Friendswood church opens slum replica to the public

Standing outside a Friendswood church is what appears to be a small village - a mishmash of shacks and shanties made of materials found in poor communities around the world.

The village, named Compassion City, is the result of two months of work by a Friendswood family who wanted to show suburban kids what life is like in other countries. It's currently being housed at Friendswood United Methodist Church..

"We live in a very safe community, but this is not the real world," said Cindy Damman, the project's creator.

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Starting in May, Damman enlisted her husband, Ivo, to build eight structures using donated materials at the couple's Friendswood home.

Authentic replica shacks and shanties offer a glimpse of housing in other parts of the world at the Compassion City in Friendswood Tuesday, Aug. 8. Authentic replica shacks and shanties offer a glimpse of housing in other parts of the world at the Compassion City in Friendswood Tuesday, Aug. 8. Photo: Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle Photo: Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Friendswood church opens slum replica to the public 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

They used online photos from different countries around the world as their guide for each structure, and included stories about the people who might live in the homes based on internet research, Damman said.

Included in the display are a grass house from Angola, an outhouse from Mongolia, a water well from Mali, a kitchen from Bolivia, a bamboo house from Vietnam, a pallet house from South Africa, a corrugated steel home from Haiti and a school house.

Compassion City was moved to the church last week, specifically as an educational experience for children attending church camp, said Lee Ann Love, who directs the children's ministry.

Children brought their parents back later to show them the village, and church officials decided to leave the display up for several weeks to allow the public to view it.

Damman said she got the idea for the project from a similar experience presented by the Compassion International humanitarian aid organization.

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She thought the Compassion Experience put on by that organization was geared more toward adolescents and wanted to create a display more appropriate for younger children like her own 7-year-old Maaike, 5-year-old Rianne and 1-year-old Linthe.

"Children need to do more than hear it and see it" to learn about poverty, Damman said. Compassion City lets kids go into the structures and try out beds and touch toys and household supplies.

"It was neat to see the impact that it had on the children," Damman said.

The church is located at 110 N. Friendswood Drive. Compassion City is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.