Come and Visit Pine Ridge

When you come out to Pine Ridge, expect a life-changing experience. You'll work hard, to be sure, and our projects make a difference in the lives of our Lakota friends. But your time with Re-Member will give you much more. You will experience the awesome beauty that is the Oglala Lakota people.

You will get to know a people that, despite all they have experienced, are open, genuine and giving. By learning their history, hearing the stories of our Lakota staff and speakers, and by traveling throughout Pine Ridge, you will have a sense of what life is like today for the Lakota people.

Pine Ridge is the poorest area of the United States, and all the signs of deep poverty are present. But come stay with us, and you will meet a people who are survivors. You will experience their culture and spirituality and come to understand the richness of the Lakota nation. Come help us.

Beyond Bunk Beds
Since Re-Member's beginning, our primary project has been building and placing bunk beds in homes. Bunk beds take up less space in overcrowded homes and since we started, we have placed close to 2500 bunk beds. That's close to 5000 individual beds. While we will continue to place beds as needed, we find that we must move beyond beds and address the critical housing needs on Pine Ridge. We can move forward and truly begin to "fix that which is broken" and "Re-Member."

"Helping People Stand"
Wawokiye means "helping people stand." As Re-Member expands toward our ultimate goal of building houses, we take our volunteer work force into Lakota houses to renovate, rehabilitate, fix up, paint, clean and help make better homes for our friends on Pine Ridge. We help elders, disables, and families in dire need. This project, begun in 2007, has been a huge success and we are expanding to include larger home renovation projects.

Building Houses
These are exciting times for Re-Member and we want you to be a part of it. The lack of adequate shelter on Pine Ridge directly affects the health and welfare of the Lakota people. The UN states that shelter is a basic human right. Conditions here should not exist in the middle of the wealthiest country on earth. Re-Member is making preliminary plans to directly address this need.

Building Relationships
While our projects on Pine Ridge are important, they are only a part of what Re-Member is all about. To truly make a difference, we must bridge the gap of two worlds. By getting to know those with whome we work, we establish strong relationships that last beyond our volunteer's time with us.