We have nearly 29 years of building homes throughout rural Nicaragua. Over 1,400 families have moved from a house made with wooden boards, plastic, rusted metal, and dirt floors into a simple concrete block house with concrete floors and protection from rain and insects. While this is wonderful, simply put, these projects are so much more than safe shelter. It is a home for some of the most incredible, hardworking, and big dreaming people we know.

Katering is one of those people. When you first meet her, you might think she is a typical teenage girl. However, it does not take long to realize just how special she is.

At the age of 14, Katering’s list of accomplishments has just begun, and her impact is already great within her family and her community. She is attending high school with the help of a scholarship. She leads a colectivo with her fellow scholarship students, teaching younger children in their core subjects. She is involved in community meetings and activities. She represents her community and Rainbow Network at regional events due to her excellent public speaking skills. She also supports her parents and siblings in their family’s development. Katering’s commitment to developing herself and others is no less than incredible.

Not long ago, Katering’s community of El Zapote learned they had been chosen for a future Rainbow Network housing project. Without hesitation, Katering and her mother Meyling applied for the project. They know this is the chance of a lifetime. A new home will allow them to realize many of their dreams, including a dry space to do homework, land to grow a garden with nutritious food, and room to start a new small business to create income.

When I met with Katering and her family on my most recent visit to Nicaragua, and heard about their dreams for a new home, I was reminded once again that these projects are so much more than a house. They are about opportunity, hope, and new futures. Bottom line, they are about people.

Megan Herrera, President