our purpose
Terra Firma Floors has a two-prong approach.
1) Eliminate Dirt Floors in Latin America
In 2013 a group of Stanford students were tasked with building a product or service that would make third world communities healthier. The students were shocked to learn of the significant problems caused by dirt floors. Eliminating a dirt floor resulted in dramatic reductions of childhood diarrhea, malnutrition, and parasitic infections.
The students formed EarthEnable, which focuses on dirt floors in Africa.
Why the focus on floors? It has been shown that one of the most desperate needs in Latin America is to get families off dirt floors. Living on dirt floors contributes to health issues for children. Parasites and bacteria invade the bodies of many youngsters stunting both physical and mental development.
2) Help men discover their purpose
It has been said that one of the main things men need most is respect. It can be argued that men with a purpose have more joy than men who merely have respect. Being respected is dependent on others but having purpose is rooted in one’s own self. What better purpose is there than service and sacrifice for others?
We at Terra Firma are excited to offer men an opportunity to join other men on an exciting adventure to Central America where we can serve God by serving our fellow man and developing a rich, purposeful life.
In 2022, Terra Firma began building floors in Guatemala and joined the initiative 100,000 Floors to Play On with Habitat Guatemala and Cemento Progresso.
our Story
In 2020, good friends Richard Green, David Young, and Buzz Hill were in the middle of a Rick Warren devotional on Living with Purpose. The devotional discussed ways God communicates His purpose for your life. At this same time, Buzz revealed that after returning from a mission trip to Nicaragua with Compassion International he had been haunted by the dirt floors that families and children lived on. Richard, David, and Buzz realized that God was guiding them to create the nonprofit Terra Firma Floors to eliminate dirt floors in Latin America and help men find their Purpose. Terra Firma translates to “solid ground“ in Spanish and we hope to provide a foundation for God’s purposes. Please join us!
At Terra Firma Floors, we ask each family to select their favorite Bible verse to place underneath the concrete as a blessing to the house and their family.
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
Proverbs 24:3-4
Our Impact
Switching from dirt to a concrete floor has a huge positive impact. More than 1.8 million people are killed by diarrhea each year, but a hard floor can reduce the risk of childhood diarrhea by 49% and parasitic infections by 78%. In addition to diarrhea, non-dirt floors improve malnutrition, asthma, and pneumonia incidences.
In 2022, Terra Firma began building floors in Guatemala and joined the initiative 100,000 Floors to Play On with Habitat Guatemala and Cemento Progresso.
Terra Firma Floors 