From the edge of disaster to simple, decent and safe new homes
From the edge of disaster to simple, decent and safe new homes in Juayua, El Salvador
JUAYUA, El Salvador — When The Fuller Center for Housing built its first homes in the United States, it was to address the influx of refugees from Hurricane Katrina, who had fled to Shreveport, Louisiana, after their homes and communities were flooded. Many decided they never wanted to return to the Gulf Coast.
A slogan emerged for this building effort, words that became a mantra in the early days of The Fuller Center — “Building on Higher Ground.”
That phrase especially resonates 20 years later in this Salvadoran community.
Flat parcels of land are hard to find in these highlands of El Salvador’s coffee country. Many homes sit precariously along Juayua’s winding streets, but a collection of 11 metal shacks practically hanging on a hillside in this neighborhood are of particular concern.
Not only are they unsafe in general, but they flood during El Salvador’s rainy season each summer, usually forcing the families to flee and move into government shelters. Year after year, they have been displaced as the waters rush down the hillside — and into their homes.
Fortunately, that won’t happen in 2026 … or ever again. Eleven new Fuller Center for Housing homes are rising on a small plot of relatively flat land … on much higher ground. It’s an arduous uphill walk from their current dwellings, but they know that the climb is worth it. They also know that the precarious daily treks will soon be a thing of the past, as will the seasonal flooding dangers.
Julio has been living in one of these precarious shacks for 14 years with his son. They gladly navigate these steep walks that often leave American visitors and volunteers winded or stopping along the way — especially on the way back uphill.
“I thank God for this opportunity to live in a safe house, and the land is really flat,” he said. “It’ll definitely be much better to live in the new house. Because we don’t have permanent walls, the rain rushes into my house. Also, because we have holes in the roof, the water comes in through there, as well.”
Fuller Center Vice President of Communications Chris Johnson visited Julio’s current home last week with a delegation from Fuller Center partners The People Helping People Network, founded by Fuller Center Board Chairman Jeff Cardwell, who led the trip.
“I’ve heard some of our volunteers talk about the hills around here and thought they might be exaggerating, but no,” he said. “I would not turn down Julio’s invitation to see his current home, but I had to stop twice on the way back uphill to our bus to catch my breath. The good folks of Juayua tackle these hills all the time like it’s no big deal. That tells me two things — one, they are determined, hard-working folks; and, two, I’m way out of shape.”
Martha also is among the 11 families partnering with The Fuller Center to build on higher ground. She has been renting a shack for 26 years — one she shares with her daughter, son-in-law and her 2-year-old granddaughter.
Martha is especially grateful for the opportunity to own a safe new home because of the stable foundation it provides for her granddaughter — and the respite it offers her granddaughter, who is battling leukemia.
“For my family, and especially for my granddaughter, it’s going to be a great benefit because they are going to be safe in a decent home,” she said. “I never imagined that I was ever going to have my own home. I’m really grateful, first of all, to God, and to everyone from The Fuller Center for Housing and The People Helping People Network. I never imagined that I would ever have a safe house for me and for my family.”
The Fuller Center began its first builds in Juayua just three years ago, breaking ground on a 50-home community in a rare flat field in 2022. Those homes were dedicated and filled with grateful, happy families a year later. Meanwhile, these 11 are not the end of The Fuller Center’s work in Juayua. Instead, they are the beginning of new developments nearby — construction that will eventually take the total number of Fuller Center homes in Juayua to 168.
Much of that work is made possible through the hard work of Fuller Center Global Builders volunteers, many of whom have made repeat trips to Juayua. Because so many of these volunteers have fallen in love with the community and its people and want to keep returning, 168 homes may ultimately be just the beginning of something much, much greater … on higher ground.
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