Author: Amber Woods
Slum Housing in Ethiopia: How To Rebuild a Capital City
The current housing crisis in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is largely due to an escalation of the rural exodus (to urban places). The challenge now, is to create a symbiosis between new districts and poor areas – in particular developing new programmes to rehabilitate informal settlements in Ethiopia. With 80% of the population… Read more »
Read moreUpgrading Slums in the Philippines
Earlier in the year, we took part in a slum upgrade project in the Philippines (Quezon City, Greater Manila). Whilst in the area, we took the opportunity to chat with Jap Semana, who coordinates volunteering projects in the Philippines, about the work done in the country. It was also an opportunity to better understand how and why slums have… Read more »
Read moreBreaking the Cycle of Poverty in Asia
What is the poverty cycle? Generations of people remain trapped in a cycle of poverty (in Asia and around the world) due to lack of resources – basic things we usually take for granted: food, water, shelter, clothing. Not being able to meet these basic needs is what creates the trap: The inability to keep your possessions… Read more »
Read moreTop 10 Volunteer Quotes About Building Homes
Quotes from Volunteers With the new year (and new volunteer trips abroad) creeping up on us, we thought it would be the perfect time to share some of our favourite memories, recapping some of the best volunteer quotes from the year so far – highlighting why helping others is good for you, your team and even your… Read more »
Read moreHurricane Matthew One Year On: Surviving Tropical Storms in Haiti
Background When Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti last year it devastated 2.1 million people across 3 of Haiti’s departments. Almost a year later, slow and steady progress is being made to help families in the Nippes, South and Grande Anse departments of Haiti pick up the pieces. Alongside our partners, we are bringing the following in… Read more »
Read moreSharing a Studio in Poland: Volunteers Fight Housing Crisis in Europe
A team of Swiss volunteers joined a building project to tackle housing poverty in Poland – the first article on a series introducing our work around the housing crisis in Europe. Could you imagine sharing a studio apartment with 7 family members? That was the reality for Miroslaw, Agata and their 6 children. In the same small… Read more »
Read moreWhy Build in Malawi: Inspirational Quotes on Corporate Volunteering
Keen to experience first hand how a safe and secure home could benefit families in Malawi, the Miller Homes staff embarked on a corporate volunteering trip with the aim of building three houses by the end of the week. In fact, they were so keen, they ended up building four new homes! As we were their nominated charity for… Read more »
Read moreIndia Sanitation Project
Water Sanitation and Hygiene India, with its large population and difficult living conditions, has struggled to provide communities with stable and clean shelter. Further relevant as the population fights to beat the global COVID-19 pandemic. But why is sanitation so important? Especially with the ongoing pandemic, families, communities, and individuals have needed a safe and… Read more »
Read moreArchitects Volunteer to Improve Urban Housing in Manila
In May 2016 a team of ten volunteers from architecture firm WATG travelled across the world to get their hands dirty building homes with Habitat for Humanity Philippines to improve the dire state of urban housing in the country. The team travelled to the outskirts of Manila. They spent a week in the sweltering heat… Read more »
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