Europe and Central Asia: Armenia

Kevin's story

Seeing the local sights

Kevin Froude led a team to Armenia in September 2006. Here he describes his experience.

"We came to Armenia to build houses, 6 of us from the UK and 2 from the USA. We shifted thousands of buckets of hardcore, sand and cement; we mixed and laid tons of concrete and we got into a right mess plastering, sanding and painting! It may seem a strange way to spend a 'holiday' but it's what we came to do and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

"As I look back, I see our visit was so much more than the building. We worked hard, but we had fun. We made everyone laugh with our awful attempts to speak Armenian. We played with the children and the grown ups started to join in.

"We saw a magical free concert – it was a private concert just for us – arranged by the HabiArm Community Youth Group. What a privilege and what a memory – and what an impressive crowd of young people.

"Best of all were the relationships we built with the homeowners and their families, and everyone at the Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Most of the time we couldn't speak the same language, but with goodwill, smiles, working together and respect we built relationships that didn't need words.

"The Global Village programme shows us what we share as human beings, and as such it's a unique experience. We had a wonderful time, which we will never forget."

Find out more about Habitat for Humanity's work in Armenia

Read about the houses we build in Europe and Central Asia