Large-scale “Friendship Build” in Bangladesh
About 70 volunteers and families working to complete 10 homes in the first Habitat for Humanity special build in the country
Volunteers and skilled workers (top and center) working hard to complete brick walls on the third day of the build; (bottom) a warm welcome for volunteers by HFH Bangladesh staff and the local community on the first day.
SRIMANGAL, Bangladesh, 6 December 2012: Some 70 volunteers have kicked off the first large-scale build by Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh.
The Friendship Build, from 2 to 8 December, sees families from Doluchara village in Srimangal working alongside volunteers from the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and China.
Together, they are working to build 10 brick houses which are part of a major community development project that also includes tube wells, roads, rain water catchment and drainage systems.
By the third day of the build, volunteers are focused on completing the brick walls and installing door and window frames.
Doluchara village is home to members of the Tripura community, a small minority group within Bangladesh, and many residents live in dilapidated mud homes that are health and security hazards.
Narendrea Debbarma, 42, is a Doluchara resident and his sole income supports a four-person household. “Both my son and daughter go to school but there is no place for them to continue studying when they get home, as our one room house is also used for living, cooking, eating and sleeping. My nine-year-old daughter always has a cold and I know this is because we live in a mud house that doesn’t keep out the wind, said Debbarma.
The Friendship Build started with a welcome dinner on Sunday, 2 December, followed by five days of construction, before homes are handed over to Doluchara families on Friday, 7 December.
It is estimated that 80 percent of Bangladesh’s population live in inadequate shelter. Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh is currently celebrating the milestone of having helped 3,000 families since it started in 1999, and is now planning to support a further 4,000 families by 2014. This Friendship Build will play an important part in helping to achieve this goal.
Check out HFH Bangladesh’s Facebook page for daily photos of the special build.
Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh collaborates with a variety of stakeholders, both local and international, to secure funding and volunteers, and with local partners to implement programs.