“I just moved in my newly built house about a month ago, and the experience is totally dif-ferent from my previous house. In this brick house, there is proper toilet, clean kitchen and rest area, and I feel safer here,” 40-year old Ms. Prak Sokha said while making handicraft prod-ucts.

Sokha is a single mother and is one among many families living in Andong Community, Phnom Penh who were in need of adequate housing. Before receiving a new home built by HFH Cambodia partner People for Care and Learning (PCL), she used to live in a small old thatch house with many holes in front and the roof. “Sometimes cats and dogs entered my house and leave their waste inside when no one

is at home. It was not that I didn’t lock the door, but the hole in front of my house was too big to cover.”

There are currently 4 family members in the house including her son, Sok Panha, 14, her God daughter, Prak Somanita, 10 months old, her nephew who just moved in, Sun Luka, 12, and herself. As a breadwinner, Sokha has to work hard to support her children to school and ensure they all have enough to eat. She is presently working as a small handicraft pmaker and a nanny for the babies around the commu-nity. Sokha’s children now have enough space to study and have better lighting through ther state electricity and water connection.

I ssue 54 | 1 | August 2013

“Families started to move to Affordable and Low Cost houses in Andong”

The houses that Sokha and other 19 families are living in are a part of Phnom Penh Housing and Community Development Project’s (PPHCDP) partnership with PCL, funded by The Charitable Foundation (TCF). It is a one-year project that started from October 2012 and will finish by 30 September 2013. 70 brick houses, sized 4m x 5m, with zinc roof will be completed for 70 fam-ilies in Andong Community by this September. So far, 20 houses are already completed while the 36 others are in progress. The house only costs $1,000 to build and has all the basic features for adequate housing.

Habitat for Humanity Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Housing and Community Development Project is currently operating in 8 peri-urban commu-nities around the capital, Phnom Penh; serving families living in relocation sites.

PPHCDP delivers housing solutions through construction of houses, repairs, renovations, wa-ter and sanitation facilities, electricity and water connections, livelihood training and construc-tion skills training. Since the program began in 2004, PPHCDP has formed 24 Local Associa-tions with over 81 members combined and pro-vided over 2,000 safe, decent shelters.

Prak Sokha, her children and nephew in front of their new house

I ssue 54 | 2 | August 2013

Highlights

Group Saving Project Continues in Battambang

On August 9, the Battambang team of HFH Cambodia conducted a follow-up meeting with the appointed committee for the Group Saving Project. 14 core persons, including 6 females, from 3 villages - Chamkar Russey, 7 Makara and O’kcheay villagers, Prek Preah Sdach Commune, Battambang - attended the meeting to share experience and up-

date information related to the group. The gathering provided a venue for exchange of thoughts and discussion of issues and solu-tions pertaining to the savings program. The meeting also allowed the group to develop effective and efficient plans to manage the savings process. The Municipal Technical Working Group, District Authority, Village Chief, representatives from the communities and HFH Cambodia joined the meeting.

This activity is part of the continuous efforts of the program to serve families in Battam-bang along with its housing and tenure se-curity interventions following the successful completion of the pilot project on Strength-ening Civil Society-Government Partner-ship to Deliver Land Tenure Security.

Women learn construction skillsSafe drinking water for 100 families

A one day training on Water and Sanitation, Hygiene, HIV/AIDS prevention and Basic Construction Skills was conducted by HFH Cambodia and partner Maryknoll on 22 August as part of Building Homes, Building Positive Lives Project in Ang Metrey pagoda, Prey Veng,Dangkor District, Phnom Penh.

22 participants, including 16 women, from Kandal and Phnom Penh learned new skills and knowledge that benefit their daily lives.

The combined training aimed to teach proj-ect home partners with house maintenance, effective methods to keep their water supply and sources clean, increase their commit-ment and understanding about HIV/AIDS prevention and protection, and lastly gain the basic ability to repair their houses. “I learned a lot today. What caught my atten-tion the most is the basic construction skills training, and realized that women, like me, can also repair my own house. It showed me how I can keep my house strong for a long period of time,” shared Nov Sina, 28 years old from Kandal Province.

Building homes, Building Positive Lives (BHBPL) is one of HFH Cambodia’s proj-ects enhancing HIV programs with holistic housing solutions implementing in Urban Phnom Penh and Kandal Province. The project enhances the life chances of vulner-able groups by providing secure land, core houses, repairing houses and water and sani-tation.

With a strong intention of transforming the hygiene and sanitation behaviors of villag-ers in Siem Reap, HFH Cambodia supports families through various methods including WATSAN training, providing wells, toilets, Aqua Towers, and through community orga-nization. One specific activity recently held was the distribution of water filters to 100 families in need of clean and safe water for drinking.

The distribution happened on August 2 to families from 6 villages in Pouk District, Siem Reap Province. The distribution aimed at enhancing the promotion of proper hy-giene amongst target community people, the use of safe drinking water for better health through demonstration. S52-year old Sang Ly, from Svay Village, Sasarsdam Commune, Pouk District, was excited to receive the water filter. “I believe that this simple water

filter will provide such great benefits to my family. We find it hard to have enough clean water to drink, since there are 7 members in our household. Boiling water takes time and requires other resources like wood, so we still end up drinking raw water sometimes when we cannot wait. The filter will save us a lot of time and resources to get clean water to drink,” Ly shared.

“Through the many years of working on WATSAN, we can see the difference in peo-ples’ behavior towards health and hygiene. There is an evolving concern about their health amongst the families we have served and they pay more attention on how to live healthily. In such distribution activity, we are always sure to expect new better results within the families,” said Sok Nith, HFH Cambodia Project Officer for Water and Sanitation Project in Siem Reap.

AuGuSt GLoBAL VILLAGe VoLunteerS

Issue 54 | 3 | August 2013

Viva Volunteers

Global Village Wrap up

August 01 to 05: Instead of spending the entire summer break on rest and relaxation, a group of Global Village team from Singapore comprised of friends worked on one brick house for a fam-ily in Krang Yov Commune, Kandal Province. At the end of the day, they accomplished the construction of foundation and the brick wall of the house partition. After their community work, the team decided to treat themselves with a city tour and some shopping.

August 05 to 09: A group of Global Village team consisted of 16 members from build with a fam-ily in Pouk District, Siem Reap. The construc-tion is part of an extension of a stilt house. The family wished to have extra private room for their children, and by the end of the day, the team managed to complete the ground room. House dedication was started with the cutting of ribbon, sharing of experiences and finished with some snacks and lots of dancing with skilled workers, local authorities, volunteers and the team’s happy home partners.

August 11 to 22: The second youth volunteer group from Japan helped the housing and com-munity development program by building two brick houses for two families in Bati District, Takeo Province. The 14 volunteers are fresh-men students from Japan’s Columbia Interna-tional School. After a week of building, the team achieved the construction of two house foun-dation and most parts of the walls. The young group also enjoyed their time during the city tour and visited Siem Reap to see the Angkor Wat.

August 18 to 22: Japan has always been one among the many countries that constantly sup-ports Cambodian people with adequate hous-ing. This month, the Japan Hope Builder team from the biggest travel agent in Japan called Huis Ten Bosch (H.I.S) came for another com-munity work with Habitat. The team renovated a house for a family in 13 Makara Village, Prek Preah Sdach Commune, Battambang Province,

Viva Volunteers

a new Habitat build site, which is home to HFH Cambodia’s land rights project. The Hope Build-ers worked on the concrete floor, laying bricks for the bedrooms, and upgrading the kitchen area. Aside from their building mission, the volunteers took a tour around Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Cambodia.

Be part of a Global Village volunteer team. Visit this site for more information:

http://www.habitat.org/gv/

I ssue 54 | 4 | August 2013

Mekong Big Builds

Hout Pheoung’s Dream Sponsorship update

Issue 54 | 5 | August 2013

It was too late for Hout Pheoung. He and his wife have moved from Svay Reing to live in Phnom Penh in 1990. “If only I had the chance to see the real situation in the city. I would have probably thought twice about moving and stayed in my home town,” he said.

Life in the city was far from his expectations. He and his wife wife Som Sophy did not have any relatives in Phnom Penh and had to find a place to stay, until their journey with other homeless people brought them to the Steung Meanchey dumpsite - a mountainous pile of rubbish, where many migrants and poor people scavenge for their survival.

The couple decided to build a small cottage made from pieces of old wood, bamboo and a plastic tent to cover their heads from the heat and rain, and they began to join many scavengers in the community.

Pheoung’s family grew over the past 20 years. They now have 8 members including two sons Hout Sopheak, 21 and Hout Siheng, 15, and four daughters, Hout Sinith, 19, Hout Kimleang, 13, Hout Kimly, 6, and the young-est one Hout Kimlux, 5. 2 of their children, Siheng and Kimleang, receive support from Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE) for school-ing, while the other two work in Thailand to help their parents provide for their basic needs. The youngest two stay home with their mother.

Their work stopped when the Steung Meanchey dump was officially closed in 2009. Pheoung and his wife feared for their livelihood because they both did not have any other skills, but he began to sell ice cream. He would cycle around the city to sell and his wife started to sew jute sacks at home while taking care of their chil-dren. The couple is able to earn around $5 per day with their combined income.

The closure of the dumpsite did not only bring them bad news about their livelihood. It also required them to move their cottage to an-other place. Pheoung’s family, together with other families, managed to find a plot of land to rent in Russey Village, Phnom Penh, right behind the dumpsite. They built another stilt cottage, sized 3m x 4.5m and made from sec-ond hand zinc with many holes, with walls cov-ered by plastic tent and pieces of small wood and an old bamboo flooring. In the beginning, the land was worth only $5 per month, yet the price now increased to $20 a month. “The price increase every year but our income stays the same,” Pheuong shared.

Raising 6 children is a heavy responsibility. Ev-ery early morning, Sophy wakes up at around 3:30am to prepare food for her children and husband before leaving for work. She assists Pheuong in preparing the ice cream cart, and continues sewing sack and caring for their two younger children. Pheuong, on the other hand, leaves the house around 7:30am and heads back home by 5:00pm.

“We are living in such an unhealthy and unsafe environment. Every time it rains, water leaks everywhere from the walls and roof, and flood follows shortly. Our surroundings are full of dirty mud and mosquitoes are everywhere. The smell from the dump and the chemicals used at the dumpsite bring us and other villag-ers too many problems. This is on top of the usual diarrhea and other stomach conditions we regularly experience and spend for treat-ment and medication,” Sophy said. “Also there is no proper electricity and water connection from the would buy from our neighbors and the price becomes double,” she continued.

Space is also a major concern. The plot of land they share with others is small and they are not allow to build their own toilets. They were fortunate that PSE succeeded in their negotiation with the landlord and was able to build four toilets for the community. However, with only 4 toilets serving many families, cleanliness and hygiene are serious issues.

The opportunity for them to begin living in a decent place while their children study with PSE was the best good news they have ever received their whole lives.

“I’m very happy and excited to know that sooner we will be able to move to live in a safe and convenient place, where we can ac-cess to private toilet, water and electricity, with proper drainage and no more holes on our roof and walls. My children will live healthily and be able to focus on their stud-ies,” Pheoung said.

Pheoung’s family is one among the 90 fami-lies voluntarily relocating from the Steung Meanchey Dumpsite to the Smile Village located in Komreal Village, Kongkour Dis-trict, Phnom Penh. After the completion of the cluster construction that will be built by international volunteers from different countries through the Mekong Big Build Project on November 3-9, 2013.

Hout Pheoung’s family

HFH Seattle King CountryHFH Germany/Daimler Financial ServicesHFH Greater BirminghamHFH of Black Hills AreaHFH of Hub AreaHFH of La Plata CountyHFH of Yankton County

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

For any sponsorship/donation queries, con-tact bells_borja@habitatcambodia.org orgvisit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Habi-tat-for-Humanity-Cambodia/183992959347

I ssue 54 | 6 | August 2013

Special Feature

upcoming events and

Legal Holidays

31 August – 14 SeptemberGlobal Village team from Japan in Phnom Penh

09 – 13 SeptemberInternal evaluation for Building Homes, Building Hope Project

23 – 25 SeptemberHFH Cambodia Family Selection Workshop in Phnom Penh

23 – 28 SeptemberHFH Australia and HFH new Zealand visiting HFH Cambodia Programs

28 – 30 SeptemberAsia Pacific Leadership Conference in Philip-pines

28 September – 02 octoberGlobal Village team from China in Phnom Penh

28 September – 05 octoberGlobal Village team from China in Phnom Penh

02 – 04 octoberAsia Pacific Housing Forum in Philippines

Special Feature

new Faces and Promotions

Congratulations to Chhun Sina for his pro-motion as Program Manager for four HFH Cambodia projects including PPHCDP, CCT, BHBPL, and Enhancing Holistic Housing Solutions Project (EHHSP)

Please contact Sona at chhun_sona@habitatcambo-dia.org

Please join HFH Cambodia in welcoming Pov Seanghor, our new Volunteer Engage-ment Manager. Seanghor brings with him years of experience working as a high school teacher and with an international volunteer organization.

Please contact Seang Hor at p_seanghor@habitatcambodia.org

Join HFH Cambodia in congratulating to Kong Samvitey for his promotion to Volun-teer Engagement Officer. Vitey will be re-sponsible for the coordination and manage-ment of hosting Global Village Teams, special build teams, HFHC youth program and other volunteer engagement services.

Please contact Vitey at vpc@habitatcambodia.org

Welcome Chea Bunseng our new Volunteer Program Coordinator. Bunseng has worked as a volunteer and translator with Habitat Cambodia on Global Village builds and big builds since 2009.

Please contact Bunseng at bunsengvpc@habitatcambo-dia.org

Congratulations to Vong Chhim Vannak who has been promoted from Housing Fi-nance Officer to Housing Finance Manager.

Please contact Vannak at chh_vannak@habitatcambo-dia.org

Welcome to Prum Panhavuth who joins our Chab Pdeum Chivit Thmey project as the Project Officer. Panhavuth has serveral years of experiences working with local and international organizations with special fo-cus on health, community work and disaster response.

Please contact Panhavuth at prum_panhavuth@habitat-cambodia.org

or Kun!

Join HFH Cambodia’s Social Media network! Become a Fan on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/habitat.for.humanity.cambodia

Follow Habitat Cambodia tweets https://twitter.com/HabitatCambodiaVisit our website http://www.habitatcambodia.org

HFH Cambodia address: #35Bis, St. 478, Phsar Duem tkov Commune, Chamkar Mon District, Phnom Penh City, P.o Box: 2452 Phnom Penh 3tel/Fax: (855) 23 997 840

e-mail: info@habitatcambodia.org

Habitat for Humanity AuStrALIA

Habitat for Humanity GreAt BrItAIn

Habitat for Humanity neW ZeALAnD

Habitat for Humanity CAnADA

SAn GABrIeL VALLeY Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity MALAYSIA

unIVerSItY oF PIttSBurG Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity of St VrAIn VALLeY

WeStMInSter CoLLeGe Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity GerMAnY

HonoLuLu Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity SeAttLe-KInG CountY

CentrAL DeLAWAre Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity AnCHorAGe

SAn DIeGo Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity International - uSA Global Village Volunteers

Habitat for Humanity CHInA (Hong Kong)

Habitat for Humanity nortH CentrAL GeorGIA

Habitat for Humanity HArDIn CountY, Inc.

Habitat for Humanity Cambodia says thank you to our corporate and international partners and our affiliate tithe donors.

Together, we will continue improving lives and building communities in Cambodia.

the Charitable Foundation, elton John AIDS Foundation, World Bank,

International Children’s Care Australia, Japan Social Development

Fund, Asian Development Bank, Paul and Aileen Munn, World Vision

Cambodia, Guernsey overseas Aid Commission, and Building trust

International, Pour un Sourire d’enfant

Pannasastra university of Cambodia, royal university Phnom Penh, uni-

versity of Cambodia, Bridgeton School, northbridge International School,

Mekong university, Fulbright and undergraduate State Alumni Associa-

tion of Cambodia, tayama Business School, International and Foreign

Language, Mekong university, university of Health and Science, Sovanna

Phumi School, Logos International school, Build Bright university

u n I V e r S I t I e S A n D S C H o o L P A r t n e r S :

A F F I L I A t e D o n o r S :

I n t e r n A t I o n A L P A r t n e r S :

C o r P o r A t e P A r t n e r S : AnZ royal Bank, Hotel Cambodiana, Korea Cadastral Survey Corporation,

BunGe, SC Johnson, Korea Securities Depository, Cambodian Business

Integrated in rural Development organization, Hang Meas, Freshy Juice,

tous le Jours, rGB

Habitat for Humanity GreAter LoS AnGeLeS

Habitat for Humanity GreAter LoWeLL

Habitat for Humanity GreAter BoSton

Habitat for Humanity eAGLe & LAKe CountIeS

Habitat for Humanity InLAnD VALLeY

Habitat for Humanity DeSert FootHILLS

Habitat for Humanity nortH WILLAMette VALLeY

Habitat for Humanity DouGLAS CountY

Habitat for Humanity Metro DenVer

Habitat for Humanity Metro WeSt / GreAter WorCeSter

Habitat for Humanity WeSt HAWAII

Habitat for Humanity oAKLAnD CountY, MI

WeSt PASCo Habitat for Humanity

St. JoSePH Habitat for Humanity, Mo

Habitat for Humanity GreAter BIrMInGHAM

Habitat for Humanity GuAM

Daimler Financial Services, GerMAnY

Habitat for Humanity CInCInnAtI

Habitat for Humanity of SeAttLe-KInG CountY

L o C A L P A r t n e r S : Khemara, Maryknoll, Sharing experience for Adapted experience, Siha-

nouk Hospital Center of Hope, Save the Children, Collaborative Studio,

thaneakea Phum Cambodia, Hattha Kaksekar Limited