Volunteers to build houses in Cambodia

Several Mangawhai volunteers, lead by local builder Glenn Kehoe, will head off to Battambang in North Western Cambodia to participate in the Habitat For Humanity Blitz Build.

They will help build six houses in just five days with a team of international volunteers from as far away as China and Canada. 

The team leave Auckland on March 30, flying into Siem Reap (via Singapore) and stay in Battambang for the week of the build.

The houses are traditional Cambodian style, constructed of air-dried earth blocks, however no specialist construction experience is required. The recipients of the houses work alongside the volunteers adding their “sweat equity”. 

They then have a small mortgage equalling about $US20 a month.

“They are very appreciative of our help as it is the only way they can get into a decent home,” says Glenn.

Currently the median age of the  Cambodian population is just 21 years of age, says Glenn, with about 250,000 people (or 20 percent of the city’s population) living in squatter settlements, slums and other poor urban communities. 

Habitat For Humanity assists with one of their most basic needs – the need for shelter.

“These trips really do offer the chance to make a difference and to meet lots of fun people wanting to do the same. Registrations is open to all-comers, all ages and all experience levels,” says Glenn, a veteran of previous projects in Cambodia, Nepal, and the tsunami rebuild in Samoa. 

If anyone is interested in this life-changing  trip Glenn says there is still time for last minute registrations which close January 29. The cost for the travel, accommodation and build section of the trip will be $4,800, however Glenn points out that part of this also covers a donation to the host nation for the purchase of the land to build on.