Easter week in April 2018 Apply Here Now!

Our Easter Youth Build is an amazing opportunity to work alongside families in need of a decent place to call home.

Habitat’s Easter Youth Build invites you to join secondary school students from around Ireland in fighting poverty housing. You will travel to Darmanesti, Romania and help a family to build a home, strengthen their community, and enrich both their lives and your own. Students will experience firsthand the impact of poverty housing and help make a lasting difference to the entire community of Darmanesti. Students will work as part of a team, develop new skills, experience a different culture and learn about global development issues.

Dates: Easter Week, April 2018

Location: Romania

Cost: €1,700

Contact details: Email mary@habitatireland.ie or call 01 531 0033

Adult team leaders: Volunteer groups consisting of minors (aged 16+) require a 1:4 adult:minor ratio. All volunteers (including team leaders) aged 18+ will be Garda vetted.

 

Why Volunteer in Romania?

In Romania, more than 2 million children are living in poverty. Over 8.5 million people have no bath or shower or access to running water. Over 35 percent of the housing stock in Romania is in a state of complete neglect and needs repairs. In the cities, many dwellers live in cramped apartments in condominium complexes. Much of Romania’s housing stock is low quality and deteriorating because of a lack of maintenance.

Darmanesti is a town in eastern Romania, in Bacau County, with approximately 12,000 inhabitants. Surrounded by rural areas prominently, its job market is not as developed as in other urban areas. It used to be an industrial city, but after the privatisation of the factories and their bankruptcy, unemployment reached high levels and people struggled to provide for their families. The loss of economic stability has further aggravated the housing situation. Many of them give up renting an apartment and move back with parents, which decrease the quality of life and amplify the overcrowding effect (7 to 11 people in apartments of 2-3 rooms). Habitat for Humanity Comanesti is addressing the housing need in Darmanesti by building two new units and helping 2 families have a decent and safe place to live. The houses will be 1 floor units, made of bricks and wooden inside walls, with 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, with kitchen and 1 bathroom.

 

Type of Work for Volunteers

No construction experience is required for this trip. Some of the tasks include mixing and pouring concrete, insulation, brick laying, flooring, plastering and painting. All tools and construction site materials will be provided by the affiliate, and a professional construction leader will always be present on site.

 

How Habitat addresses the need

Habitat for Humanity Romania builds, rehabilitates, provides advice, supports and conducts energy efficiency and disaster risk reduction and response programmes for vulnerable groups.

 

Stories

“It will be such a big change…I don’t think we can realise it right now.”

Read about the Hongu’s in Romania here.

 

Meals and accommodations

The team will stay in modest, comfortable hotels in double-occupancy rooms. Lunch will be on the build site, while breakfast and dinner will be at the hotel or local restaurants.

 

Sample Itinerary

Day 1  Arrival Day (Saturday)

Day 2 Welcome Day (Sunday): travel to the hosting programme (5 hours), and learn about Habitat’s innovative programmes, and your project.

Day 2-7 – Typical Build day (Monday – Saturday): Build. Skilled construction workers will guide you and your team as you build. The team will have time for excursions, rest and reflection meetings in the evenings.

Day 8 – Goodbyes and head home.

 

Apply Here Now! 

 

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