Posted on: 27 July 2010

Jason Webb

Elim Christian College

Posted on: 20 July 2010

I have recently returned from Mongolia. I was fortunate enough to be the team leader for 10 amazing volunteers from various places in New Zealand. We spent 5 days constructing 2 brick houses between us including insulation and parts of the roof. What a fantastic experience. I would recommend this to anyone no matter what your circumstances are. Our team sure had diversity from Shane : an 18 year old student from Whangarei to Owen turning 76 from New Plymouth.

I suggest travelling singularly, as in a team environment you become friends very quickly and it is amazing the bond that you can form with your team members in just a few days. If you choose to travel with a companion this still is equally fulfilling as you can both share in the memories and make new friends together.

We have numerous overseas builds on the horizon for the rest of 2010 and 2011, so if you are interested please go to our website www.habitat.org.nz and see which one is for you.

You can fundraise online, if you need any tips, ideas or advice on how to do this please contact us. Shane managed to raise his full amount for Mongolia. Go Shane ...

I have now been to Samoa and Mongolia, each time I have had a real life changing experience, made great friends along the way and I truly can’t wait to venture on my next build. Here is the perfect way to unite our cultures and help change lives forever. Building homes, Building hope.

many Thanks,

Devie (Team Leader)

Posted on: 14 September 2009

Posted on: 14 September 2009

Posted on: 16 April 2009

Experiencing Vietnam from the Ground Up - an enriching opportunity for all!

By various routes and time zones, the team members of VN09001 gathered in Ho Chi Minh City on the 2^nd January - ten New Zealanders and five Americans. Our ages ranged from 18-72 years; six members had been on other GV team builds; and a number of members hadn't any or much experience in DIY/home maintenance/construction activities. Arrival day enabled everyone to get orientated to the local area and learn how to cross the streets without fear or hesitation. The following day was a fun mix of culinary and sightseeing activities: being shown around the fresh produce section at the Ben Thanh Market by a chef from the Vietnam Cookery Centre then off to the Cookery Centre for cooking lessons and self-made lunch; a visit to the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica; the Central Post Office; the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace.

The next morning we flew to Rach Gia to meet Ngan (the Volunteer Programme Coordinator, HfH), be briefed at the Habitat Office, meet the local commune committees and the eight families we'd be working with and attend a formal welcome dinner. Our work began in earnest the next day, involving two hours travel each way to the commune using three modes of travel (bus, car/bike/ferry, longboat with outboard motor). We split into four teams and worked with four different families, doing basic construction tasks, such as cutting and straightening steel; digging foundations; breaking up rocks and bricks for fill; making, carrying and laying concrete; tamping down soil; bricklaying; putting up palm tree leaf cladding; and shifting tons of dirt.

We were spoilt with delicious morning and afternoon teas and lunches; enjoyed the families, their children and neighbours; and found language was no barrier, thanks to the college interpreters and Ngan. Although in saying this, at times the Kiwis found it difficult to understand the Americans…and vice versa. Who'd have thought American and New Zealand English could be so different and difficult to understand one another! It caused much hilarity. On the work site however, sign language reigned. You soon knew if your work wasn't up to scratch and a ‘thumbs up' for all good, was welcomed. Our week's work was completed with a presentation to the families (a gift and a photo of the group and home owners) and a formal thanks and farewell from the commune committee.

It was humbling to see such poverty – the one room dwellings, fish pond toilets, glassless windows – and heartbreaking to know families' difficulties in sending all their children to school, because of the cost of fees and books. It was thrilling to see the transformation in the homes in only a few days, as they went from a compacted dirt floor to a concrete floor; straw and mud exterior cladding to bricks or new palm tree leaves; a patch of bare earth transformed into a simple one room dwelling.

The Rest and Recreation weekend was spent at Phu Quoc, an island off the coast and tipped to be the next big tourist destination. It was a welcome break from the construction work and team members enjoyed the beach, various watery activities (swimming, toe dipping, fishing), massages, the local restaurants, some sightseeing tours and exploring the island by motor bike. It was difficult to leave. Week two worksites were a repeat of week one's activities, but with different families. We finished week two with a formal farewell at the commune and formal farewell dinner with the Habitat for Humanity staff, volunteers and interpreters. The team then flew back to Ho Chi Minh City and the team dispersed.

The whole experience was stimulating: a veritable kaleidoscope of sights, sounds and smells. All of it was memorable, including discovering the wondrous and multiple uses of duct tape (no one should leave home without it); the generosity of families having complete strangers in their homes; the team members – always ready to help one another out, source coffee and have a laugh; the superb organization, guidance and leadership of Katrina Martell, team leader and Louis Piezzo, co-team leader (amazing how they managed to track down a birthday cake in Ho Chi Minh City and karaoke in Rach Gia, for two different birthday celebrations); learning basic construction skills; learning how to lay bricks under the guidance of the home owners and supervisors; the 5.00am public announcements and curious mix of music through the loud speakers in the street; and the restorative powers of anti-inflammatories and a cold drink.

I do recommend the experience. It's good to go out of existing comfort zones; to experience another culture up close; to go to parts of a country that tourists may never get to see; to do something purposeful and very practical for families who need a hand up; to meet new, interesting people; to be physically, mentally and emotionally challenged on a daily basis; to be reminded of the abundance and blessings in our own lives - such ready access to clean water; shelter; sanitation, food, education, health services and freedom to travel outside our own countries. Traveling with a Global Village Team Build makes touring to some far flung places easier – it's all arranged; it's a comfortable option for people traveling by themselves – and its loads of fun.

As to the question put to me the week I returned – “why do it?” I can only say – “why ever not?”

Sue Dwan

Member of VN09001, from Christchurch

Posted on: 26 August 2008

Global Village Team CNI to Cambodia 4 to 18 th July 2008

We were the 18^th GV Team to visit Cambodia, the first from New Zealand and one of the first to build wooden Houses. As a consequence, our Cambodian Habitat hosts were keen to watch what we did to see if they could learn any new skills and techniques. It was good that we had taken a supply of tools from NZ to use on the builds then leave for teams to follow, as well as buying 2 generators and power tools to speed up the builds on our houses then leave them also as our contribution for Habitat Cambodia's future building programme. Habitat was established in Cambodia in 2002, so it is still an organisation in a development phase. The importance of our visit was underlined by Bernadette, the National Director, not only welcoming us at the induction in Phnom Penh, encouraging us to sample the local delicacy, cooked tarantulas, at our first evening in Cambodia, joining us for the house dedications and sharing our final night in Siem Reap with her team and ours, at a local restaurant. Habitat Cambodia were magnificent hosts and did everything in their power to make the experience unforgettable, sharing their ancient culture, answering our barrage of questions, translating what we were saying to the families and villages we there to help. I won't forget the friendships we made with Bernadette, Leak, Sopheab, Kim, Ravi and our driver Mong.

Our experience could be summed up in the cute local saying “Same same but different”. NZ is green with grass, Cambodia with rice fields which were being planted out while we were there. We drive on the left, they on the right, a legacy from the French colonization of Indochina. We commute in cars, Cambodia on motorcycles which can carry anything from a full dining room table on the back, to a full grown pig, to a family of 5. There is nothing that can't be transported on a motorcycle. We have the car wash but in Cambodia it's the manual motorcycle wash. Our median age is in the mid 30's, in Cambodia it is 21. This is a very young country, the result of the millions murdered under the Khmer Rouge and a lower life expectancy (65 for women and 60 for men). We wear sun hats, the Cambodians the Kroma, or scarf wrapped around the head in oh so many ways. We were all given one at the induction along with our name tags written in English and Khmer. Our alphabet has 26 characters, Khmer 33.Our counting system is on a base 10 but there it is a base 5. Our history is young, whereas the much older Khmer Empire was at its peak around the 12^th century. Our prices are fixed whereas in Cambodia bargaining is the norm. Same same but different was a great source of amusement and we constantly found new things to apply it to with our hosts.

Our group from CNI was a beautiful blend of wise ancients, adventurous 30 somethings and cheeky but passionate young ones. Being an affiliate based GV Team, was a huge advantage as we had seasoned” Habitaters” and decisions could be made on the spot to purchase new equipment without worrying if it was appropriate or could be afforded. The success of our team must be credited to our site leaders and camp mums but especially Pete who was a 24/7 leader.

The builds at our 2 sites near Angkor Chum, 47 kilometres NW of Siem Reap, in the heartland of rural Cambodia provided a range of new experiences. At one end we went back to basics mixing concrete by hand, chipping out joints in the beams with a hand adze or drilling holes with a hand auger , to setting up a milling department to plane and trim timber with the aid of generators and power tools. We came with expectations that were too large, as we wanted to complete the houses we built. Even though this was not achieved, it was sobering to learn that the families would be moving in straight away and completing the houses as their savings permitted. It was a good lesson for us to have our “western” expectations tempered by local conditions. The contact working alongside our Habitat families each day, sharing decisions, learning snippets of each others language, playing with the children and laughing like there was no tomorrow will be a lasting memory I carry. These people are poor materially but are some of the happiest I have encountered.

Our tasting of Cambodian culture, both old and modern, was exceptional. Whilst we were there Cambodia was gearing up for National elections on 26 July. We were able to see first hand “rent an electioneering team” in action on many occasions. The temples we visited at Angkor Wat were stunning as we had expected. They were one of the few things we knew about Cambodia before we arrived and we were not disappointed. Through our visits to a number of temples we learnt a lot about the history, traditions (Apsara Dancers) and religion with both Hinduism and Buddhism being combined. We were lucky to have a superb guide like Ing who was even prepared to try Habitat building with us. The more recent history, with the horrific tragedy of the Khmer Rouge and the devastation they wrought on their own people, whilst uncomfortable and at times unbelievable and sickening, happened. The visit therefore to Section 21, the barbaric interrogation centre , the “Killing Fields” and the Land Mine Museum gave us an appreciation of what Pol Pot's regime did. What staggered me was how Cambodians have been able to forgive and move on, even though there would not be a family that didn't lose someone during the reign of terror. We covered so much in the time we had. Historic temples, palaces, markets, a floating village, silk manufacture from the cocoon through to fabric, Amok cuisine and even the Cambodian massage for weary muscles were highlights.

For me, this has to be the NUMBER MUOY (one) Habitat experience I have had in the 5 years I have been with the organization. I haven't laughed as much for a long time. Whether it was playing with a little Khmer language, chanting the mantra “My Country My Beer” , a deranged monkey, being chauffeured on a motorcycle back to the hotel by a very nice young Cambodian lady, lying down to eat at the Blue Pumpkin Restaurant , joking and playing with the village children, or seeing the villagers split their sides laughing as we stripped to the waist and exposed our lily white torsos for the farewell Haka, the laughing muscles got as big a work out as all the others. To be given the honour to speak on behalf of our GV Team at the house dedications was a very special personal moment for me.

Or Kun (thankyou) Pete. Or kun (thank you) Habitat Cambodia. I would like to do it all again.

Harry Trigg

“The Cambodian Kid”

Posted on: 30 July 2008

We arrived in Cambodia and had three days as tourists. It was an important time to acclimatise to the 35+ degree hear from our 16 degree winter and to understand the recent history of the country. It is incredibly difficult to imagine the long term impact of killing the nation's entire group of professionals and intelligentsia – engineers, doctors, teachers and public servants.

In the Angkor Chum area, where we were working, the war continued until 1998 – the people had more than 25 years of war and have only had ten years of peace. A war that still kills thousands every year from the estimated 3 million unexploded landmines. Half the nation is under 21 years of age and we were told, 65 percent of the children have tuberculosis.

When we were taken to our building sites we had a feeling of stepping into a scene from National Geographic. Ox drawn cards that looked like they came from a medieval movie set (we were told they were about 80 years old), rice paddies being planted by rows of colourfully dressed women, children playing in canals full of muddy water and children in school uniform biking off to school.

Our team split into two groups to work on two sites. Some of us, including me, spent our entire time on one site while the rest of the crew rotated over both sites and got to know both families.

Om Hing and his wife Sokpha were lovely people to serve. Hing is a farmer and took time off the rice planting to assist with the building project. Sokpha makes and sells sweets at the local market. Sokpha starts work at 3am, preparing her sweets and works at the market from 6.30am until 12.30 pm. She then has domestic chores, preparing meals and working on the farm and cooks the sweet potatoes for the next batch of sweets. Her day ends at 9pm.

Cooking is done on an open fire with pots sitting on three blocks or on a smaller concrete brazier. Watching the women prepare a feast for the roof raising day, when friends and family assembled to raise the framing, was inspiring. They were clearly very practised at preparing vast amounts of food on the little fires.

Our team project manager was an engineer with very practical skills. Hing had also hired a local builder to manage the project. The two bosses had different ways of approaching the job and communication through an interpreter who wasn't a builder added to the challenges. The local builder had a plan in his head and didn't appreciate the need to convey it to us. Two days before our time was over, the builder's plan was put on paper and for the first time our project manager clearly understood what they wanted to build.

It is all part of the challenge in working with different cultures with a language barrier, and was fully to be expected.

When the friends and family gathered for the frame raising, the builder's son asked how much we were being paid for the job. He could not understand that we were volunteers, it was a concept beyond his comprehension. We didn't even try to explain that we had paid many times their annual income to be on the project.

On first arriving at our building site, only the 2.5 metre high foundations were in place for the house. Some timber was on site and some was stored near by. Our first task was to drill holes in the timbers running between the foundations. We were presented with local augers for the job. They were about 400 mm long and a short stick slotted into a hole at the top to act as a handle. The team quickly discovered how hardwood got its name. It didn't take long for the blisters to appear.

Some of the chaps were dispatched to fetch some timber from the other stockpile and much to our amusement, returned pulling an ox cart. They made cow noises to make it sound authentic.

Our next task was to plane timber. We were provided with heavy old wooden hand planers that were quickly blunted by the hardwood. We were set to planing all the floor boards and wall boards, so it took days. Our bus driver, Mr Mong was a Godsend as he stepped in and sharpened the tools and showed us how to do the job properly.

Realising the size of the task, the following day the team purchased a generator, electric planer and skill saw. The planing was still a difficult job but it worked out easier than doing it by hand.

Harry, the oldest member of our team, persuaded the women in the village to take him rice planting. They were highly amused and happily took him with them. They were very concerned that he shouldn't get his hands dirty, not that it worried Harry in the least.

Harry was a favourite with the children who were delighted at his various tricks and laughed their heads off when he fell over during their tug-of-war.

The frame raising was done during the weekend, when we were busy being tourists again, so when we arrived on site the following Monday morning we cheered to see what the family had achieved during our time off. The gathered relatives had erected the framing we had assembled the week before and had put the roof on.

Sadly, that was the last day I was on site because I was struck down with a persistent tummy bug. The team worked on putting in place walls and windows and on Thursday had a dedication ceremony when they handed over the house.

Even though there was insufficient material to finish the house, the family moved into the partially finished home on the last day. Turning their back on the past, they had already demolished their old home before the team arrived for work on the last day. They were as proud, happy and grateful as our team was humbled and satisfied.

Throughout our time in Cambodia we have seen huge poverty but no despair or resentment. People don't have frown lines on their faces. They want a better life and work hard to achieve it, but they don't complain about their lot. They lost so much during the war but with peace has come a contentment and serenity that is lacking in many other societies that have an abundance of material wealth.

We will remember them forever.

Anne Aitken