people of all faith traditions.

"Currently, we are in conversation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Willow Creek Association [an association of Christian people of many denominations], the Salvation Army and the World Council of Churches," she noted. "This is an exciting time for us. My personal goal is to have every diocese in the world actively engaged in this work. Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful way to put our faith into action and to do every day what we say we will do on Sunday."

(Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity International, will be the keynote speaker at the commencement of the College of Saint Rose in Albany on May 12. For further information on HHI, go to www.habitat.org, or write to Habitat International, 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709-3498. Call Sister Betsy at 1-888-422-4848, ext. 2138. Her email address is [email protected]. Local affiliates are Capital District HFHI, 464-2993; Schenectady County HFH, 395-3412; and Rensselaer County, 273-6224.)

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