Students display spirit of altruism
by Georgette Tan
Wilson (left) and Jin whittles a piece of board down to size.
When Bambang Sudarmono, 31, learned that Habitat for Humanity (HfH) is helping to build a house in his in-laws’s village, he went over to have a look and make some inquiries. He even found time to pitch in and help.
The mental hospital nursing aide and father of three then submitted his own application, went through the interview process and was approved within a month. The built commenced on 10 July.
“It was on my birthday.” Bambang announced happily. “I want to thank Habitat for Humanity for making my dream come true.”
He explained that after renting for 9 years, he is more than ready to have a home to call his own. HfH made this possible by way of some very reasonable conditions.
When The Sunday Post paid a visit, students from Swinburne University of Technology have teamed up with a couple of backpackers who happen to be in South East Asia. They are the second group to work on Bambang’s new house at Kampung Sandong.
Jin Thai, 20, is a civil engineer student with an interest in humanitarian work. A week of house- building with HfH was right up his alley and a great way of spending part of his school holidays.
“It’s related to my field.” he said.
Jin signed up when HfH went to the university to give a talk. The experience of building a house proved to be meaningful.
“There were no walls when we arrived.” He said, gesturing at the half-complete house. “I learned a lot of things about building one this week.”
Wilson Liew, 20, values the experience.
“We get to contribute to the community.” said the mechanical engineering student. “It’s also a productive way of spending time with friends, instead of just hanging out at the mall.”
This was also Liew’s first time at building a house. While it was not as complicated as he feared, it did turn out to be very tiring work. He confessed that he and his fellow students have been arriving for work later and later as the week unfolded.
However, Liew won’t mind signing up again if his personal schedule permits. “It’s good exercise and the time you spend here with friends is priceless.”
Liew revealed that Bambang saw that the volunteers are well cared for on a practical level - the home partner had snacks and cold drinks available at a nearby hut.
To people who are still looking for a good reason to get involved, this university student offers a simple advice.
“You guys are missing out. Do something for the community.”
Most Habitat for Humanity volunteers agree that there is a certain satisfaction in seeing results of their hard work come together before their eyes. This was how Tessa Henderson, 22, ended up working together with local university students on Bambang’s house.
“My boyfriend and I are travelling through Asia and wanted to do some volunteer work along the way.” she said. “We found out about Habitat’s work in Kuching through the website, got in touch and here we are.”
It is their first time on this part of the world, so working on a local volunteer project was a great way of taking in the local colour and meeting Malaysians.
“The experience have been fantastic. You can see results immediately.” Henderson said. “Building is the most productive way of helping out. If you teach English for a week, you’re not going to see results within that week. You only need basic skills to help with Habitat and it’s really rewarding.”
Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organisation, but they make no distinction between race, religion and et cetera of things people like to judge other people on. Home partners are chosen based on their level of need, ant their willingness to be partners in the programme. They are also required to repay HfH’s no-interest loan for the cost of the house, but the monthly instalment will be within their means.
“When I fill in the application form, I had to put down how much you think you can repay them every month.” Bambang said. “When my application is approved, two members from Habitat came to interview me. They ended up lowering the amount I offered to repay!”
A qualified home partner is also required to put in 400 hours of ’sweat equity’. This means he must work together with HfH’s Construction Supervisor Eric Yap and a team of volunteers to put his new house together.
Bambang was so thrilled about his new house that he took two weeks off work so he could get started immediately. It was his house and his responsibility, and there is something satisfying about putting a new home together with your own two hands.
Having helped in a previous HfH effort, Bambang said that he will lend a hand to a future project when time permits. With his own house taking shape, he knows the value of what Habitat volunteers everywhere are doing when they pick up a building tool, experience optional.
“You know you’re doing something valuable for someone.” he summarised.
Volunteers come from all walks of life - students on holiday, professionals on a team building effort weekend their colleagues, backpackers who want to do something more when then visit a particular country, assorted group of friends looking for a new way to bond.
Perhaps you can only give a day or a weekend. Perhaps you think your time won’t be worth much because the hardest work your hands ever do is typing on a keyboard. But you should never under-estimate how much this will mean to someone who need a hand up in life.
For more information on how you and your group of buddies can get involved with Habitat for Humanity, contact the Kuching affiliate at 082-242700. You can also visit the HfH blog or the online community.
Originally published in The Borneo Post’s thesundaypost, 10 August 2008