Our Story
Building Communities, Building Hope
Cambiando Vidas began with a single act of kindness in 1997, when Jose “Pepo” Abreu’s community rebuilt his mother’s home after it was destroyed in a fire. Inspired by this generosity, Abreu founded Cambiando Vidas to provide safe, affordable homes for deserving families in the Dominican Republic. Since 2007, we have helped over 100 families become homeowners.
For each week long building project, the community and a group of volunteers come together to ensure that the house is completed by week’s end, leading to a dinner celebration on the last night with the family, community and volunteers where the keys of the house are offered to the family.
Our 501(c)(3) grassroots organization, with minimal overhead expenses, maximizes the impact of every dollar. When volunteers fund their trips, 60% of the contributions go towards construction materials, while 40% cover their lodging, transportation, and food, ensuring comprehensive support for our volunteers. Volunteers and community members provide the biggest share of the labor.
Calling a Place Home
We bring the community and volunteers to come together to create a house for a family to call home by providing:
- Community coordination enabling the community to identify and select families in need of a home and gathering support and participation foreach project.
- Simple design to build, in one week, a sturdy 2 bedroom house with a kitchen, main room, bathroom, basic plumbing and electrical with the community and volunteers providing the labor.
- Energy from a group of volunteers who work side by side with the community to create a house and finance the cost of materials through their trip funds.
- Project Management to ensure all phases of the build are well coordinated and timely ( materials, equipment, masons, volunteers and community members) to ensure completion of the house within the week.
Side by side with the local community
Volunteers experience a local community, a way of life, and landscape very different from what they are used to by:
- Working full days side by side with local community members to complete the house build, sharing in the effort, laughter, and accomplishment
- Supporting other community services based on expertise and need
- Sharing local food prepared by the community for all the workers on site
- Staying at a local hospitality facility
- Visiting local sites and learning their history
What Makes Us Unique
We Facilitate
We Work with the community to experience what they can accomplish through community driven action. They identify and prioritize the families in need of a home and coordinate support for each project.
We Include
We work with volunteers to provide them a safe and rewarding community experience. They work side by side with local members of the community, sharing the sweat, the laughter, the food and discovering the local way of life.
We Build
We construct safe, durable homes for deserving families, creating a stable foundation for a brighter future and stronger communities.
We Donate
We contribute the funds, materials, and time to support our mission, ensuring that every donation directly benefits those in need and drives our projects forward.
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Support Our Mission to Transform Lives
Your donation helps Cambiando Vidas continue building safe, durable homes for deserving families in the Dominican Republic. Every contribution directly funds construction materials, labor, and essential resources, ensuring a brighter future for those in need. Join us in making a lasting impact. Thank you for your generosity.
Every Contribution Makes a Difference
Each donation, no matter the size, helps us continue our mission to transform lives and create lasting change. Your support is vital in making a real impact on families and communities in the Dominican Republic.
Giving Help Fund
Building Communities
Building Hope
