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House Building
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1.
Quick facts on House Building Trips
2. Information for Team Leaders
Some families in the Community Development program are able to save the US$960 required to build a house. For very poor families unable to save US$960, Tabitha co-ordinates volunteer building teams to supply the additional money and work under the direction of Khmer builders to construct a small house.
Some of the ongoing benefits to be gained by house building as opposed to just sending money are:
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During the Pol Pot era, Khmer people were made to feel they were of no value –some Khmers still feel they are worthless. When volunteers come from overseas it helps them start believe in their own value.
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Builders can combine fund-raising with the follow up hands-on building project. This gives a sense of how their funds are directly targeted to those in need.
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Participants return home inspired by their experience of actively making a difference in another family’s life and continue to participate in further Tabitha activities and fundraising.
Cambodia is a very poor, developing country. Volunteer building teams expose themselves to certain health and safety risk and should be aware that they will be working in unfamiliar circumstances and conditions. Builders should be fit and prepared to undertake two days of manual labour in hot and humid conditions.
History of Volunteers and Housebuilding
In early 1995, Andy Payne, a teacher with United World College in Singapore, came to Cambodia and learned about Tabitha. Andy wanted his students to come and learn about poverty through a volunteer experience. Tabitha Cambodia responded to this request by developing the house building project. The concept was to provide a learning experience that taught the recent history of Cambodia and to combine this learning with a practical experience of the impact on many people here. This was to be done through building a small home for a family in our project.
The volunteers are required to pay all their own expenses; raise money for some of the cost of materials; come and build the house in the community; learn about and visit sites about Cambodia’s history and to take home their memories and share this with others. Volunteers are encouraged to help find markets for our products as well as raise additional funds to help families in our community development projects.
Benefits of Volunteer House Building
1. To provide an in depth and meaningful
experience for foreigners visiting Cambodia. The
team members will experience not only the tourist
attractions but will come to understand and befriend
Cambodians – both the poorest and the middle
class.
2. To educate volunteers about poverty
and the issues involved it is an
education in the causes of poverty, the results of
poverty and the solutions to poverty.
3. To become partners with Tabitha-Cambodia
in our outreach team members, upon
returning home, can become volunteer sales people
as well as fund raisers for various projects.
4. To give Cambodians an opportunity
to teach foreigners the skills of house
building - rather than being taught by the foreigners – develops
a deep sense of pride.
5. The families chosen represent the
very poorest in their communities as well as being
role models for their courage and faith
in their own ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable
odds.
Cost of House Building
Materials used in house building vary from region to region and also build to build, depending on the cost of wood at the time.
DESCRIPTION |
UNIT PRICE |
Cement posts -2.5m - 9 per house |
$ 120.00 |
Wood for frame and floor |
$ 500.00 |
Tin for roofing |
$ 100.00 |
Tin or Wood for Walls |
$ 150.00 |
Nails and Bolts |
$ 30.00 |
Housewarming Quilt |
$ 60.00 |
Local contractor - labour |
$ 50.00 |
TOTAL ($US) |
$ 1010.00 |
The family is expected to contribute a portion of the cost, usually between $25 and $100. It may take nearly four years to save this amount, and while it seems little to us, it is a huge effort for them. Volunteer house builders need to raise US$960 for each house they plan to build.
Each team of builders is expected to make a commitment to raise funds towards the cost of building. The number of houses which can be built depends on the size of the team, and the time available. On average, teams of 16-20 can build 5-6 houses a day. Any funds raised in excess will be used towards helping more families in the community development project, in drilling wells for clean water, or building more homes if time allows.
