Some friends of mine from Adelaide, Mick and George O’Rourke, approached me with the intent of partnering with Volunteer Building Cambodia to build houses for low income with families. Over the years, many of our friends have worked with VBC in both providing such housing, as well as volunteering and supporting the Community Centre, which provides education in English, among other things, for the village students. This gives the students a better foundation in the hope of securing jobs, supporting their future families, and providing employment for local workers
“Mick and I welcomed the opportunity to go to Siem Reap and help build a home for an impoverished family in one of the many poor villages all over Cambodia. We recruited Anne and Steve Meyer, our friends from America, to join us.
The team at Volunteer Building Cambodia could not have been more helpful – from making reservations at hotels, airport pick-ups and having their team members with us every step of the way.
We had a briefing with them the night before the build was to begin. All our questions were addressed. We mentioned that we were interested in helping out at their community centre to help teach English. Sinn made this happen and it was So very rewarding.
The children were So gracious and inquisitive. Anne and I put a lesson plan together and had such a great time interacting with the children.
The house builds were well managed. In the village that we were building, the entire community took off work to assist in the builds for the entire week. The women cooked for everyone on the site, while the men of all ages, picked up tools and went to work in the heat and humidity. Never did they rest! The existing shacks were demolished within the first hour and foundations got underway immediately. Sawing, drilling, painting and assembling was the go, over the next 5 days. The week was filled with laughter and joy and to see how appreciative the Cambodian people were, was a true inspiration.
On the final day the villagers all gathered around the new homes and celebrated with a blessing and music. The owners of the new homes were asked to speak to us (through a translator) what it meant to them. It was very emotional. Mick and I plan on going back for another build within the year.”
Originally printed in the JPIC newsletter, edited by Fr Fa Sanchez, CP
You can see a video of the whole project here:
If you would like to volunteer at Volunteer Building Cambodia or the Community Center, here are the links:
Volunteer Building Cambodia Community Centre
You can donate here: Donate – Volunteer Building Cambodia
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