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Building Bricks and Blisters

  • Spectrum for 28 October 2012

    Take twenty young Kiwi business women, add four ‘token’ males, plus two builder blokes, and send them to Sri Lanka. What do you get? Four new brick and tile houses. The New Zealanders were part of a… Read more Audio

Question: Take twenty young Kiwi business women, add four “token” males, plus two builder blokes, and send them to Sri Lanka. What do you get?

Building October Work in progress Copyright Iain Pearson small

Work in progress  (Copyright Iain Pearson)

Answer: Four new brick and tile houses. The New Zealanders were part of a contingent of  200-volunteers from round the world which, in less than a week, helped build twenty four homes for Habitat for Humanity. Helen Steemson was one of the young women and, using her i-Phone, she recorded this programme.

Building October Grubby after a a hard day s work Copyright Helen Steemson small

Grubby after a hard day's work (Copyright Helen Steemson)

Habitat for Humanity uses volunteer labour to build affordable houses around the world. The Sri Lanka project was called the “Reconciliation Build”, and created a new village of Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslim locals who’d been displaced by a thirty year long civil war.

Building October A Building site and semi complete house Copyright Iain Pearson small

Taking shape nicely (Copyright Iain Pearson)

For the New Zealanders it was a week never to be forgotten, despite sun stroke and blisters. Thanks to new technology Spectrum was there too.

Building October Completed house with volunteer team and grateful owners Mary right and Sheldon left Copyright Iain Pearson small

Completed house with volunteer team and grateful owners Mary (right) and Sheldon (left) (Copyright Iain Pearson)