In concert with Project Mercy, six new houses were built from April 23 - 30, 2022 for six happy families.  Thanks go to the Cox and Meziere families, Ware Malcomb Architects and colleagues, and Chula Vista and Encinitas Rotary Clubs.

 

 

Project Mercy was really pleased to welcome back Encinitas Rotary after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic. Pat Davis spearheaded the event and was equally pleased to be able to welcome a lot of new Rotary and Interact members and share the house building experience with them. Encinitas Rotary has been a supporter of Project Mercy for many years and our longtime framers Chris Malek and Fritz Stelhern got back to working with them with the addition of a couple of our Mexican crew. Their family was the Arce Martinez family of seven. Mother Maria and the two youngest children stayed and played around the new construction all day. When she saw the completed new home, Maria broke down in tears, it was a touching moment for everyone.

 

 

Long-time friends Carmen Sandoval and the Chula Vista Rotary crew worked with the lead of Mike Meziere on April 23 to build a home for Concepcion Ramirez Tafolla and her extended family. Concepcion’s husband died a few years ago and she struggles to raise eight children on her own. Her daughter Alexandra has just had a new baby girl and Carmen was excited to bring them gifts for the baby as well as much needed food and items for the rest of the family. They spend nearly all their hard earned money from selling donuts on the streets, to pay for the land. The gift of a house and supplies paves a new way forward and gives them hope for their future.

 

Since the first Rotary Peace Centers welcomed peace fellows 20 years ago, more than 1,500 of them have gained the experience, skills, and networks they need to build peace in their communities and around the world. Collectively, program alumni are making a tremendous impact through their work as leaders in conflict transformation, as well as in the areas of community and international development that make conflict less likely to occur. Rotary’s long-term commitment to peace education will continue to support leaders in the future. In fact, the peace centers program will expand, with the addition of a new certificate program in the Middle East or North Africa by 2025. This truly is a long-term investment. 

 

Learn more about the Rotary Peace Centers.