Photo: Jenifer Muller, UNIS student, transporting sand to the mortar mixing station   Claudia Russo has never built anything as big as a house, nor have most of her other 8 classmates from the United Nations International School (UNIS). The students along with a few of their teachers volunteered to build a house with the Nguyen family in Vinh Phuc province for 3 days, earlier this month.   The team worked tirelessly filtering sand, mixing mortar, transferring materials and layering bricks to build the house. Mr. Robert Deabreu, a math teacher, who led two other teams to work on Habitat construction sites, believes that this type of volunteering has a strong impact on young students. He said, after the build they have more awareness about the housing conditions of the poor and that, “Habitat does a very good job in identifying people who are in need and then bringing in people who are willing to help.”   Every week at UNIS, 25 students from their very own Habitat group meet up to discuss how to fundraise for the organization and prepare to go on volunteer builds. Like Claudia, who has only been in Vietnam for 18 months, many of the students are new to the country. And though they don’t know much about local construction or even the country itself, they are all inspired to offer help to those in need and enjoy making a difference. 

  January 2010 – Habitat for Humanity Vietnam welcomes 17 Global Village Team members from 4th to 15th. The team consists of Australians, Dutch and Americans and are currently working with a family in Vinh Phuc province, about 50km north of Ha Noi.  The team will work with a home partner to put up a new roof and complete a new bedroom for Mr. Le Van Duong.  Despite the mid-winter wind, the construction site is very hot and humid, but it does not stop this energetic team from completing the rebar and building the brick walls.  They have also transported the roofing materials and are ready for Friday. Near the end of the week, the bedroom will be ready for painting. The following week, the team will be headed to Hai Duong, 45km south of Hanoi for road upgrading and a wall painting project as a community enhancement effort after the Jimmy & Rosalyn Carter Work Project, held in November 2009. We will update you with more stories and photos as the team works throughout their time with Habitat Vietnam.   Please click here to view photos of the build weeks.

Project: A Platform for Sustainable Shelter, Water and Sanitation Solutions- Project Length: May 19th 2008 - May 19th 2011- Population: 1,119,400- Pop. Density (pers/km2): 867- Poverty Rate* by region: Red River Delta 18.48- Implementing Partners: TYM - FundDemonstrating that Habitat works in areas of greatest need, after many years of concentrated work in the South, this is Habitat's first project in the North of Vietnam - an area that has different housing needs, circumstances and characteristics.  With a view for program expansion to meet the pressing housing needs and alleviate poverty in one of the poorest areas of the country the development of this project also saw Habitat open a project office to better support the needs of the program and of the area.  In Vinh Phuc, Habitat is working to assist over 750 families improve their living conditions through increases and sustainable access to housing, water and sanitation solutions.    * Successes to date: - The first one hundred families in Vinh Phuc receive loans to make necessary repairs- Presence in the area has enabled is to consider two new project sites with communities in need, baselines studies to be conducted