Back in October 2024 Phil took a team of 14 Kiwi volunteers to Nepal to build a house for a family in need. It’s pretty hard trying to organize a building project from the other side of the world so Phil teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and along with some local builders their objective was to complete this house in just five days. It was 14 months in the planning and during that time he had put together the team who have a good balance of skills for the build being primarily a true kiwi can do attitude, enthusiasm and unconditional desire to help someone in need.

We did not turning up with our western ways to give them something they do not want or understand. The houses we built are a local design, comprising of two rooms plus a separate kitchen to the side. They have no internal plumbing but share the manual water pumps and toilets for the whole village. The houses have a concrete foundation much like we do here but from there up the construction materials and finishes are completely different. The wall frames and roof structure are made of bamboo which is bolted together then topped off with the roof. The walls are plastered and the floors are a concrete slab.

The build site was in East Nepal where typically the houses are poorly built which like in other places in the world, decent shelter is a symbol of social dignity. The new owners of the two houses were working with us throughout the build and with the assistance of a translator we were able to hear more about their lives. They have very little and are focusing heavily on their children’s future. The class system is very prominent in these rural areas of Nepal and decent shelter is a symbol of social dignity. Helping these families to upgrade their current housing will provide a big boost of confidence and often leads to an opportunity for their children to be enrolled in good schools. Sadly because of the class system, kids living in a shack may not be accepted into their local school.

The project itself was hard work. The temperature was in the mid 30s, humid with clear skies. Everything was done by hand, no power tools, nail guns or concrete mixers. We got the job done and handed the houses over. A big shout out to my team of volunteers from Otaki, Taupo, Putaruru, Hamilton and Tamaki-Makaurau.

The next trip to be organized will be in 2027. If anyone is interested in joining a Habitat build team, there are many destinations, please get in touch with me or go to the Habitat Global Village website.

https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/travel-and-build/global-village