Kelowna students off to El Salvador to build a house

Six Central Okanagan students are heading south to make a difference this spring break.

The students, from Mount Boucherie Secondary and Rutland Senior Secondary, are travelling with their teachers to El Salvador.

There they will be helping build a house with the international non-profit housing organization Habitat for Humanity Global Village.

"As a citizen of the developed world, it's easy to take for granted the security of having a roof over my head," said Jane Newall, a grade 12 student from Mt. Boucherie Secondary School. "The El Salvador trip is an incredible opportunity to embrace a different culture and acquire new perspectives while helping a family in the most meaningful way.”

This is the fifth time that students from the Central Okanagan have made this spring break trip.

In the past, the students have worked on every phase of a house’s construction from laying the foundation to raising the walls to finishing the interiors.

"We are very proud of these student and teacher volunteers using their time off in such a positive way," said Kevin Kaardal, Superintendent of Schools/CEO of Central Okanagan Public Schools. "Their compassion and hard work will have a real impact, which equips them with skills as well as the knowledge that they can truly make a difference in the world around them."

According to Habitat for Humanity Global Village, at least half of El Salvador’s population lives without decent homes and 630,000 houses are needed to meet the country’s housing needs.

So far the organization has built more than 10,000 homes in the country.