Tag Archives: house

A Healthy Home Is Key to Healthy Living

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A healthy home is a big step on the path to healthy living, and it is a key component of Heifer International projects. Not only does the increased income our families see allow for money to be spent on much-needed improvements to their homes, Heifer includes trainings to teach the needed skills and facilitates camaraderie that often results in participants helping each other complete tasks that would otherwise seem out of the question.

As I was writing this blog and looking through the project photos, I was struck by the differences in the homes around the world. I love that Heifer doesn’t go in and change this cultural uniqueness, but adapts. A healthier, happier home is the goal.


When you give a Heifer gift, it’s not just a cow, or a goat, or even a llama. It’s a new way of life filled with hope and promise. It leads to healthy living where there was once a struggle for basic survival. Food, water and shelter are all important to healthy living, and all are components of Heifer International projects.

healthy home

A noticeable improvement in the Pacoricona's kitchen before and after.

Take the Pacoriconas, for example. They live in Peru near Puno and Lake Titicaca, and are part of a Healthy Homes initiative that trains and distributes supplies to improve the living conditions of participating families. The Pacoriconas first built a model of their home and went through trainings, then started construction. Today they have a new house with an improved kitchen, refrigerator, neatly organized bedrooms, a tool shed and an outhouse, as well as spaces inside the house to maintain their personal hygiene and study. An animal shelter and family garden were also added. Imagine this being accomplished in entire communities. This will undoubtedly allow those participating to enjoy more healthy living.

Donate to help families afford healthy living conditions. This gift will support projects that give families the opportunities to earn the income they need for healthy living by purchasing roofing materials, bricks, concrete for floors and so much more.

This post is part of our What to Give series, where we’re helping you choose the best Heifer gift for your loved ones. Read previous What to Give posts here, and subscribe to the What to Give series here.

Still don’t know what to give? Check out our entire online Gift Catalog.

How to Make Mud Bricks Used in Adobe Huts

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Once a week we will be featuring a fun and/or educational activity you can try at home or in the classroom. This week, we learn how to make mud bricks like people use to make houses in some parts of the world.

In southwestern United States and Mexico (as well as other parts of the world), where there are not many trees, people often build houses out of mud bricks called adobe. Adobe houses are warm in the evening and cool in the daytime.

If a mud brick is warmed by the sun, how long will it continue to give off warmth once the sun goes down?

Round huts made of bricksMaterials for making mud bricks:

  • Soil
  • Water
  • Bowl
  • Large mixing spoon
  • Straw, dry grass or pine needles
  • 2 thermometers
  • One-pint milk carton
  • Clock
  • A sunny window
  • Pencil and paper

How to make mud bricks:

  1. Gather some straw. If you do not have straw you can use dry grass, or dry pine needles.
  2. Put the straw, soil from your yard, and water into a bowl and mix it well.
  3. Open the top of the empty one-pint milk carton. Pour the mud mixture from the bowl into the milk carton.
  4. Make a hole in the mud by pushing a pencil halfway down in the middle of the opening. Loosen the mud around the pencil by moving the pencil in a small circle, and then leave it in the carton.
  5. Place the milk carton in a sunny window and leave it there for several days to dry.
  6. When the brick is firm and dry, take the pencil out of it and peel off the carton.
  7. Leave your brick in a sunny window for one more hour. Then, put the brick on a table out of the sunlight.
  8. Put a thermometer into the hole of the brick. This will measure the temperature inside the brick.
  9. Lay another thermometer nearby on the table to measure the temperature of the air outside the brick.
  10. Wait a few minutes, and then read and write down the temperatures showing on the thermometer inside and outside of the brick. (How long will it take before the thermometer inside the brick is the same temperature as the one outside of it?)

Many people around the world use different materials to build their houses. What are some of the advantages to using adobe bricks to build a house? What could be added to the mud mix to make stronger bricks?

Adobe bricks are not used for building in places where there is a lot of rain, or where it is cold. What would happen if adobe bricks froze and thawed a lot? What happens to adobe bricks if they keep getting wet?

What are some other materials that can be used to build houses?

To download a PDF of this activity, go here. You can find more fun and educational activities at www.heifer.org, or help families improve their living conditions with a donation.