Tito Ping is in Leyte with 38 other GAWA construction workers from Bagong Silang. Every single day, from 7 in the morning “to sawa” (until it gets too dark to work), they exert all their efforts into finishing the houses that these families will eventually move into. They are the skilled workers that supervise, train, and work with the typhoon survivors as they too sweat it out to build their future homes.

But the work is far from easy. For Leyte in particular, it’s a little more challenging than usual. This is hardly the first time they are building houses together with beneficiaries. Since GAWA was launched in late 2012, they have already worked on several villages in Caloocan and have gone as far as Zamboanga. But it’s different when you work with typhoon survivors who have lost practically everything. And it’s different when you do this for months in a disaster area, while being away from your loved ones.

But what makes it even more difficult is that they actually live in the site, with the future beneficiaries who have grown to become much like family to them. Tito Ping told me that sometimes, it’s as if he’s just in Bagong Silang, surrounded by the laughter of his neighbors. If they close their eyes and don’t look at the damaged structures, Ormoc feels just like home. This is why every day, they put the pressure upon themselves to give these families the best possible homes in the soonest possible time.

Jimmy Benedicto feels the same way, knowing that the hard work that they offer every single day is their way of helping these families start their lives anew. (Wala kaming matulong na pinansyal, pero natutunan kong hindi lang pala sa pamamagitan ng pera ka pwedeng makatulong. Sa lakas at pawis, kahit papaano, naipapamahagi namin ang pag-asa sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo.) "We may not have any material things to give, but there are many ways to help out. In our own way, with the power and sweat we pour into the work, we know that we are also giving hope to the survivors." – Jimmy Benedicto, GAWA Construction Worker/Supervisor Resident of Bagong Silang, Caloocan

Today, the new villages are rising and in a few more weeks, the families will be able to move in. I ask them how they can do such extraordinary work, pushing themselves and challenging timelines even with unpredictable weather and a limited budget. With an allowance of only Php 500/week on ground (the rest of their pay goes directly to their families), it certainly calls for sacrifice. But to them, this is more than just a job. It’s their mission, and they want to pour everything to it.

Ernesto Raymundo, one of the first GK homeowners in Bagong Silang, Caloocan, says that he has found his purpose in being a GAWA construction worker. From experience, he knows that every new house he helps build is not just a house.

(Hindi ko iniintindi yung pagod, kasi alam ko na kung ano yung naramdaman ko dati nung binigyan ako ng bagong bahay at bagong buhay, yun din yung mararamdaman ng mga titira sa mga bahay na ito.) "I no longer think about how difficult the work is. Because I know that what I experienced all those years ago when I was given a new house and a new life, that's also what these families will experience as soon as we finish their homes." – Ernesto Raymundo, GAWA Construction Worker GK Homeowner in Bagong Silang, Caloocan

The secret, they tell me, is seeing it as a work of heart. They love what they do, and they love Who they do it for. Tito Ping even remarked to me that they are like soldiers of God, always being sent to mission. Every time they finish a village, they know that this means a new life and renewed hope for the families who will live in it. To them, that’s more than enough.

When the Globe and Human Nature villages in Ormoc are finally completed and when the typhoon survivors finally get to move in, it’s highly likely that Tito Ping, Tito Jimmy, and Tito Ernesto won’t even be there. They probably won’t get to see the turnover ceremony and witness the sheer joy in the faces of the families as they first step foot inside those homes. They won’t be there because they will probably be in another site, building the next batch of houses for the next set of typhoon survivors.

These GAWA workers are the unsung heroes behind every new village that is built for the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda, and for many of our countrymen who still live in poverty. They show us that whether we’re a partner, a volunteer, a caretaker, a resident, or a construction worker, we each play a critical role in this mission of building communities and bringing hope to the darkest of places.

Everybody has a role to play in this extraordinary mission. Embrace yours.