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The Embassy volunteers assisted mostly in creating and laying bricks for the foundations.
Habitat for Humanity Gets a Helping Hand from U.S. Embassy Staff in Phnom Penh
Udong, Stoeng Meanchey Province
July 25, 2009
On July 25th, US Embassy staff traveled to the town of Udong to volunteer for the Habitat for Humanity New Life Community project. The New Life Community is a group of poor Cambodians who currently live on a municipal dump site in Stoeung Meanchey, Phnom Penh and who are being relocated to Udong. Habitat for Humanity is currently building 21 new home sites for the relocated community.
The Habitat for Humanity programs aim to reduce poverty by empowering communities to improve their access to affordable basic services and better living conditions. Habitat for Humanity (HFH) International registered their first Cambodian branch office in January 2004. The HFH’s initial project in Cambodia was to assist poor families around the capital with micro-loans to provide a way for them to save for shelter improvements. Since then, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) has helped build/rehabilitated 429 homes overall and served 240 families in this year alone.
The group of 13 Embassy volunteers, including Ambassador Carol A. Rodley, assisted in the construction of two of the proposed 21 home sites. Their day consisted mostly of creating and laying bricks for the foundations. To build all 21 proposed houses, HFH estimates they will need to create over 45 thousand bricks to complete the project. A typical HFH house in Cambodia is usually 31.5 sq. m. in size. The walls are made from fired brick with a reinforced concrete post. The layout comprises a living room, bedroom, and kitchen with a toilet.
If you are in Cambodia and wish to contribute to the Habitat for Humanities Cambodia efforts, contact their local office at:
HFH Cambodia
PO Box 2452
Phnom Penh 3
Cambodia
Phone: +855 23997840
Fax: +855 23997840
E-mail: info@hfhic.org
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