Thursday, March 19, 2009

Habitat Bangladesh Women Build!


Habitat Bangladesh is holding a Women Build on Friday 3 April. 


All women over the age of 16 are most welcome!


No construction experience necessary!


Please contact Monica for registration and more details

Global Village Team, 'Shanti-Shanti' builds in Mymensingh

The 12 member team ‘Shanti-Shanti’ from Aoyamagakuin University, Japan volunteered in Mymensingh from 2 - 13 March 2009. 

While in Mymensingh, the team built two houses for Khaleda Akter and Shajahan Mia both from Dholadia village in Mymensingh District. Building activities included preparing bricks for construction; carrying sand, bricks and cement; mixing mortar for cementing; laying bricks and cementing the foundation and walls; and, digging and levelling the earth at the worksite.

During their trip, the team also had the opportunity to visit two schools, Shahabuddin Pre-Cadet and Shahabuddin Primary School, and the Bangladesh University of Agriculture. 

The farewell ceremony was a unique cultural exchange with both Bengali songs and dances, and Japanese songs and dances. The community were very impressed with the university students and can't wait for another team to come to Mymensingh!

To learn more about Global Village or volunteer opportunities, please contact Sanjay.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Students from Tokai University, Japan build in Durgapur!


From the 22 February - 7 March, 13 students and 1 teacher from Tokai University built with Habitat in Durgapur satellite in Bangladesh.

The Satellite Coordinator and Construction Supervisor were impressed with the team's enthusiasm and dedication during the build. 

The team helped in preparing bricks for construction; carrying sand, bricks and cement; mixing 
mortar for cementing; laying bricks and cementing the foundation and walls; and, digging and leveling the earth 
at the worksite. They completed their work eagerly while the HFHI-B team ensured that all safety measures were 
being followed correctly.

On Friday the 27th of February, the team had a rest day and went site seeing around the local area. They enjoyed 
the beautiful sites of the ceramic hills, the lakes at Bijoypur and visited the Meghalaya border at Ranikhong.

The team also had the opportunity to visit a local school where they donated school stationary and interacted with
the local community.

When it was time for farewells, the community in Durgapur were sad to see the team leave, but hope that more
teams will join them in the near future! Thanks must go to the Volunteer programs team and the Satellite staff in
helping to make the team's experience in Bangladesh a memorable one!

For more info on volunteer opportunities, please email Sanjay

 

Monday, March 16, 2009

Global Village Team from Doshisha University, Japan builds in Jessore



The Japanese GV team from Doshisha University built in Jessore, Bangladesh from 25 February - 10 March 2009. The team, made up of 14 students, had a very enjoyable time in Bangladesh and made a huge impact on the local community. Not used to seeing foreigners, the community were both surprised and excited to see the team building houses!

The team also had the opportunity to visit a local orphanage and Habitat's partner NGO in the area, the Community Development Society (CDS).   

Rest and relaxation time was taken care of with a trip to the Sundrabans - the world's largest mangrove forest, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. 

The farewells were tearful when the team departed. Strong bonds and relationships had been made between the team and the community, and a memorable time was had by all.

Please contact Sanjay">a">y to learn more about unique volunteer experiences with Habitat.

157 Volunteers from ISD in 2009 and counting!


During January and February, 157 students and teachers from the International School Dhaka (ISD) volunteered with Habitat Bangladesh at build sites in Savar and Kaliganj.

Students joined Habitat Bangladesh for one and two day builds as part of the school's community service program. 

ISD has been a long-term supporter of Habitat and we are very thankful for their dedication and enthusiasm!  

For more information on how your school or community youth group can help build homes and change lives in Bangladesh, click here


Korean team from Ewha Women's University visits Bangladesh!


In January 2009, 15 students and 2 teachers from Ewha Women’s University in Korea visited Bangladesh to build with Habitat. The team was here for 10 days in total and worked on build sites in Savar. The volunteers worked tirelessly and with enthusiasm for the whole duration of the build.
The team developed strong relationships with the homeowner 
family, HFHI-B staff, and the local community. They helped in preparing 
bricks for construction; carrying sand, bricks and cement; mixing mortar for 
cementing;laying bricks and cementing the foundation and walls; and, 
digging and leveling the earth at the worksite. They completed their work eagerly while the HFHI-B team ensured 
that all safety measures were being followed correctly.
The team also had an opportunity to visit an orphanage in Savar where they 
donated toys and stationary to the children.

Habitat Bangladesh wishes to thank Ewha Women's University for their 
hard work and enthusiasm while in building Bangladesh!
 
To learn more about Volunteer opportunities or Global Village, 
please contact Sanjay