My first Global Village trip!  I co-led with my then-boyfriend/now-husband and we had a fantastic experience.  The homeowner family we were working with had a home that was too small for all the people who lived there–they had added an extension to the home that was nothing more than a shack.  So Habitat was working with them to build a second home on their piece of land.  We got to see the family every day, they actually made our lunches, and they worked right next to us on the build site.  The Kuching affiliate was wonderful to work with, Angelina and Eric were so nice and helpful.  All around, a fabulous experience!

Lisa Hacker
(Experience retold in Oct 2011)

Over the course of five days, Soo saw his house transform from an empty shell to having complete interior walls, with much progress on the plastering, paint work and exterior foundations. Not only did MKIS produce excellent work for 14-18 year old novice builders, but a lot of fun was had on the job. From morning stretch classes, to scavenging their own coconuts to customizing their clothes with paint, there was never a dull moment! All the volunteers had a contagious enthusiasm for their work (despite working long hours of 9 – 4.30pm) and a keen interest in helping people who had less than themselves.

And here they are on the job…

Thank you MKIS!

Local and International Volunteers

Habitat Kuching’s work is an ongoing battle against poverty housing. You can help by giving in cash or in kind (for example, by sponsoring materials such as bricks, windows, etc, or even giving good, used furniture). You can also give up some of your precious time and come build with our local and international volunteers, or help execute our plans by joining our Board (soon to be Habitat Resource Centre).

For more information, do call Angelina Tong at our office (082.242.700) or James Lo (james.lo@hfhkuching.org). You will be in illustrious company, such as former US President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rock Icon Jon Bon Jovi and even *squeal* Brad Pitt:

CONTACT US NOW!

Thank you very much for your kindness and compassion. Keep checking back on our website (or sign up for RSS notification) to keep up-to-date with our next event to raise funds and public awareness . . .

350 happy diners

We then launched into the entertainment for the evening, starting with SingleTrackMind’s first set. This was followed by the first part of the charity auction during which various desirable items such as Alex Wong’s guitar, a Jeroboam bottle of premium champagne, a dinner at the Junk Restaurant and two wooden decor/ furniture items from Asiana Gallery were sold. Full credit as well to G2000, 4 Points at Sheraton, Harbour View Hotel, Merdeka Palace Suites, Orchidwoods and the ArtSchool for sponsoring items for us to sell. In between the rockin’ sets, the crowd enjoyed a performance from the young girls of LayNa Ballet Academy.

Thanks once again to Global Upline Sdn Bhd (kudos especially to Datuk Danel Abong, Datu Yusof Hanifah and Mr Bobby Ting for rising to your Corporate Social Responsibility) who paid for the dinner; Terrace Jade at the Sarawak Club Golf Resort for staging an impeccable service; George and Roselyn Ling for crafting the menu and decor; Wine ‘n’ Liquor and Guinness Anchor Marketing for sponsoring the wine and beers; Les Paul Music Studio for the sound system and last but not least ThePlaygroundSydney for the gorgeous backdrop and dinner programme, without whom the dinner would not have been possible. Lest I forget, a big shout-out to Design Network Architects and Artemas Architects for their design assist, and of course Ron Lim, Georgette Tan and Edwin Lay, who toiled tirelessly and for no reward (they did not even have time to eat the scrumptious dinner that night!). Take a bow, people…

From my closing speech:

Months ago, this dinner was just a hope.  But as a black man who dreamed of being US President once wrote, sometimes if your hope is audacious enough, you just might succeed.

 Tonight we have raised a handsome amount for Habitat to continue with its mission.  Tomorrow we must hope for more.  A better world in which the breadwinners of the family can come home to a safe and restful environment.  A better world in which their children can play and study, with adequate hygiene and light, and space.  This is my hope.  To break the cycle of poverty, we must help these children emerge from their cocoons, like butterflies.

 Drive safely, and good night.

This afternoon, the board members and various helpers descended upon Terrace Jade banquet hall at Sarawak Club Golf Resort and got it ready – hanging up paintings from the students at The Art School, setting down centrepieces on the tables, and adding balloons to the atmosphere.

I won’t ramble on too much. I’ll just show you scenes from the afternoon’s preparations.

See you tonight!

Angelina and Eric talk while they prepare some balloons. Now my question is: Did anyone inhale helium and went around talking in a high squeaky voice yet?

Who would have thought that carrying a clothes dummy around would turn out to be such a... *cough* delicate matter? Where are those hands, Sam!

James takes a look at one of the photos Edwin is hanging up.

James checks the backing of a painting.

George and Roselyn of the Junk Restaurant (and Terrace Jade, the Golf Resort restaurant) are excitedly planning a fun-filled evening with great food for all — with a lot of help from Shentel Lee of theplaygroundsydney. Do check out her site, it’s absolutely fabulous!

Work, in the meantime, goes on. We’ve just hosted a Global Village (GV) team from Japan, capped off with a farewell dinner at Jambu Restaurant. Apparently Kuching is such a great destination that one of the GV team leaders who came last year, Alaine Bunce from England, wants to return and stay for around three months! Any kind soul would like to offer a roof over her head? Alaine will pay her own way — come on, let’s show her our famous Kuching hospitality!

I guess the key to fairly regular blogging is to keep the posts short and snappy. So I shall leave you with a cool shot of our very own pop/ rock star, Mr Alex Wong a.k.a. SingleTrackMind . . .

They were struggling to come up with the high cost of materials as Diloi was the sole breadwinner in the family. Rosita’s father has a piece of land at Kampung Petung, 22nd Mile, Kuching/ Serian Road. The father consented for them to build on his land. Their application was approved and, in July 2004, construction began. Many family members, friends, neighbours and volunteers worked on the house, including a Habitat Global Village team from Japan comprising of 11 English teachers. The 3-bedroom 20′ x 30′ concrete block house was completed and dedicated in November 2004. 

However, since 1999, Diloi had had numerous surgeries done to remove a recurring large tumour in his abdomen. In the middle of 2008, he was due for yet another surgery but unfortunately Diloi succumbed to the tumour on 9 May 2008. On his last day, Diloi had insisted to cook a “cha kueh teow” dinner for his family and he had also invited his parents-in-law. They had a good time that evening. Later that night, he passed away. 

Diloi has been a very responsible husband and father. When he knew about his worsening health condition, he made many plans to ensure that his family would be well taken care of: he started to clear the land next to his house to plant paddy, sugar cane and fruits so that his family would have a source of income; he has also started to build a chicken coop so they could rear chickens for their own consumption and for sale (unfortunately this was only half completed). Now, Rosita works diligently on the farm, which is her source of income. Their eldest daughter is a temporary school teacher. Their 2nd son is a general worker. Their 3rd and 4th sons are factory workers in Kuala Lumpur. The youngest one is only 9 years old. With Diloi’s passing and the loss of his income, the family faced trouble making their no-interest loan repayment to Habitat.

Move by their plight, Habitat Kuching’s President (2008/ 2009), Albert Law, took action. Calling upon the generosity and compassion of his church cell group, Albert collected more than RM1,600 and, just before Christmas last year, presented this sum to Rosita, to enable her to substantially repay her debt. Yet another way in which Habitat’s Board members are quietly helping the underprivileged. 

The dinner will be generously hosted by Global Upline Sdn Bhd. Entertainment for the evening will be provided by SingleTrackMind and LayNa Ballet Academy. There will also be fun events like a charity auction and a lucky draw.

Tickets are sold at only RM150 each, and are available from the HfH office (please call Angelina Tong on 082 242 700).

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The Sarawak Club Golf Resort is located on a 216 acre site next to the Unimas campus along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway. It features an 18 hole golf course, 25 bay driving range and a 35,000 square foot clubhouse. Complete with banquet hall, bar and cafeteria, an Olympic sized swimming pool, gym, conference room and library, this elegant resort was designed by Kuching’s own award-winning architects, DNA.

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Three AIM Award nominations for debut album ‘NO REASON’ in 2004, and two more nominations in 2008 for follow-up album ‘HEY’ have firmly established SingleTrackMind (STM) in Malaysia’s indie music scene.

STM’s music is a deft blend of influences, but yet uniquely its own. STM’s music is eclectic and can range from singer-songwriter pop to intense more brooding rock and still carry the STM stamp.

STM will perform two acoustic sets in aid of HfH and will auction off one of Alex Wong’s guitars, a Squire Stratocaster hardtail.

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LayNa Ballet Academy started in July 1996. Each year, students of the Academy are enrolled for the Ballet Graded and Vocational Examination by the Royal Academy of Dance, London; and they have consistently achieved a high percentage of Distinctions.

The Principal of the Academy, Miss LayNa Chan, the first recipient of the MLNG Scholarship for the Fine Arts in 1991, was appointed a Ballet Graded Examiner by the Royal Academy of Dance, London, in 2003.

The Academy has taken part in various private and government events, including numerous fundraising projects for the needy.