Sabrina Arthur is growing family support for her passion to help build homes for people in abject poverty.
Arthur, 33, of Crapaud first got involved with Live Different in 2017 when her Charlottetown-based employer, Invesco, partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters for a humanitarian build in the Dominican Republic.
The experience, she says, was life-changing.
Arthur was moved by the immense community spirit.
Limited resources are generously shared. If a family lacks enough food for the week, neighbours come to their aid.
“It was just really impactful to see how they all took care of each other,’’ she says.
“These people are coming from nothing and creating a community that is sustainable and safe, that has supports available.’’
Arthur believes by the second day of the build, she felt determined to have a long involvement with Live Different, a Canadian charity established in 2000 that has built more than 500 homes, schools and clinics in underprivileged parts of the world.
“So, when you go in and you see the extreme poverty that you see in juxtaposition with the way that the community comes together to support each other, it’s extremely inspiring,’’ she says.
Arthur was one of 10 volunteers taking part in the build of a house the size of a small bungalow.
She and the other volunteers got to know the family they were building for – a group consisting of a grandmother, a couple and four children.
The family members regularly showed their appreciation towards Arthur and the other volunteers.
“A lot of smiles, a lot of hugs,’’ she recalls fondly.
“It was amazing…a very heartfelt and warm environment.’’
The building process is simply good old collective grunt work in antiquity construction style.
Strings are used instead of levels.
Concrete is mixed by hand.
Buckets filled with cement mix are passed from hand to hand to hand and then poured.
Making a difference
- Live Different is a Canadian charity established in 2000 that began to operate internationally in 2005. The organization is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives through youth empowerment presentations, a humanitarian building program, community projects and an academy program.
- The group has spoken to over 1.5 million students, visited more than 3,500 schools from coast-to-coast and completed over 500 projects internationally, including homes, schools and clinics.
- Live Different has had 27 volunteers from P.E.I. participate in humanitarian builds – thanks, in large part, to the co-operation of Invesco, West Jet and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
- Volunteers from P.E.I. are willing to speak about their life-changing experiences with Live Direct. Visit the Facebook site called Passion for Impact to learn more.
- To learn more about Life Different, visit livedifferent.com.
In February, Arthur brought her husband, Cory Gavin, along for a build.
He soon was absorbed by the strong emotional connection to the people his wife had done her best to convey following her first build.
Gavin was moved by the selflessness of the people.
“The thing that really struck me was somebody that doesn’t have a house will go help somebody else build a house,’’ he said.
Gavin and Arthur are set to take part in yet another build early in 2020, and they plan to bring along their nine-year-old daughter, Ava. Gavin hopes the experience will offer his girl “a changed perspective on everything really”.
The couple expects to remain involved with Live Different for the long haul.
Austin Gauthier, who is the builds administrator with Live Different, is always amazed at how many volunteers come back for second, third and fourth builds – and more.
“We find they really fall in love with the people and they recognize the need,’’ he says.
“You attach on to that feeling and you realize you can really make a difference.’’
