Gearing Up for Habitat Youth BUILD
Seven Asian countries get ready to host thousands of volunteers on simultaneous builds on 27 April
(From top) Like their counterparts who helped out earlier, Japanese volunteers will be lending a hand in earthquake-affected Miyagi; poverty housing in Liang Kou town, China; families in India will get a hand up on 27 April; young Nepali supporters will join hands for five minutes as a curtain-raiser to Habitat Youth BUILD.
BANGKOK (April 11, 2013) — Amid the online buzz for Habitat Youth BUILD, seven Asian countries are gearing up to host thousands of volunteers on 41 sites in just one day — April 27.
Simultaneous builds will take place in Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal and the Philippines.
Cambodia: Leading the fight against poverty housing, 500 younger Cambodian supporters will help prepare the site of the Smile Village project, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Smile Village, or Phum Kdey Nhor Nhem, will be a community of affordable rental homes for families who lost their homes and their source of income when the city’s major dumpsite Steung Meanchey was closed.
China: In southern Guangdong province, 300 concerned young people will be working on 39 homes to improve lives in Liang Kou town. From April 26 to 28, the volunteers will be digging foundations, mixing cement and laying bricks to build decent homes for low-income families. Scheduled to join the volunteers are singer Jade Kwan, who was named one of Hong Kong’s Outstanding Young Persons for 2012, well-known young architect Fai Au and actress Kelly Fu.
India: An international build involving more than 100 Korean volunteers kicked off the Habitat Youth BUILD campaign in India. The momentum continued with a charity run and a conference on affordable housing. Come April 27, over 500 volunteers will be rallied to build homes and communities in four locations in India — Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.
Indonesia: Habitat for Humanity Indonesia will mark Habitat Youth BULD on April 27 with the construction of one house in Bojongkoneng village near Sentul city, about a 1.5-hour drive from Jakarta. The build will kick-start HFH Indonesia’s initiative to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing which will lead to the Youth Pledge Day in October.
Japan: About 40 undergraduate volunteers representing 21 campus chapters under Habitat for Humanity Japan will be working in Miyagi prefecture where people affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami are rebuilding their lives.
Funds will also be raised for a home repair project in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi, supported by Japan Platform.
Nepal: Youth power and energy of more than 10,000 Nepali volunteers will be harnessed in house construction and neighborhood clean-up activities on April 27 across 32 districts. Nepal is home to more than three million families who live in poor housing conditions.
As a curtain-raiser to Habitat Youth BUILD, tens of thousands of young people will be invited to join hands together for five minutes all over Nepal.
The Philippines: Habitat Youth BUILD takes place in Navotas city, north of the capital Manila, where over 2,000 volunteers will build about 180 houses. The houses will be constructed with concrete hollow blocks to make them more resistant against natural calamities, in an area prone to flooding due to typhoon and monsoon rains.
Mark the date — April 27, 2013 — and join 10,000 young people in simultaneous builds and even more online friends. ‘Like’ the Habitat Youth BUILD page. Follow twitter updates with #HabitatYouthBuild. Donate and fundraise on habitatyouthbuild.org.