Volunteer Abroad

In our Global Village programme, teams of volunteers have the opportunity to work on a construction build in one of our partner countries around the world over the course of a week.

For more information on this programme, please contact: hello@habitatforhumanity.org.uk

Currently, we are unable to accept individual volunteers or “open teams.”

We ask that teams consist of 15 or more volunteers already committed to the fundraising target, which begins at £3000 per person. These costs cover all in-country costs such as accommodation, food, transportation to/from the build site, and the costs of building materials. Additionally, this cost includes a donation to the Programme Country where your team will be participating in a local building project supporting the needs of the community, as well as a donation to Habitat Great Britain which allows us to continue to support Habitat programmes around the world and here in the UK.

Romania

In Romania, more than 5 million people are living in poverty — 1.5 million of those are children. Nearly 8.5 million people (41.2% of the Romanian population) have no bath or shower or access to running water. According to the national statistics, 35% of the housing stock in Romania is in a state of complete neglect and needs urgent repairs.

Real wages for working Romanian families have dropped by about 40%, putting additional pressure on the strained social system. The unemployed, farmers and housewives are most affected by severe poverty.

Malawi

More than half, or 58.9 %, of the 4.8 million housing units in Malawi are substandard homes. Typically, these houses are made of mud walls and grass thatched roofs. To meet the current housing demand, an estimated 21,000 new units will have to be constructed annually in the next 10 years.

Anchored by the conviction that safe and affordable housing provides a path out of poverty, Habitat for Humanity Malawi has helped over 75,000 families to access decent housing. We work with vulnerable groups to build or improve the place they call home, improve water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, help families recover and rebuild following disasters, and provide informal vocational training. We also advocate for security of land tenure as well as sustainable and inclusive policies and systems that promote access to decent housing.

Your impact worldwide

Every year, our volunteers participating in charity work abroad help build dozens of new homes and send well over £200,000 in raised donations as part of their volunteer trip costs (fundraised or not).

For the families we work with, you are valuable reminder that compassionate people regularly go out of their way to help them break the cycle of poverty. Join our mission to build resilient communities that can weather any storm (from cyclones to joblessness). Our work carries on well beyond home construction, as we provide skills and financial training to empower local communities.