Every summer, students from Habitat Japan's Campus Chapters in volunteer builds throughout the region through the Global Village program during their summer breaks. This summer, 14 teams of 215 university students traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as two countries newly reopened to GV, Indonesia and the Philippines.
One volunteer team headed to the capital city of Phnom Penh for a build in the surrounding area. We asked team leader Higuchi-san and subleader Akiyama-san about why they joined GV and about what they felt and saw in the process.
Name: Yuto Higuchi
Age: 22
University: Musashi University, Japan
Major: International Relations
The reason I participated in GV:
"I thought building a house is a valuable activity for both homeowner and me. This is what I wanted to do most during my student life."
My thoughts after participating in GV:
"While visiting Cambodia, I communicated with local people and saw various types of houses. I realized that many houses there are under standards and it's hard to live comfortably. I found that building houses is an indispensable volunteering, and it should be spreaded to a lot of people."
What impressed me:
“There are so much differences between city, Phnom Penh and rural area where I did volunteering activity. I found lots of supports to rural area are necessary.”
Name: Yuka Akiyama 
Age: 21
University: Musashi Univercity, Japan
Major: Sociology
The reason I participated in GV
"I participated in this program because I wanted to communicate with locals."
My thoughts after participating in GV:
"I had many good experiences. I was able to communicate with local people and to feel the culture that I couldn't feel just by going on a trip. Through communication with the family of the homeowner, I was able to learn the importance of home. When I was involved with the grandchildren, I thought that it would be necessary to make the house more carefully, thinking that it would be the house where these children would live in the future."
What impressed me:
"In Cambodia, there were many people who greeted strangers with a smile, so naturally I smiled as well."
With the continued support of passionate volunteers like Yuta and Yuko, Habitat Japan strives towards a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
The Home Partner family that Higuchi-san and Akiyama-san met was that of Sophy and Sat, whose family was forced to relocate due to railway development. The family received land in return, but the house they built on it was makeshift and would shake in monsoon winds, and leak during the rain, in turn flooding the house and making their toilet unusable. With the support of Habitat, our team of volunteers, and sweat equity from the family themselves, Sophy and her family were able to build a sturdy, raised wooden home where they could begin a safe and decent life anew.
In creating an environment where families may rest their bodies to perform their best in work and studies, a safe and decent home to live becomes an indispensable foundation for an independent and prosperous life. To build these homes, GV volunteers are invaluable partners. For volunteers, there many reasons to participate in and many things to be learned through the Global Village program. Anyone over the age of 18 may volunteer overseas through Habitat's Global Village program. Please join us in building safe and decent homes for those in need! For more information, check here.