June 2nd, we have had the third Travelers with a Purpose meeting this year. Despite the heavy rain, 30 participants, or Habibito gathered to join the night.
The theme of the night was "My Habitat Story" and we had a pleasure of having Mr. Taksatorn Nit as a presenter. Since his birth in Hong Kong 25 years ago, he lived in Taiwan, Thailand and US growing up, and now live in Japan. His first involvement with Habitat Thailand when he was 15 years old left him with a strong impression and positive drive in his life. His story included episodes of home stay at Habitat homeowners in the Philippines and things he learnt from the experience, to which many other participants could relate and be inspired.

Latter half of the night was a casual orientation on the Everest Build, to be hosted in Pokhra, Nepal this October. This special event invites more than 500 volunteers from around the world to celebrate Habitat Nepal's 10 year anniversary and kick off its goal to work with 5,000 families in the next three years. Thanks to Mr. Nit's inspirational talk perhaps, many of the audience seem to be motivated to join the event.
You can refer to many other projects by Habitat Japan such as reports from Disaster Response in Haiti, Japanese Traditional Long House Building, and the Panel Discussion "Hiroshi Nakada, Former Mayor of Yokohama & Habitat Japan" as well.
The conclusion of the night was a little farewell party for one of our long term volunteer, Kristi. Kristi has been living in Japan and involved with Habitat for three years, besides her busy daily life as a teacher at one of international school in Tokyo. "Keep Building" was her last message to us. Practice makes right indeed, it was well put and reflected of her profession.
The next Travelers with a Purpose meeting will be in the beginning of August. The details areto be announced on our web site. Everyone who is interested in international philanthropy and Habitat's work is welcomed. Bring your friend and family and join us next time.
◆Next Travelers with a Purpose Meeting
-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・
Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Time: 7:30pm - 9pm
Venue: Ben's Cafe, Takadanobaba
Admission: Free for everyone!
* The details to be announced on our web site.
-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・-・
◆Want reminders for the upcoming TWP meetings?
Sign up (by sending a request to info@habitatjp.org) for the TWP exclusive mailing list for free to receive e-mail reminders about the Travelers with a Purpose activities.
◆What's "Travelers with a Purpose" Meetings?
Habitat for Humanity Japan's "Travelers with a Purpose" (TWP) is an informal gathering for people (HABIBITO) to discuss and share their experiences and interests in volunteering, travelling, and other Habitat activities.
◆Reports on the past TWP meetings:
April TWP Meeting Report
2010 First TWP Meeting Report
2009 Final TWP Meeting Report (12/1)
The meeting of Travelers with a Purpose in Nov