Guatemalan family receives new tiny home after local couple’s visit
BY JOAN JANZEN
SIBBALD—Lars and Levan Jensen came to Kindersley to share their experiences helping out at a charity in Guatemala. The Jensens, whose home address is now Sibbald, Alberta, made their first trip to Guatemala in 2007 and have been returning ever since. They even lived there from November 2009 to August 2012.
During their recent visit they helped out at Power At Work (PAW), a registered Canadian charity. PAW was started by Grant Lamb who made his first trip to Guatemala in 2005. In 2010 he sold his farm and now spends five months of each year operating PAW. Since 2011, the eastern Canadian has been supplying the product to make picnic tables and pays locals to do the work, who in turn give the tables away.
Lars and Levan Jensen helped at a registered Canadian charity in Guatemala on a recent visit. Pictured (l-r) the Mayor of Liano Grande, Levan and Lars Jensen and the principal of the Liano Grande school. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Lars Jensen helps carry one of the thousands of picnic tables local boys have made at PAW, a non-profit charity in Guatemala. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pictured are locals performing electrical upgrades in a Guatemalan home. Donated funds will be used to build this family a new 264 square foot home. SUBMITTED PHOTO
“They can have forty kids every day that come and get taught carpentry. They get paid, and it helps them learn skills,” Lars explained. “It is more like a large family.” Lars, who is a journeyman electrician, had some work projects that he saw he could do along side PAW.
While in Guatemala, he worked closely with a local young man who had taken a basic electrical course and had worked with a local electrician. Together, they did electrical upgrades in houses and at a local school.
“We bought materials and rewired the school building because wires were hanging off walls and hanging between trees,” he said. “When the mayor saw the school she was amazed that someone came to do such a quality job.”
“The boys from the home came and worked with us, so sometimes I didn’t get a whole lot done,” Lars admitted. “But by the time we left, I just helped, and watched the boys do all the work themselves. Between the electrical work and wood working, it opens up opportunities for these boys.”
While Lars was working on electrical, Levan was helping with community events and English classes. One day, Lars insisted Levan come look at a house he was working on.
“I walked over and had a look,” she said. “I’ve seen bad houses; however I felt we have to do something for this family. The house was built with branches, and old rusty metal patch worked together. This is where the family was staying.”
Lars did basic electrical to prevent the structure from being a fire hazard. Then the couple shared their concerns with the team at PAW who confirmed this need had been on their heart for the past year. After receiving this confirmation, Lars and Levan decided to use donations they had received to build the family a new home.
“A day or two before we left we told the family we have money to begin the building process,” Levan said. The occupants of the home, an elderly couple along with their 14-year-old son, were happy to hear the news. “I always believed I’d have a house some day,” the mom said.
“She had never learned to read and write, so one of the things on my heart is to teach her to read and write in her own language,” Levan said.
Lars and Levan returned home, grateful that the community will be blessed for years to come. Construction of the tiny 264 square foot house is underway, and it all began with one thought: “We have to do something.”