It only took a few days for new connections to start feeling like old friends.
Last month, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region staff welcomed three members of Habitat El Salvador’s Resource Development team, Vanessa Albanez, Hazel Bolanos, and Roberto Vasquez, to Portland. As staff gathered to meet them, we shared pupusas, El Salvador’s national dish, and spent the afternoon swapping stories.
“While their visit was short, we felt like close teammates before long and had lots of great laughs together,” says Habitat Portland Region President and CEO Steve Messinetti.
During their visit, guests toured West Lake Grove in Lake Oswego, met supporters, and connected with Portland Region staff.
“We returned home with new ideas, valuable insights, and wonderful memories,” Roberto says.
Their trip here celebrated a partnership that’s grown for over two decades. It also reminded us that although Portland and El Salvador are thousands of miles apart, we’re part of the same Habitat family.
Building together, across borders
Our connection is rooted in Habitat for Humanity’s global tithe program, which blossomed in 1979 during a home dedication in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Local Habitat leader Sam Mompongo took up a collection and asked that half the donations be used to help start a Habitat program somewhere else.
That act of generosity helped launch Habitat’s national organization in Guatemala and inspired a tradition that continues today.
Since Habitat Portland Region was founded in 1981, we’ve dedicated 10% of our unrestricted donations and ReStores profits to our partners around the globe. For more than 20 years, much of that support has gone to Habitat El Salvador and Habitat Ethiopia. This tradition has built lasting relationships, as well as safe, stable homes.
“To me, this partnership represents much more than financial support,” says Roberto. “It is a relationship built on trust, friendship, and a shared commitment to serving families in need. Knowing that, despite the distance between our countries, we are working together toward the same mission is something I deeply value.”
Our collective mission
Earlier this year, Steve traveled to El Salvador for his first Global Village build in the country.
“I had already heard a lot about the work they were doing but was still blown away by how big an impact they were having,” he says.
Habitat El Salvador serves communities across the country by building and repairing homes while also helping families secure legal ownership of their land, improving access to clean water and sanitation, and investing in communities’ long-term success.
What stayed with Steve wasn’t just the work, but the people he shared it with.
“There are really no words that can express what it’s like to spend a full week working alongside the staff, local volunteers and homebuyers,” he says. “Habitat’s vision is a world where everyone has a stable and affordable place to call home, and that only is possible when we think of our work as one Habitat and one collective mission without borders.”
These builds are transformative for participants from both the US and El Salvador.
“It is much more than a volunteer trip — it is an experience that creates connections, mutual learning, and hope,” says Roberto.
We are planning our next Global Village build in El Salvador for early 2027, so be on the lookout for more information! Questions about Global Village? Email globalvillage@habitatportlandregion.org.
