Richard Russell's House Building Story
Click thumbnails enlarge images
Click thumbnails enlarge images
|
Volunteer House Building |
HOUSE BUILDING IN CAMBODIA A Cambodian family can take years to raise the funds to buy the land but once they get to this stage, a small team of able bodied travellers can make their dreams come true by supplying labour and fundraising $860 US for building materials for each house. Enthusiasm not experience is what is needed. Tabitha’s Cambodian site supervisors ensure that the work is carried out according to spec. Arriving as early in the morning as possible, the team sets about dividing up the work. Walls must be constructed, and hundreds of bamboo strips nailed to joists to make the floor. The air is filled with hammering sounds, and children and families come to watch the show. By afternoon the house is finished, and the team hands over the house to the new homeowner. There is rarely a dry eye among the group. Leaving your tourist dollars behind is one thing, but leaving behind a home is an experience you never forget. Interested individuals are encouraged to form their own team, or join an existing team if the timing is suitable. Lead time is approximately 7-9 months to allow for fundraising for the houses and scheduling. Teams are expected to build 3-4 houses over a two day period. Working in 37C+ heat and humidity requires builders to be reasonably fit and tolerant of heat. Ideal team size is 10 – 16. For more information about house building contact us at uktabitha@yahoo.co.uk. Pictures from the October 2004 trip are at: a house building photo gallery A team from Lotus Relief Charitable Foundation
traveled in November 2004 to Cambodia from the UK. Their daily diary is
posted on This link will take you to an article written by Robin Pascoe which appeared in the December 22/04 edition of the Weekly Telegraph://w _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________
By Yolanda Henry Janne Ritskes has a win-win formula. Her
charity, Tabitha-Cambodia, works with the poorest Cambodian families.
She offers interest-free loans for business start up. Each participant
must submit a business plan and attend regular meetings to discuss
progress. As their income g Contributions go directly into the hands of the most needy, without being siphoned off in large portions to run the charity. Groups are invited to come to Cambodia and build. Individuals must pay their own way, and the group must also raise enough money for building materials. Any extra will be used to fund business loans. Anyone can build. No experience is necessary; it’s a question of having the right attitude. Our eclectic group was organized by Joe Lingle, a teacher at the Singapore American School, who has been working with Tabitha for the past 3 years. We had a combination of backgrounds and nationalities: 4 Canadians, 1 Singaporean and 6 Americans. Ages ranged from 15 to 50-something. Our building began early on a Monday morning. We were a little anxious about what would be expected of us. We did not want to disappoint.
Janne has her own work crew who supervise us. Joe says the guys helping with the roof let him hammer a few token nails, and then take over. They have little confidence in us. Making walls is easy, and not too uncomfortable as long as we have
shade. As the mo There is no electricity or running water. We learn to be efficient with hammers and saws. The work is not difficult, but as the morning wears on and the shade disappears, our pace starts to slow. We envy the floor crew who have shade now from the finished roof. By 1:00 pm the first house is finished, and we elated. The family poses in front of their new home. Then we all gather into the picture and Janne takes a group photo with our cameras. Tuesday morning we’re off again to the village of Boh Angkang, about 20km outside Phnom Penh. We are excited because this morning we know what we’re doing! It’s hotter, and there is no breeze to cool us, so it actually takes longer to finish. We need more dunking and more breaks. Sok Deang is 60 years old, and will live there with her son, and his
large family. We can only imagine what she has seen and experienced in
those years.
They are moving from a rickety house made of grass, thatch and thin poles. Approximately 6 feet x 6 feet, they are built with the cheapest of materials, and do not provide a shaded area to live and cook in underneath. It also doesn’t keep them well above water levels in the rainy season (May to November). It takes about 10 minutes to move their belongings. The new homes are built on cement posts, which will withstand the rainy season and dampness. They are high to provide a full "floor" underneath. The cooking and eating and socializing are done below. During the dry season, the house is used primarily for sleeping, and now everyone can fit inside at night. Our two are the first houses to be completed with a door. The happiness we are able to bring to these people is immeasurable. It takes so little on our part to make their dreams come true. Wednesday morning we return with the American Ambassador.
Cameras and newspaper reporters are already there. Janne hopes to get
lots of press to let other poor families in Cambodia know about her
programs and gets great coverage on Thursday’s television news
broadcasts!
One of the families has invited a Buddhist monk to bless the home and bless the workers. We feel honoured…tears are hard to keep back. Have a look at this well written account of Richard Russell's House Building experience from one of the more recent trips to leave from the UK
|
rows
from less than US$15.00/month to as much as US$150/month, they start to
save money for a proper house. 
