The power of youth to make a difference






Youth Ambassador for Habitat Youth BUILD 2014.

By Santosh Shah, founder and president of Today’s Youth Asia, owner and managing director of South Asia Communications, and producer and anchor of Power Talks, Nepal’s first talk show in English

At 33, I am rather hesitant to put myself in the league of youth. However, the concerns of young people are very close to my heart. I come from a country that witnessed nearly 10 years of civil war, with many young people caught up in the conflict......

 

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Great Memories of Spice Build 2013, Nepal

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Qatar GV Team 11 – 17May, 2014 - Chitwan, Nepal





Volunteers helping each other on the site

On 11 May 2014, 13 volunteers from Qatar united together at Bharatpur, Chitwan to build a shelter for Home partner Mohan Maya Rimal. Mohan Maya is a single breadwinner of her family who works as a labor to earn her living. Since many years she has been staying at her daughter’s place and was in desperate need of her own house. 

In the meantime, the volunteers from Qatar joined their hands to provide Rimal her house of her dream. Over a week the team constructed a decent house for Rimal. The house was made of cement blocks and stones with stone foundation. During the build volunteers worked along with HFH Nepal’s partner organization Amardeep Saving and Cooperative Ltd. All the members of team assisted in carrying stones, mixing cement and preparing mortar for building. In addition to that they learnt to use the constructional tools as shovel for mixing mortar, trowel for building walls and hand saw for cutting wood planks. Despite the scorching rays of sun, the team enjoyed working together.

 

Volunteers shared their experiences:

 

GV team working on the Construction site

 

“During the trip I went through many different emotional feelings. From thinking why did I ever apply to this trip when working under the rearing sun on the first day to this is perhaps, the best thing I did while standing on the elephant on the river. Overall, the construction program was a great way to know people and help the needy one, and one that I can cherish for very long time. If time and circumstances permit, I would like to come back again as a GV team to a different place in Nepal with different ethnicities and geography.” - Aayush Karki

 

“The only reason my summer was good was because I volunteered for this service trip. I loved the welcome and farewell ceremony. Even though, it was my first time in a construction site, I was able to learn how to use tools and what to do for finishing work. I hope to go in more service trips.” - Omar Mohamed

“I have gained leadership, teamwork, and construction skills here. I would not have received it anywhere else. I’ve learned a lot about the culture and will never forget this.”- Mounir Sheikh

 

“Building houses was the best thing and interacting with locals and spreading happiness to the faces.” - Lamis AL-agamy

Group Photo with home owner Mohan Maya Rimal 

 

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Canadian GV Team 6-18 April, 2014 - Chitwan, Nepal



Home Partner Manamaya Tamang. & team member

 

 

 

 

“It’s a terror to live nearby these jungles in an unprotected place. I always dreamt of having my own well-built home and that has come true today. Thank you Canadian GV team for your support and keen work.” –    Home Partner Manamaya Tamang.

 

 

 

anamaya Tamang from Bharatpur, Chitwan belongs to a poor family. Since many years they had been residing near a jungle in a fragile house. She always wanted a spacious and strong house for her family. In the meantime, a Canadian team of 14 joined their hands to fulfill her dream. Over 13 days, this team succeeded to erect a 3-room cemented block house with CGI sheet roof.

 



GV Team working on the Construction site

The team worked along with HFH Nepal’s partner organization Amardeep Cooperative Ltd for the construction of the house. The volunteers assisted in carrying blocks, preparing cement mortar, plastering walls and roofing. They contributed their sweat and toiled in order to fulfill a dream of a family they were unknown to, before visiting Nepal.

photos from House Dedication Ceremony

 

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USA GV 6-18 April, 2014 - Kavre




Home Owner Nirmala &
 her Children  

Summer means hot temperature with long days making it difficult to work. But this team of 7 from USA never hesitated to give their best in such weather. On 6^th of April, a GV team from USA came to Nepal to build a shelter for Nirmala in Panchkhal, Kavre.
 

The team constructed a 3-room house made up of stone, mud and unburnt bricks with walls of stone and galvanized iron sheet roof. The American volunteers along with HFH Nepal’s partner organization, Gramin Women Development Multipurpose Co-operative Ltd, worked together to construct a decent house for Nirmala. During the build, the volunteers made mud mortars, lay stone, dug soil, stamped on mud water and also learnt how to use construction tools.

Valerie Plaskt, team leader, was always encouraging her team members to work hard. She was truly leading her team to accomplish the work. Additionally, the team and home partner had very good interaction making the build much easier.

GV team working on the Construction site

Valerie Plaskt shared- “This is my 4^th GV including Nepal and I am glad to have been part of all these builds to change lives by building a shelter for the families.

 

 

photos from  House dedication ceremony 

 

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Dedicated mind - HFH Nepal Youth Build Ambassdor & Actress Miss Reecha Sharma

Reecha Sharma born on 16 July 1987 is a beautiful model turned actress who has been popular for her acting in movies, music videos and ramps. Reecha believes “life is not a bed of roses”. Modelling and acting has always been a passion for Reecha. Film world has been a part of her life. Daily shooting, acting, crying and laughing is her schedule apart from her reality world. In addition to her film world, Reecha is also a Youth Ambassador of Habitat for Humanity Nepal. She was introduced as HFH Nepal Youth ambassador in 2014 with the motive of drawing the attention of youth towards the need of decent housing which enable families to maintain a healthy and secure life as well as promoting the spirit of volunteerism

In the meantime, while Reecha was in a procedure of shooting her upcoming movie as a cop, she was asked to shoot a scene in a movie where she had to drive a heavy vehicle towards a house and break into it. Yes, being an actress it was her obligation to do the scene but her humanity does not let her do so. So, when she was questioned on her rejection to the scene she firmly answered that she is an ambassador of HFH Nepal working in favor of building shelter and cannot give a shot for breaking down the house. Therefore, in one hand while she has been engaged in something concerned with constructing how can she act on something related with destroying?

She shares- Neither my heart will let me do this scene nor my guts. I can say nothing much but a clear NO to this scene from my side. I am committed to to build homes and give life and hopes to the homeless.  

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Netherlands GV 23-28 March 2014 - Jhapa

New Experimental at GV House while hosting Namaste Team, Netherlands GV at Jhapa

 

 

Home Partner Kamala Pulami with GV Team

I feel glad that I succeed to build a house from my small business, selling bananas. I had really worked hard to sell the bananas and invest the income in the construction of house. Moreover, I am thankful to the volunteers from Netherland who contributed their sweat in building my house of dream into reality.”- Kamala Pulami (Home partner)

 

“We would be staying in same shack if there were no GV teams to help us. I am grateful to the Netherland GV team who assisted to construct our home. Thank you volunteers, HFH Nepal and Aviyan Nepal M. C. for helping us to build my shelter.” – Ranjana Magar (Home partner)

 

Summary of GV

Name of Team:  Namaste Team, Netherlands GV

Date: 23-28 March 2014

Team Leader: Jacco Van Bennekom, 15 member in a team

Home Partners: Mrs. Kamala Pulami and

    Mrs. Ranjana Magar

No. of house built: 2 (Bamboo)

Local Partner: Aviyan Nepal Multipurpose Cooperative Ltd.

Host Coordinator: Rajesh Rai (Habitat for Humanity Nepal)

Some facts from GV Host:

The GV team named Namaste from Netherland is a unique team consisting all male members who succeeded to build the house on their own, without any assistance of local mason. Though the pre-building structure of a house initiates from framing and roofing, the volunteers initiated their task from drilling, putting vertical post, cutting, cleaning, weaving bamboo, plastering wall and finishing along with partition of rooms by bamboo. As a host coordinator, I must say that the build was the first time where we were not assisted by any local mason for concrete plastering on wall and finishing task. And it was experimental.

Team Activities:

 

 

Contribution from the team:

 

the Namaste GV team donated some tools which might cost around NRs. 50,000 (Fifty thousands). They brought small bamboo cutters, shovel and other tools that were useful as well as helpful for the construction work.

Constructional tools contributed by
Netherland GV team, Namaste.

Post build house visit:

Finally, about 3 years later the team got an opportunity to visit the house that was once constructed by them. And to their findings they were cheerful to see a clean complete house along with the accessibility to water facility. Previously, there was no water facility. The families had to walk long distance for water.

Hence, the outcome made the team believe that after having a house there is always a gradual change, development in the lives of people. They shared about the visit as an inspiring experience for them.

 

 

Ranjana Magar's House

 

 Kamala Pulami's house at Jhapa





 

Group photo at House Dedication Ceremony

 

 

 

 



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