Working in 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries – too many to list here – TECHO forms partnerships between impoverished families and volunteer youths in efforts to overcome poverty and set up long-term human development. Also known as Un Techo Para Mi País – Spanish for “a roof for my country” – TECHO was founded in 1997 and today has three strategic objectives: community development in slums, social awareness and action, and political advocacy. To accomplish these, the organization utilizes what it terms a community intervention model. The model’s three parts are as follows. In the initial phase, volunteers enter slums and diagnose them, along with first engaging with community members. The second phase is marked by joint work projects like the construction of transitional housing and community meetings, in which long-term solutions to local issues are developed. Finally, these work projects are wrapped up, and volunteers organize residents. Multinational corporations such as JPMorgan Chase and DHL have partnered with TECHO in its work.
