Saturday, November 29, 2014

Within next month, 36 families will move into decent and affordable homes built of woven bamboo and cement plaster walls


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Habitat home partners Sanu B.K. (far left) and Sharada Pariyar (right) help to build their own houses.
BANGKOK (November 21, 2014) – Wide grins on the faces of new home owners, partners, volunteers and staff marked the end of Everest Build III in Nepal on Friday. Fresh from house dedications and handovers, more than 500 people gathered in a colorful tent in the new community of Amiliya, in Chitwan district, for the formal ceremony that closed the five-day build event. Standing proud, 36 homes built of woven bamboo and cement plaster walls, with zinc roofs glinting in the sunshine, provided the perfect backdrop for the festivities.
As they waved goodbye to the international volunteers, Habitat for Humanity partner families reflected on the activities of the week. Among them was 41-year-old Sharada Pariyar: “Had my family members and I weaved woven bamboo ourselves, it would have taken two to three months. They [the volunteers] all did it in two days.”
Sharada has already started making plans for her families’ future: “My husband, daughter and I are tailors. I want to start a small tailoring business on the patio of my home and sew clothes for the community. I will be able to cater to the needs of my neighbors and earn a living.”

Within the next month, families will take up residence in their new homes, shifting from their nearby makeshift structures into safe, decent and affordable homes.
“The authorities threatened to demolish our houses. I spent my days and nights worrying where my family and I would go. Now I have a house of my own and nobody can demolish it,” said Sanu B.K., 36. Sanu and her family of six had been living in a one-room house.

International volunteers, drawn from 16 countries, shared their joy. Joining her daughter Wendy, 46, and granddaughter Laura, 20, on their first first-ever Habitat build, Anne Robinson, 70, said: “It’s been an absolute revelation. This is communities helping communities. You hand out money but usually never see how it’s being spent. This is personal.”
Joining Anne, Wendy and Laura in the volunteer team from Australia were local celebrities, Lisa Lamond and Adam Dovile, recent winners of House Rules.

(Top from left) Australian volunteer Wendy Johnstone with her mother Anne Robinson and her daughter Laura;
(Center, left) Tuakana Wichman from New Zealand; (center, right) newly weds Jeffrey and Suzanne Anderson from the U.S.; (Bottom) Kendra Lancaster from the U.S.

Working on another house, were newlyweds Suzanne and Jeffrey Anderson, who asked for donations to Habitat for Humanity instead of wedding gifts. Their Everest Build III experience formed part of their honeymoon.
Also from the US, although currently living in Abu Dhabi, was Kendra Lancaster, a member of the US Paralympic volleyball team. She said: “The build has been very special for me. Whenever I travel, I buy souvenirs to remember the place. But here I have so many memories and I got an opportunity to understand the culture and people better.”
The largest contingent of international volunteers came from New Zealand. In their team, 82-year-old Tuakana Wichman, summed up the week: “The families can’t build homes with the little money they earn. We build the house up, and then it grows. I want to come back. It’s in my heart to do it.”
Next year Nepal will host Habitat for Humanity’s 32nd annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Scheduled to take place from 1 to 6 November 2015, former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, will lead around 2,000 volunteers to build homes.
Often referred to as Habitat for Humanity’s ‘most famous volunteers’, President and Mrs. Carter give a week of their time each year to help Habitat build, renovate or repair homes in order to shed light on the critical role decent housing plays in providing a path out of poverty.
For more information on how to volunteer for the 2015 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, please visit habitat.org/cwp/2015.
To view more photos of the build week, visit HFH Nepal’s Facebook page

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

They will work on 36 houses together with low-income families in Chitwan


Bangkok, 17 November 2014 – More than 500 Habitat for Humanity volunteers start building homes, alongside 36 low-incomes families, in Chitwan district, Nepal today. The volunteers have come together for ‘Everest Build III’.
Left to right - Bishnu Tamang and her son welcome the help of volunteers; dance and music at the opening ceremony of Everest Build III.

Among the families is Bishnu Tamang, 33, who said: “I’m very happy to have so many volunteers here. 
The house we will build together is totally different from my current house, which is old, small and full of suffering. 
This new house is new, with sufficient space and will be a healthy home.”

Rick Hathaway, Habitat for Humanity‘s Asia-Pacific vice president, said: “A decent home can help transform lives.
 It opens the doors to improved health, better performance in school for children, greater economic opportunities 
and increased community spirit. These volunteers will play a part in transforming lives.”
Everest Build III builds on the success of similar occasions in 2012 and 2010. The event is also a celebration
 of the 50,000 families already supported by Habitat for Humanity Nepal, and is a major marker in their target of
 assisting 100,000 families by 2016.

Aruna Paul Simittararachchi, Habitat for Humanity Nepal’s, country representative, said: “The work carried out at 
the build site this week will not only have a direct impact on the lives of these partner families, but have a ripple 
effect – encouraging other families to build homes, to generate more funds, and change policies. Our aim is 
a Nepal with no poverty housing.”

Next year Nepal will host the Habitat for Humanity’s 32nd annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. 
Scheduled to take place from 1 to 6 November 2015, former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, 
will lead around 2,000 volunteers to build homes.

Often referred to as Habitat for Humanity’s ‘most famous volunteers’, President and Mrs. Carter give a week
 of their time each year to help Habitat build, renovate or repair homes in order to shed light on the critical role 
decent housing plays in providing a path out of poverty. For more information on how to volunteer for the 2015 
Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, please visit habitat.org/cwp/2015.
Everest Build III runs from 17 to 21 November 2014.

About Habitat for Humanity Nepal
Habitat for Humanity Nepal brings together individuals, corporations and partner organizations to build homes
 with Nepalese families in need. Habitat for Humanity Nepal was established in 1997 to address the need for 
decent and affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity Nepal currently assists 2.4 families per hour and plans to 
serve 100,000 families by 2016. For more information, visit habitatnepal.org, or follow as

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. 
Anchored by the conviction that housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat
 has helped more
 than 4 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates to improve
 access to decent and affordable shelter and supports a variety of funding models that enable families
 with limited resources to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. 
As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people
 of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. Habitat has supported an estimated 1.5 million
 individuals in the
 Asia-Pacific region, where it has been active since 1983. To get more information, to donate or to volunteer,
 please visit habitat.org/asiapacific or follow us atfacebook.com/habitat.

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