Edition Two – 2014
Building a Better World
In this issue: Empowering communities in Myanmar
New homes, new hope in Vietnam
Success in Indonesia
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Angela and Habitat staff member, Phally in Cambodia.
The Mighty Mekong builders in Vietnam.
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Jaymie giving our home partner some help on the Hands and Hearts build, Cambodia.
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO ASIA VOLUNTEER AND BUILD WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Building Better Lives Cambodia 3 – 10 January 2015 Spice Up Your Life India 3 – 10 January 2015 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Nepal 10 – 17 January www.habitat.org.au/ upcomingbuilds 2 Building a Better World
Building better lives in Cambodia Giving families a safe, secure house is life-changing and thanks to your support, we are making this possible in Cambodia. We are excited to move into phase two of our orphaned and vulnerable children project later this year. We will be working with another 350 families to build houses and improve health, hygiene and safety.
Children in Mkak village show Martin how to use their new pump well.
Martin Thomas, Habitat for Humanity Australia’s CEO, shares an update from Cambodia after recently visiting our projects in July.
life-changing for her family. She no longer has to worry about paying rent or expensive electricity or water costs and can save money for her children’s future.
Cambodia’s rapid development is taking a heavy toll on the poor. In Phnom Penh we work with vulnerable families, including those that have been forcibly removed from their homes and people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
“Nothing compares to the new house,” says Sopheap. “It’s the best thing we could ask for.”
On my visit, I met with families that had been squatting on a vacant plot of land in the city. Some had been there for as many as 13 years, but were forced out to make way for a new development. Habitat for Humanity has helped build homes for families in Andong, on the outskirts of the city. In 2012, we helped Sopheap and her family build a home. Two years on, she told us that a safe, decent home has been
My next stop was Siem Reap where we are working with families to improve access to clean water and to demonstrate proper hygiene and sanitation practices. Since 2010, we have served 2,736 families in 15 villages. In Mkak village, we have installed 10 communal pump wells. Before, families would walk half an hour, up to four times a day to collect water. “Having the pump makes it so much easier to collect water,” said Pan, 57 who lives in the village with her family. “We also have a filter so we can safely keep water in our house too.”
Sopheap and her children in their home.
Pan can now easily collect water in her village.
If you have been on a Global Village build to Cambodia before, you might recognise this edition’s cover star Vannaseth, who is a skilled worker who has helped build homes for our partner families. Building a Better World 3
Life after Haiyan
Jaime and Alona meet with Habitat staff.
The first new homes in Javier.
Australian-funded homes are creating a real difference for families in need as the anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan approaches. Typhoon Haiyan tore through the Philippines last November leaving a path of destruction in its wake. The province of Leyte was one of the hardest hit areas and has been selected as a site for Habitat for Humanity’s rebuilding efforts. To date, 10 new homes have been constructed in the municipality of Javier in Leyte. These homes are
some of the first permanent houses in the global recovery effort and have been funded with $25,000 in donations from Australian supporters. A further $25,000 was donated by Australian building and construction materials company, Boral. These homes will be life-changing for families still suffering in the aftermath of the typhoon, such as Jaime, Alona and their six children. After their home was nearly destroyed in the typhoon, the family had to live in a temporary
bunkhouse which they shared with two other families. Jaime then started to repair their house, but the only materials they could salvage were discarded plywood and metal sheets. Habitat for Humanity has started building Jaime and Alona a disaster resilient home, which they will move into soon. These new homes will stand as a symbol of hope for victims and show the real difference support from Australians can make to those in critical need.
Success in Indonesia We’re happy to announce we have completed phase two of our project in Bitung. We have constructed all 106 homes and 106 toilets and septic tanks for our partner families who were displaced by conflict. We’re now moving into phase three of our project and will be working with another 120 families in Rotan. This project is supported by Communities for Communities (C4C), a dynamic group of volunteers who reach out and help other communities in need. Founded by Lance Brooks, C4C has been a supporter of Habitat for Humanity since 2005. 4 Building a Better World
The Communities for Communities team.
“Indonesia is so close. They are our neighbours and it’s a beautiful country,” said Lance. It’s also a land in great need. Without anywhere to turn, families displaced by conflict find themselves in substandard shelter and mired in a cycle of poverty.
“Housing is one of the pillars of community development,” said Lance. “It’s a key part of breaking the poverty cycle.” Thanks to C4C and our other supporters, we are building brighter futures for families that have been through so much.
New homes build hope in Vietnam Progress in Tien Giang •2 new homes commenced. • 1 53 community members trained on disaster risk management. • 7 8 households received water, sanitation and hygiene training. • 7 9 housing repairs and water and sanitation additions completed.
What’s coming up A new home means safety and stability for Mai and her family.
Late last year we expanded our Nine Dragons project into Tien Giang. Here, we are improving access to safe shelter as well as providing disaster preparedness and water, sanitation and hygiene training.
Thao, used to live in a house made of discarded wood, plastic sheets and palm leaves. This was no place for Mai to raise her children, especially youngest son, Thao, who has special needs. But this was the best shelter the family could afford.
During a recent visit we met with Mai and her family. Mai, her husband, Sau and two children, Thuan and
Thanks to your support, we have helped Mai achieve her dream of owning a safe and decent home.
•L ivelihood training to commence in 2015. Her new home is connected to water and electricity and is well lit giving Thuan has a place to study. The home will also protect the family from the extreme weather conditions common to the region. “I won’t need to worry anymore,” said Mai. “The next generation will have a better life and that makes me happy.”
Volunteer celebrates 10th build! Since 2007, Reena Roy has travelled to countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand on Global Village builds. She is now preparing for her 10th build to Nepal this November. “It’s the most rewarding and satisfying thing I’ve ever done with my life” says Reena on volunteering with Habitat. “The experience of caring, helping each other, giving without expecting anything back, and seeing how all boundaries and differences are cast away, is very humbling and moving.”
As her 10th build approaches Reena tells us the emotional bond created between strangers in a one week Global Village build is something that never fails to amaze her. “There’s often tears from both sides at the end of the build” she says. “It’s genuine emotion, as a result of simple human kindness and love. It moves your soul to realise how easy it is to affect people in that way.” This year Reena also celebrated her 7th year as a HopeBuilder. A big thank you to Reena and all our volunteers for their hard work over the years. Your contribution is changing lives. Building a Better World 5
Building hope at home Our Australian program is proudly supported by our foundation partner, QBE.
South Australia
Victoria
Construction of our latest Habitat home in Davoren Park is progressing well with home owner, Tracey and her family looking to move in the next month. Volunteers including students have worked alongside Tracey and her family, assisting with painting and carpentry. One volunteer said “it gives everyone a good sense of accomplishment, as we can see what has been done and the difference it makes.”
In Victoria, a total of eight homes are currently being constructed in Crib Point, Drouin and Yea. At Crib Point, we are working hard to bring the houses to lock-up stage before plastering begins. A roof is about to be fitted on one of the homes in Drouin, which will allow work to commence on the internal walls and fittings. At Yea Heights, we have welcomed several groups of volunteers who have helped fill retaining walls, build a shed and construct fencing for several of our partner families. A big thanks to everyone for their hard work.
Queensland
New South Wales
Retiree Liz used to take great pride in her garden. Unfortunately, in recent years she has become less mobile and has been unable to manage her garden herself. Thanks to the help of Habitat for Humanity’s Ipswich Chapter, Liz’s garden has received a much needed clean up as part of the Brush with Kindness program. A team of Habitat volunteers spent the day removing weeds and a tree. Liz was thrilled with the results and grateful for the helping hand from our volunteers.
In New South Wales we recently helped rejuvenate Yagoona resident, Bernadette’s garden as part of our Brush with Kindness program. Bernadette has lived in her home for 30 years. For most of this time she has been taking care of her autistic grandson, who is now 22, on her own. Over two days, volunteers from Procter and Gamble worked through rain and cleared weeds, removed trees and managed to fill an entire skip. Bernadette was very moved by the experience and said “I never thought anything like this could happen to me, it is just magical.”
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Progress so far •3 75 community members trained on health and hygiene. •2 water reservoirs and 4 bath houses currently under construction.
Improving living conditions in one of the world’s worst slums
•3 5 community members trained on financial management.
Phase II of our Urban Resiliency Project is underway in Bangladesh. Thanks to your support, we are working in the Beguntila slum in Dhaka to improve living conditions. Our work here focuses on uplifting communities by providing housing repairs and improving health, hygiene and sanitation practices.
Coming up •2 0 home renovations and 1 community toilet to be completed in the near future.
Empowering communities in Myanmar
Mother and daughter in Kyauk Yae Twin.
Recently, we travelled to Myanmar with homeheaven.com.au founder Jackie Maxted to visit villages in Mon State. Thanks to homeheaven’s support, we’re working closely with six communities for our first ever project in Myanmar. Here, our focus is on improving access to clean and safe water, and facilitating training on Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS).
A community well in Phar Pain village in Mon State.
As most households in the project area don’t have toilets, the CLTS approach is used to empower communities to do something about this. Educating communities on the health implications of open defecation and the importance of sanitation creates awareness and initiates behavioural change. The aim is to inspire communities to build their own toilets and improve their sanitation practices.
Through this training, communities can work together and decide how to create a clean and hygienic environment that benefits everyone. So far we have facilitated nine training sessions, which will be followed by installing community water points such as wells and gravity flow water systems, and distributing household water containers. Building a Better World 7
Creating stability for families in Nepal Achievements so far: • 7 new homes built and 5 homes upgraded. • Water, sanitation and hygiene training for 270 families.
What’s coming up: • Masonry and construction training for 200 people. A home means a brighter future for Chandrakala and her family.
Earlier this year we started working in Ghorahi, Nepal with ex-Kamaiya (former indentured labourers) and other poor households to improve living conditions. For families such as Chandrakala’s, having a safe place to live has made a world of difference. Chandrakala used to live in a two room thatched hut made from bamboo sticks and plastic, which offered little protection from the rain. Chandrakala had no choice but to leave her children, aged 8 and 4
Ways to help DONATE Your donation will help us carry out vital work building homes and communities at home and across the Asia Pacific region. Visit www.habitat.org.au/donate BUY A HABITAT GIFT When you give a loved one a Habitat Gift, you’re also giving hope to those most in need. Buy your Habitat Gift online at www.habitat.org.au/habitatgifts
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at home while she and her husband were at work. One day, Chandrakala returned home from work and found her house completely flooded after a storm. Her children were crying, their clothes were soaked and all the food was ruined. Chandrakala took her children to a neighbour’s house to sleep and spent the rest of the night throwing buckets of water out of her house.
• Construction of 200 toilets. sheeted roof to protect her family. She says she feels very secure living in the new home. She is relieved her family are protected from the rain and her children can safely play inside the house. Along with building homes, training sessions have also been held on the proper use of toilets, hand washing and personal cleanliness to improve the health and hygiene of households.
Through Habitat for Humanity, Chandrakala now has been able to build a new brick house with a tin
Adopting these habits and having a decent home gives families a healthier, brighter future.
BECOME A HOPEBUILDER Your monthly gift will help us commit to long-term projects, and together we can transform families and communities. To become a HopeBuilder call 1800 88 55 99 or visit www.habitat.org.au/donate/monthly
VOLUNTEER OVERSEAS WITH GLOBAL VILLAGE Change the world while you travel. Learn more at www.habitat.org.au/globalvillage
BECOME A LEGACY BUILDER Help give families a safe, secure place to call home by leaving a bequest to Habitat for Humanity Australia in your Will. To learn more, call 1800 88 55 99 or visit www.habitat.org.au/ bequest
Address: PO Box 1048 North Sydney NSW 2059 Australia Phone: 1800 88 55 99 Website: www.habitat.org.au Overseas ABN: 36 747 459 174