Melanie volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to get to know the people involved, learn about women's roles, and examine gender differences in working conditions. She spent a day helping with construction tasks like installing rafters and windows. She got to know the family receiving the home and other volunteers. Melanie found that Habitat provides equal opportunities regardless of gender, and that both men and women play important roles in building affordable housing for those in need. She accomplished her goals of gaining skills, wisdom from others, and donating her time to help the community.

1. Habitat for Humanity
WS 247
Activism Project
by: Melanie


2. My Goals while working with Habitat
 Get to know the people I work with on a personal level.
 Learn how women play a role in the Habitat process.
 Learn and examine if the physical differences between
men and woman affect working conditions.
 Acquire some new skills and techniques from the men and
women at the build site.
 Lend my time to help people in need.

3. The plan for my project was fairly simple. What I wanted to gain
the most out of this was the wisdom and stories of the amazing
people I met in the process. I also wanted to gain a personal
expansion on the topic of women and men in the physical
workforce. To accomplish my goals, I gave an active effort to do
more than just pound nails and cut wood all day. While doing the
tasks that I was assigned to I was working with various people,
talking and exchanging opinions and getting to know each other.
While donating eight hours at the build site, I planned to silently
examine how the women and men were interacting, and scan who
was doing what jobs, and if women were being given equal
chances given the lack of physical strength. I planned to do the
same examining at the restore.


4. My day at the build site in
South Moorhead….
I spent the day helping with all
sorts of tasks. When I arrived in
the morning there was no roof,
and by the end of the day we had
all the rafters up and the sheeting,
and most of the windows in. I
also spent some time getting to
know the people I was working
with and got to know a little
about the family receiving the
house.

5. More pictures from the build site….
Church
Service
Church members and children
An apron with the Women Build logo. had singed their prayers and
blessings on the support beams.

6. Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty declared
June 15, 2009 WomenBuild™ Day.
 WomenBuild™ is a program of Habitat for Humanity
International that encourages women and girls from all
walks of life to have fun, develop new skills and help
transform communities by building decent, safe and
affordable homes for hard-working low-income
families. WomenBuild™ projects have empowered
women all over the world to make a tangible difference
in their communities.
 Found at pr.com

7. Reflections …..
On Habitat for Humanity
 Amazing organization!
 Equal opportunities for all; men, woman, young, and old
 Learn many things
 Life skills
 Work and labor techniques
 Everyone is needed and wanted
 Simple process to lend your time
 Great people everywhere

8. Many of my beginning goals were accomplished in
my project. I met some amazing people who taught
me some life, and work skills. I got to see just a
small portion of the work they devote their free
time to. I know they all had one common drive, to
give some of their time to better the life of a family
in need.


9. I learned that gender means little at Habitat for
Humanity. The fact that a woman is essentially
weaker than a man physically was a minor
setback in the process, contradictory to what
society might say. I saw strong, committed, and
driven men, women, and children willing to
sweat away their Sunday afternoon, even if all
they were doing was handing out water. All
played a role in this wonderful procedure.
