Quick Facts on How to Arrange a House Building Trip Families engaged in the Tabitha Savings Program eventually save towards a house. They must contribute $A40 to the cost of their house. Volunteer teams from Australia raise the balance of the funds required and then travel to Cambodia to build the houses. This is a rich and rewarding experience that individuals often say is the best thing they have ever done. Arranging a Team What sort of groups form house-building teams? What is a typical Tabitha Cambodia house-building trip schedule? Tabitha Cambodia has developed a very successful “formula” for house-building trips. Typically, this includes: Day 1 Day 2* Day 3 & 4 Day 5 * if your team is staying in Phnom Penh, delete Days 2 and 5 Does the team need experience building? Tabitha building teams do not actually “build” houses; they “complete” houses by nailing on the walls and floors. Prior to the team’s arrival, a Cambodian builder under contract to Tabitha (the “Contractor”), actually builds the foundations, frame and roof. Your team should include some members who are comfortable using a hammer and at least some who are comfortable working from ladders. The contractor (and the families) will guide and direct you. How many people can be in a team and how many houses can my team build? Teams build between 6 and 40 houses depending on: Teams members usually have been anticipating the trip for months, it is therefore important to ensure that the they feel as though they have worked hard each day. It is disappointing to the team to finish building too early in the day, so make sure that you build enough houses to keep the team busy. A rough guide is: Team Size 10 15 20 Houses Built 5 to 15 7 to 30 10 to 35 What are the actual costs for houses? Tabitha Cambodia has requested volunteer house builders to donate a water source with each house donated. The cost of the package is $A2,500. Specific house costs depend on the cost of materials and the remoteness of the village. Any excess funds are used in the Savings and family partnership program. What are the additional costs? Budget for: Next Steps Contact Tabitha Australia by email at info@tabithaaustralia.org.au to organise and confirm a building date and itinerary.
Half-day taken up at Tabitha Cambodia with an orientation briefing by Janne Ritskes.
Half-day taken up by visits to Tuol Sleng Prison (S-21)
Travel day to regional city/town (if building away from Phnom Penh)
Building houses
Travel back to Phnom Penh. End of trip.
Housebuilding funds must be remitted to Cambodia six weeks prior to housebuilding date. Tabitha Cambodia needs to get government approval, buy and move materials and build the frames of the houses at least 6 weeks before a team arrives.
Tabitha Cambodia decides what kind of water source and where they will be built based on the needs of families.
Tabitha Cambodia has over 100 international building teams per year and so:
Prior to Building Every Participant Must Complete A Code of Conduct Declaration
Complete Code of ConductWould you like to build houses in Cambodia ? We'd love to hear from you!
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