A Safe, Sturdy Home: A Global Village Cambodia Build
The need for safe, affordable housing is a worldwide crisis: more than 1.8 billion people worldwide lack an adequate place to live. At Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, our calling to build, repair, and restore housing extends beyond just the Charlotte region, but to the world. Across the globe, there are 1,060 Habitat for Humanity affiliates, serving in 60 countries. And each year, 10% of Habitat Charlotte Region’s unrestricted income supports our international partners in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Cambodia. Since 1987, we’re proud to have tithed over $12 million to these partner affiliates, helping build more than 3,260 homes for families in need.
Recently, in October, Habitat Charlotte Region staff and volunteers traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia, on a Global Village build with Habitat for Humanity Cambodia. After travelling across the globe, volunteers worked side by side with Habitat Cambodia team members, partner families and skilled workers to construct a home for a local family. This build was extra special, as it was only the third Global Village trip to Cambodia since our relationship with the affiliate began in 2017. Our first two trips took place in 2018 and 2019, but subsequent travel was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we had the honor of hosting Vandy Phal, the new National Director for Habitat Cambodia, in Charlotte last spring during his travels across the United States. It was powerful to have the opportunity to learn more about the local need for housing and safe living conditions for Cambodians and to show him our work in advancing affordable homeownership here in the Charlotte region.
For the build week, Habitat Charlotte staff and volunteers worked daily to construct a home for a local family. Given that Cambodia experiences a monsoon season from May to October, housing must be built durably and resistant to flooding, as flooding is typical during this season. Kevin McCall, Deconstruction Assistant at Habitat Charlotte Region, shared his experience building: “I primarily worked on brick laying and filling for most of the workdays. The house was constructed using a pier and curtain method. The roof and structural corners were installed prior to our arrival. We then built the exterior and interior walls, which were made of Lego-shaped bricks reinforced with rebar. I helped mix and move the large amount of concrete and grout that was used to construct the floors.” This type of housing provides a strong foundation and protection against the elements for the family that calls it home.
One afternoon during the build, with the help of a translator, the team had the chance to talk with Salin and Roeumn, the future homeowners. When asked what they did together as a family, Roeumn shared that he had a copy of the book, The Tree Little Pigs that was translated into Khmer and he read that two his two young kids at night. In that moment, it was not lost on the team that unlike their previous house that was build from bamboo, wooden planks, and other low-quality materials, thanks to their hard work and Habitat’s intervention, this new house made of brick would never be blown down by a big, bad wolf.
Beyond just building housing, these Global Village trips are always incredibly rewarding, as they provide an opportunity to connect with our mission in a global context and foster camaraderie among our team and the local community. Some of the best moments were the small ones – like “seeing the happiness of the family throughout the week as their new home was being constructed and knowing that they will have a safe place for their family to grow in,” shared Kevin. Colin Hayes, Deconstruction Program Director, shared how the dedication of the home, “where everyone was just a big family, celebrating what we all had accomplished,” was his most meaningful moment of the trip.
As we continue in this challenging work of building, restoring, and advocating for affordable housing, both locally in the Charlotte Region and internationally, it’s these moments that truly make us feel like a global village, keeping us humbly committed to this work.
Interested in participating in future Global Village trips? Learn more how you can get involved with our international work.
