Financial Times

‘This is the house that we built’
Volunteers build for a better future
Balapitiya - It is said that charity begins at home, but what if you were to go somewhere and actually build one? And imagine if you were senior management in a company, that decided to give money to help with relief efforts and rebuilding after the tsunami and suddenly, you are told about the chance to get your hands dirty by actually building a house. What do you do? It seems many such people are saying yes.

Welcome to Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka, where using volunteer help to build houses saves money. In this time of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being taken seriously by more and more companies, it seems only right that the powers-that-be get their hands dirty for a good cause.

Having volunteers doesn’t mean they know how to build a house; that’s all part of the experience. Those from companies, organisations or towns arrive knowing very little but a mason on hand is there to show them the way.

Recently in Mahakarawa village near Balapitiya, there were two groups hard at work. Well, one group was;the second was having a well-earned lunch break when we visited. The first group was from Northern Ireland and was associated with the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

The 12 member team were hard at work mixing cement and carrying it into the house. Considering none of the crew knew anything about building, the house was definitely looking the part. The sad thing is that the team will not see the finished article. Arriving on March 7, they have a three-week stay before returning home.

A member of the team, Helen Byers, said that initially the team suffered due to the heat, as they left Northern Ireland with snow on the ground, so the temperature difference was pretty extreme. “It’s also the first time I’ve ever been on a building sight, so that took a bit of getting used to, as in getting to know where to be, what to do.”Mabel Campbell, a co-leader, said she was very proud to have done what was done. “The hard work and the sweat have definitely been worth it, plus I’ve discovered muscles I didn’t know existed,” she said.

Habitat has worked out that it takes 378 man-hours of unskilled labour to build a house. And in 2005 over 80 work teams from 20 different countries have done their bit to build for those who have lost a home. But it must be remembered that Habitat has been in Sri Lanka since 1997 building homes for the needy, something the organisation started doing since being set up in the United States in 1976.

The thing about the teams is the diversity of those taking part. The Irish team’s age ranged from 19 to 53 years old, and the age difference was no problem due to the belief in why they were there. The only person who might have been unpopular was Ivan Liddle for getting bored on the first of their days off and persuading the rest of the team to work; but no it seems, as there was a job to do.

And any complaints so far? “Some people have found the food a bit iffy, and 40 degrees can be a bit much, but in general it’s been great,” said Ms Byers.
The common thought throughout the team was the feeling of being spoilt in their home country. “The things you just take for granted means nothing here. It does make you look at yourself in a different way,” Ms Campbell said.
It also seems that getting to sleep was an initial problem for some of the team, as Hugh McVeigh explained: “It was hard because of the heat. It took awhile to get acclimatised, but now it’s not too bad.”

The happiest person around was the one whose house was being built. Nirmali Priyangika was on site helping build, while her husband was taking tourists on boat rides.

Her home was destroyed when the tsunami hit. Luckily her mother lived nearby with a plot of land big enough for the house to be built. This is one of Habitat’s criteria; the recipient has to provide the land. Nirmali’s family was found by the Habitat field officers. Her name was taken down and, as Habitat does, characteristics were noted, as what were the material and mental needs. After almost two months she heard that a house was to be built.

Nirmali’s reaction? The same as it was when the question was asked all these months later — her eyes filled with tears and that was enough said.
As for her getting on with the volunteers, there was no problem, even with the language barrier. With body language and a bit of improvised sign language as well, it was all one big happy family. As she said: “I love them for what they are doing.” And the one thing she really loves about her new home: it’s made of bricks and cement — in other words more solid than her old one. And to cap it to all, her mother is happy as her daughter’s family will be living so close.

The one thing the Irish team was sure about was spreading of the word about the project, and especially for businesses to come over and do their bit to help. The teams are not just dropped at the deep end, as there are coordinators to ensure everything runs smoothly, from the accommodation to cement being on site.

In Balapitiya it was Janaka Gunawardene, a man whose mouth was continually on the move in an enlightening way. He left a well paid job in the plantation business to work for Habitat and has no regrets.

It was then onto the second group working in the area — a Canadian group from Owensound in Ontario, who were a mix of experience and youth. Its leader Dian Wood decided to get involved due to a parent of one of the kids she teaches badgering her about what the school was going to do for tsunami victims. It eventually led to Habitat, and the rest is history as she was just so happy to be doing her bit to help, as were the rest of her group.

One of the loveliest sights on this visit was that of volunteer Katie Jankowski and Sachini, one of the kids that lived in the area. Katie was making bracelets from leaves, while Sachini was just happy. And with the Canadians you saw this a lot, especially among the younger members.

The integration was quite wonderful to see. And this is not to take anything away from the Irish team but they didn’t have the number of kids or the size of land to connect.

One of the elder members of the team was David Shearman, a Christian pastor, who was happily worried about what he was going to say when he returned home. “It’s going to be challenging when I return to tell the story of what’s happened here and what I’ve learnt. It’s also about the gentleness of the people, the heroism after such a catastrophe. Seeing the power of the human spirit — the resilience.”

And then there was the father and daughter act of Paul and Miriam Younger. She was hard working and wonderful with the families, he was more laid back, but then again why not, he’d been in and around India and Sri Lanka for 40-odd years. He was full of praise for Habitat, saying it was a very well-organised NGO for what it was doing. He was especially in awe of Marcus Christopher from Boulder, Colorado, the host coordinator, for his skillful liaison skills, as were many others. The general opinion was similar to the Northern Irish-it was hot tiring dirty work that literally left its mark due to the scrapes and abrasions.

And then there was Erin Posthumus, one of the younger brigade, who was not looking forward to leaving due to the closeness she felt with the families.
“The experience is completely different from what I expected. I wasn’t expecting the heat or the fact that I’d get so close to the family. It’s also the first time I’ve been away from Canada, and boy am I proud of the house we’re building.”

And that really says it all. It’s about the house-building and the learning experience. It’s about going home and spreading the word. It might be hard work, but for such a good cause everyone is a winner.

The tsunami housing projects above were possible due to the financing by Erikshjälpen, a Swedish charity that specialises in helping children and their families.

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