Solihull Students Build a House for a Mexican Family

A team of 10 students from Grace Academy Solihull has changed the lives of one Mexican family for the next 30 years by helping to build them a house from the foundations up, with only hand tools, as part of a life-changing trip to Mexico.

The Solihull students joined students from Grace Academies in Darlaston and Coventry to take on the project, which involved building one 11 feet by 22 feet house for a poor local family in real need, under the supervision of local experts.

The students, who each raised £1,495 themselves to help fund the trip, handed the house keys over to the local Mexican family at the end of the building project, before returning home.

Speaking about his experiences during the trip, student Michal Creamer, said:

“I felt like I would be so happy with a nice car, house, job, family. I had quite a capitalist point of view that I only needed to worry about how my family are doing. I now feel that although a flash house and flash car would be nice, the most important thing is giving others equal opportunities.”

Student Joseph Birkett said:

“The best thing about this trip was the people that I have met and the feeling that you have really changed someone else’s life in a positive way and my own. Before this trip I was very quiet and didn’t have much confidence around people and could be very shy. Now I am not as shy to start with and the trip has tested many skills and brought many new ones out in me too which I didn’t know I had.”

Laura Wadley, Youth and Community Coordinator, Grace Academy Solihull, who accompanied the students on the trip, added:

“It was amazing seeing a group of young people achieve such an amazing thing. Seeing everyone work together as a team to complete a life-changing act for a family was incredible. Seeing the impact on the family and young people was great, as well as getting to know all the teens.”

The project was organised by Grace Academy in partnership with Amor Ministries and Urban Saints, and follows their first successful visit to Mexico last year.