How Black Country students built a house for a poor family in Mexico
Two students from the Black Country put their building skills to the test to help build a house for a poor family in Mexico using only hand tools.
The industrious Grace Academy Darlaston students, Laura Cotterill and Grace Jenkins, raised £1,495 each to go on the eleven-day trip to transform the life of a Mexican family whose previous home had been burnt down by a house fire.
The new 11 feet by 22 feet house in Tijuana which has a concrete foundation and stucco-finished exterior, will help to keep the family together who might otherwise have been unable to provide adequate housing for their children.
Some of the poorest families in Mexico live without electricity, running clean water, or access to a fridge, car and telephone and, after returning from the life-changing adventure student Laura Cotterill, aged 16, said: "I really enjoyed the trip to Mexico.
"I thought it was amazing to see how families could be changed by a little bit of help."
The idea behind the Build Hope scheme which the pair took part in is to give students the opportunity to experience a new culture, the tools to help them make a difference in the lives of other people in need overseas, and a fresh perspective on life.
Rachael Wright, ethos youth worker at Grace Academy Darlaston who also went on the trip, said: "I am really proud of our students who took on the challenge to keep a family together.
"They put their all into every part of the build, taking everything in their stride.
"This opportunity has helped our students to grow, developing their perspective of the world, increasing their interaction with a wider range of people, and deepening their understanding of themselves.
"The family we built for had their previous home burnt down by a house fire and seven of them had been living in a two-roomed house with other family members, with one mattress and a sofa.
"Now they have a new home with plenty of space for all the family."
