Soundtrack of the weekend: I played The Chemical Brothers from a portable speaker and it was surprising how much it helped us to work. Energetic, melodic, amazing!

The Chilean earthquake is old news. But to some the effects of the earthquake are still acutely present, even after all this time. It was estimated that around 500,000 homes were destroyed, their inhabitants left literally homeless. It is this situation that the charity Un Techo Para Chile is trying to solve. ‘A roof for Chile’. What a noble spirit of community that simple name evokes. They build houses not only for earthquake victims but also for other people who need homes, in an attempt to get them out of the refugee-style camps that are so common throughout the country. They were given funds by the government to buy materials for new homes, and then they appeal for volunteers to go and build them. Young people, often university students, go in busloads every weekend. I wanted to see more of how Chile had been affected and how people were coping, and I wanted to join in the work that Techo Para Chile was doing for them. So I signed up with them and went to build a house.