Ormstown resident, Gilles Touchette, is part of a group of 28 people who will fly to Peru next July to build houses for disadvantaged families.
Established by the organization Amitié Gatineau-Monde, the group will be in the San Ramon region for three weeks to complete their project which is intended to improve the lives of local families. This project will cost some $20 000 in materials in addition to the $3 565 required for each participant.
Gilles Touchette said that he was drawn to this project by a friend who took part in a similar project during a trip to the Congo a few years ago. « Since I’m semi-retired, I see it as a new challenge to undertake, » he said.
To help finance the project, Touchette has organized a spaghetti dinner which will take place January 28th from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ormstown Recreation Centre. Tickets are $12 for adults (this includes a beverage, beer or wine for those 18 and over) and $6 for children aged 6 to 12, children 5 and under are free. Touchette is also selling organic, fair trade coffee and chocolate in support of the project. (514-713-9773).
The organization, Amitié Gatineau-Monde, was established in 2006 by two sisters, Caroline and Marie-Pier Desrochers, as a result of a personal project in high school. Since then, AG-Monde has brought together 328 people and raised over $240 000 for humanitarian projects in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, Burkina Faso and Vietnam.
Translated by Cathleen Johnston
