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Trivial Pursuits
 Long builds houses, relationships around the world
 Photo courtesy of Jennie Long Jennie Long, pictured on a job site in Downpatrick, Ireland, in September, has led five groups on construction trips throughout the world for Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program. By Monique Bos Published: Friday, December 9, 2005 Jennie Long, a publications editor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, has traveled the globe as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity — and her experience with the organization is part of what brought her to Savannah. Long, a Chicago native, and her husband first worked with Habitat for Humanity — a nonprofit organization headquartered in Americus and dedicated to providing affordable, decent housing around the world — as AmeriCorps volunteers after they graduated from college. “Initially, I enjoyed learning construction work,” Long said. “Also, I really liked feeling that I was accomplishing something. I liked working with the homeowners.” In fact, she signed on with AmeriCorps for a second year and then joined Habitat as a staff member in the communications department. “It was during this time that I started to get involved with a program called Global Village,” Long explained. Through Global Village, an initiative of Habitat, groups of volunteers spend two weeks in another country, where they partner with local affiliates and communities to build houses. With her husband, Long led her first Global Village trip to New Zealand in 2001. They initially planned to go to Fiji but had to change their destination because of a coup there. “They won’t send teams to places that are in definite turmoil,” Long explained, “but that being said, I think a lot of times the countries that have the most need for better housing are the ones that have been touched by civil war and deep poverty.” As volunteers working with local communities, Habitat groups do travel to places that aren’t suitable as “vacation destinations,” Long said. They also experience their hosts’ culture in ways not available to most tourists. “Cultural interaction is a big part of the trip. There’s usually a lot of opportunity to talk to local volunteers. The homeowners are usually on site for at least part of the time,” Long explained. “That’s one of my favorite parts about going on the trips. I like to travel, but sometimes when I travel just for fun I go to the main tourist attractions, but I don’t get as much local flavor as I’d like. When you spend eight hours a day on a work site with someone, you really get to know them.” Although she quit her job at Habitat several years ago to attend graduate school at DePaul University in Chicago, Long has remained involved with the organization. Following the trip to New Zealand, she, along with her husband or some friends, has led groups of volunteers to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Portugal and — in September — Northern Ireland. As team leader, she recruits volunteers, manages finances, arranges lodging and meals, communicates with the local affiliate, and generally makes sure the trip runs smoothly. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a fair amount of work,” she said. As for her return to the South, after she finished her Master of Arts degree in writing, Long and her husband decided they preferred the Southeast to Chicago, so they settled in the Savannah area. They continue to work with Habitat on a volunteer basis. “We try to stay involved,” she said. “We’re been volunteering with the local affiliate in Bluffton … I’m really impressed with them so far.” And, while she isn’t planning any international forays at the moment, she is considering a shorter trip to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. “I think it’s an important cause, so that’s on my list,” she said. For more information about Habitat for Humanity and Global Village, visit www.habitat.org. |
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