What do you think about your build in Cambodia?
All the boys and staff enjoyed the experience very much.
Although they may not have enjoyed getting up early each
day and leaving their hotel at 7.30pm, they soon got into
the routine and each group knuckled down to the tasks at
hand with much enthusiasm. They had tasks to complete
and they bonded together in great spirit to achieve tasks
on each of the build days. The mounds of sand/soil slowly
disappeared as tasks were accomplished. The concreting
of the floors and finishing was a very pleasing achievement.
Many of the boys had not laid bricks before so this was a
great experience. Although the weather was unpredictable
and the rain made access to and around the site difficult,
the boys pressed on regardless. Meeting the homeowners
and the skilled workers gave us some insight into normal life
in Phnom Penh for many people. Traveling to the work site
gave us an appreciation of the lifestyles of people on the
fringes of a large city – something many tourists never see.
Scotch College
Our build gave us an opportunity to help both a primary
school and a village under Habitat for Humanity Cambodia’s
water sanitation project. Water sanitation is an important
element in development, especially in a country like Cambodia
where the water supplychanges dramatically with the season.
Everyone on the build site was friendly and happy to be
working with us, a group of university students from Australia,
and they didn’t mind that our lack of building skills meant that
it wasn’t so pretty! Although it was hard work, we finished our
project in just a few days and this was very rewarding. We
learned new skills, like laying bricks, and met new people.
It was great to have the dedication ceremony at the end,
and to meet members of the community whose lives would
be changed by our project. Thank you Habitat for Humanity!
Charlotte Mills
Our build in Cambodia was superb with HFH Cambodia looking
after us excellently. We got to work on two houses;
building foundations and walls with the homeowners and
the very helpful foremen and skilled workers. It was hard work
but great fun, especially with the local children coming round
to help and play. We loved helping these two lovely families
and we also learned a lot about ourselves whether it was
building skills or how to get on with people from another
culture. It was a measure of how well HFH Cambodia looked
after us that so many of the team loved the experience and
how few of them fell ill during the trip, bearing in mind how
difficult it was to build in such hot, humid conditions. I
have been on builds to four countries worldwide and HFH
Cambodia is definitely the best organised of all. I highly
recommend a trip to Cambodia with Habitat for Humanity!
David Scott