Global Village Field Trip

The girls and I went on our last scheduled field trip of the semester with the homeschool group.  We went to the Global Village and Discovery Center in Americus, GA.  This was our first time there and it was a great place to see.  It was created by Habitat for Humanity (Americus is the international headquarters of HFH, which was founded by Jimmy Carter.). 

The Global Village and Discovery Center is a place where one can see and learn about the poverty that affects much of the world, and see how Habitat for Humanity is building homes for families in these poverty-stricken areas.  HFH does not just build the homes for free; the families moving into the homes are required to help with the labor ("sweat equity"), and then pay affordable payments for their homes.  It is a wonderful program.  Many of us are familiar with the homes HFH builds in the U.S., but we often don't see the work done in other countries around the world.  The Global Village has a mock-up of the very poor shanties and shacks many people in the world inhabit, along with signs explaining the effects of poverty on those living in such poor conditions.  Then the trail leads the viewer through a "Global Village" of  new homes built by HFH in different cultures, and gives the student a multi-cultural experience of what kinds of homes people live in outside our own borders.  I was so happy to have the opportunity to take the girls on this trip.  Here are a few photos.


These are from the poverty portion of the trail.

The homes below are samples of homes that HFH builds in different countries.  Each home had a sign describing the building materials needed and the approximate cost of each house (usually $3000-$5000).  We learned that in some cultures, all the doors of the rooms open outside to the front of the house because family members spend most of the time outside.  In other cultures, there are no bathrooms because they use a separate building.  And in yet other cultures, there are no kitchens because all the cooking is done outside.  It was very interesting.  The homeschooling parents were given a teacher's guide which described each house and the facts surrounding it's appearance and use.

The girls were also given "passports" to get stamped with a seal representing each country at each house.  Katie Mei found that to be the highlight of her visit!

We were also shown the method used to build bricks on-site in areas where there is no electricity.  The future homeowner is required to help dig the dirt and mix the materials to make the bricks, and then use the brick press to make the bricks.  The bricks require about two weeks to be dry enough to use.  The average home uses about 2000 bricks, and the time to make the bricks (including digging up the dirt) is about 5 days for 100 bricks.  There is quite a bit of labor involved, since the soil has to be sifted and each brick is individually pressed.  It's definitely a team activity!

Merrilee came away from the trip with a better appreciation for how some families live is poorer areas of the world.  Her heart's desire is still to be a missionary, and this trip has broadened her idea of what it means to serve God around the world.  I love that she is learning that mission work is not confined to just preaching, but more importantly it is coming alongside others and sharing the love of Christ with a hurting world.

Thanks again, Georgia, for being a great state in which to homeschool my kids!