OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — According to the National Association of Women in Construction, 10.9% of the construction workforce nationwide in 2022 was comprised of women.
Currently, at Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, it's about 25% — a number that could grow more through Women Build and Bluestem Prairie.
Norma Fletcher has volunteered with the organization for 25 years, including with Women Build.
"The camaraderie of the women is, first-off, that has been fun. And just, working on a project that, at the end of the day, you turn around, you look at it and go, 'Wow! Look at what we did today,'" she beamed.
Last year, more than 80 women worked on one Habitat Omaha home. Bluestem Prairie presents a new and unique opportunity to expand the program.
"Usually, we do a lot of infill lots and kind of building up old communities, kind of just filling in some of the spots. So, this is going to be a great big development," Margie Schill, construction supervisor, explained.
The 19-acre community will include 85 homes designed for families and empty nesters. The land, near 52nd and Sorensen Parkway, is where the Wintergreen Apartments once sat.
"We want to build up Omaha. We want to build up families. We want to help provide the American Dream to maybe the person that wouldn't necessarily think that they were capable of achieving," Schill said.
Discovering capabilities also applies to volunteers.
"I think women learn, first of all, in a very safe, non-intimidating environment — how to use a SKIL saw, how to use a chop saw, a tape measure, you know, how to use basic tools that someday they might have to use in their own home," Kathy Perdue, a site supervisor for framing, shared.
Fletcher added, "And they're not afraid to ask. I think men get afraid to ask — looking dumb. But women, they don't care."
Construction experience is not required for Women Build, but it is guaranteed, from framing to siding to finished work.
Women can volunteer from Wednesday through Saturday.
Sign up here: Local Community Volunteer Opportunities | Habitat for Humanity of Omaha
RELATED: Habitat for Humanity breathing life back into North Omaha property with troubled past
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