In a hillside shantytown next to a dump outside of Tijuana, children are smiling. Life is better for them, and their parents, because of the generosity of schoolchildren residing just a few hours north in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Thanks to $50,000 in donations raised at local Catholic elementary schools during the 2004 Holy Childhood Association's Advent appeal, nearly 90 dirt floor huts have become warmer, drier, cleaner and brighter at the Fausto Gonzalez housing site. The residents, including hundreds of children whose families forage the nearby dump for saleable scrap, are thrilled at what project "Hope House" has done for their community.

"People's lives have been changed," said Lydia Gamboa, associate director for the archdiocesan Mission Office. So far, 87 shacks have been upgraded with new insulation, drywall, flooring, roofing and electricity by volunteer labor. Materials paid for with the students' donations average approximately $500 per 15x15 foot house.

Volunteers, including teams of college-age students from the University of San Diego, the University of San Francisco and Notre Dame University, provide the labor. To qualify for the cooperative housing renovations, prospective families work on three neighborhood homes. Work is coordinated with the help of Maryknoll religious missionaries and lay helpers.

Recently returned from a pre-Easter visit to Fausto Gonzalez, accompanied by archdiocesan Holy Childhood coordinator John Perez, Gamboa said the project has brought dignity and a sense of pride to the community.

"We were welcomed at the new community center by 30 women and one man who each gave testimonies on what a difference the improvements have made in their lives," said Gamboa.

In an area where some babies have died from hypothermia, many mothers said they notice their children contract fewer colds. Others commented on the increased sanitary benefits of concrete floors, helpful in a neighborhood with no running water or indoor toilet facilities.

"To see kids smiling in that environment made a big impact," said Perez.

"There's something really good being done with the money," added Gamboa. "It's children helping children."