• We board members in the Habitat Kuching affiliate are all volunteers and, believe us, we are really stretched in every way! Would you like to help?

    You can give money.

    The way HfH works is, we select homeowners who can afford to pay us back the basic cost of the house, without interest and over a very generous period of time. In other words, it will take us more than 10 years to collect back our initial outlay. (A typical HfH house costs around RM20,000 to build.) Obviously we cannot wait to be repaid in full before we build the next house, so we rely on a Fund for Humanity. Monies come into this fund from different sources and we certainly welcome donations of any amount from local folks and corporations.

    Or, if you deal in or have spare building supplies (cement, timber, bricks, doors, etc), please feel free to donate them. We can use practically anything.

    You can come and work.

    The houses are so cheap to build because all labour is from volunteers. We do employ a full time site supervisor, Eric Yap (he’ll tell you which end of the hammer to use if you’re unsure…), but all our workers, bricklayers, cement-hands, carpenters, etc, are people without building experience. The homepartners, of course, also put in ’sweat equity’.

    If you are overseas and want to come as part of a group, contact the nearest HfH affiliate (all links from the HfH international website) and they can organise “GV” teams to fly to Kuching for a visit of one to two weeks. If you are a Kuching resident, or are holidaying here, even easier! Just call up and we can arrange a suitable date for you to come and work. It can be for one day or one week, it’s all up to you…

    You can help in the Board.

    We need all kinds of people in many diverse areas, from family selection to administration (support), from fund raising to advocacy (publicity). Whatever your expertise or area of interest, we’re sure there’s something you can contribute to the Kuching affiliate.

    (Did I mention we’re really stretched?)

    Send us an email (info.kuching[AT]hfhmalaysia.org — replace [AT] with @ when emailing) or call Angelina (no, not that one who’s married to Brad Pitt — we’re talking about HfH’s own Angelina, who’s saving the world in her own way!) 082.242.700 (Fax: 082.252.700).

    Try us out — you can’t imagine how good the smile on the homeowner’s face will make you feel…

    You would be in good company.

    Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited a Habitat for Humanity build site in South Africa in late May 2007 to thank the more than 100 volunteers from around the world who had gathered for the first Desmond Tutu Community Build. The volunteers built 12 homes in Mfuleni community in partnership with local families.

    Every year former US President Jimmy Carter heads a Work Project (”the JCWP”) — 2009 will be an ambitious Mekong Build, covering up to five countries in SEA. The JCWP is an annual opportunity to call worldwide attention to the need for decent, affordable housing. Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, have lent their time and construction skills to the project since 1984. 

    “From their relief efforts in the wake of the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, to the thousands of houses they construct around the world, Habitat for Humanity builds homes, lives, and dreams. … Handing over the keys to the families who have worked to earn them has afforded me some of the proudest, most uplifting moments of my life. As a Habitat For Humanity Ambassador, I now have the opportunity to help this work continue and I encourage others to become involved and share in the rebuilding of their communities as well.” Says rock icon and philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi who, in 2006, was named the first Founding Ambassador for Habitat for Humanity as part of our new advocacy outreach initiative. Yes, that Jon Bon Jovi. (Girls, you may scream now…)