AXA Volunteers in Palmeira
16 June 2000, by Rita Cruz

This past weekend, Habitat for Humanity Braga received some very special volunteers. They are AXA staff, one of the biggest insurance companies in Europe, and they came to work in a volunteer experience that is already giving rise to very positive comments.

From the eight people that were expected to arrive at 9:00am this morning, two of them were already on site, ready to work, at 8:30am.

Morning and afternoon were spend tying rebar for the beams, a specially hard and sometimes frustrating task but it was one that was made easier by the fact that a lot of the volunteers already had some previous knowledge of construction. José Costa for instance, had already worked as a construction designer, while Fernando Magalhaes had worked in

construction at the beginning of his career. As soon as we started, they were already giving us instructions! For me (Rita, PR) this was the first time not only tying rebar, but also working in construction at all. The experience could not have been better: feeling the sun burning us, but always laughing with an incredibly cheerful team.

Work was fast and funny, with an hour for lunch in the middle of the day. I spend some time talking with Mr. Magalhaes and I asked him on how he felt working for Habitat as a volunteer. He confessed me that he had heard about the work the association is undertaking, although hearing and seeing are two totally different things.

Not only was he impressed with the “volunteer spirit” that he could sense, but he was also enjoying very much the afternoon. It made him laugh so much that one of his colleagues, Mr. Costa, was working so hard, that he started the joke (which would go around the all afternoon). He said that pictures should be taken, so that Mr. Costa could show his sons that he worked at least one day of his life!

At the end of the afternoon, the general opinion could not be better. Everybody enjoyed it so much that some even expressed the intention of coming back and working one day or another. After all, as someone said, “there is more to life than simply sitting around an office, locked in between four walls.” Here in Braga we agree that this day was a great achievement.

It is the first time AXA works with Habitat for Humanity and we believe it is an experience very likely to be repeated, as images of this day will circulate world wide in the Internet, through the AXA homesite. Besides the volunteers that AXA sent to work with us, they also provided snacks for all workers, families, and other volunteers on site, sent candy and rub-on tattoos for the homeowner children, and they also donated 6 screw guns! We sure hope to continue with the partnership that has been established and look forward to working again with AXA in the near future.

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