Blitz Build 2010 a huge success!

In just 6 short days last week, the Dumaguete and international community pulled together to build 10 houses in Candau-ay for 10 very happy families.

After months of preparation and organisation, all the hard work paid off as hundreds of local volunteers joined our Japanese volunteers from Kwansei Gakuen University and their beloved Professor Nobu Imaizumi to put 10 houses up in record time.

Energy and enthusiasm were running high for the week despite the heat and hard work, and there were smiles all round as the hollow-block houses went up steadily. Unskilled volunteers worked alongside skilled carpenters and masons, the young and the old, office workers, government workers, students, international volunteers, call centre employees and the new Habitat Homepartners all joined hands in a vivid display of volunteerism.

From Saturday to Thursday, the volunteers and skilled workers were hard at work. Special thanks go to all our generous supporters for their volunteers, cash and in-kind donations and the team spirit they all brought to the build. We had great support from local businesses and organisations who donated cash, materials, in-kind and volunteer teams as well as plenty of generous independent volunteers. The full list of our supporters can be seen at the end of this post.

On Friday, final finishing touches were made to the houses before the House Blessing ceremony in the afternoon. The 10 new Homepartner families joined members of the Habitat Board of Trustees, sponsors and volunteers to celebrate the symbolic house turn-over. Each family was presented with a Bible and the keys to their new home, followed by a special blessing of each house by local pastors. There was a buzz in the air and emotional moments marked the ceremony as many families finally realised a long-time dream of having their own home.

Our Japanese volunteers continued to display their trademark energy and enthusiasm, seen throughout the build with constant smiles, singing, dancing and laughter coming from their group while working hard to get the houses built. Truly an inspiration to us all!

Once again, Habitat would like to thank all our generous supporters for their contribution to the Blitz Build 2010 – a true success due to the strong community spirit here in Dumaguete and testimony that volunteerism is alive and well here. We hope to see everyone again and even more new faces next time!

To see the build in photos, please click on a photo below or visit http://picasaweb.google.com/dgtehfh/DumagueteCityHabitatForHumanityBlitzBuild2010

SPONSORS FOR BLITZ BUILD 2010

House sponsorships

Prof Nobu & Kwansei Gakuin University, NORECO-2, Hon. & Mrs, Chiquiting Sagarbarria family, TELETECH, Arnolfo & Zenaida Teves, G. Uymatiao family

Cash donations

City Government of Dumaguete, Coco Grande Hotel, Consolidated Lending Center, Friends from Netherlands, Metro Dumaguete Lions Club, OK Mart, Ramas-Uypitching Sons, Inc., Conrado Yulo & family

In-kind/product donations

Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils, Inc., Dumaguete City Water District, Globelines, Lotiff Construction, Mr Willes U. Matiao, New Bian Yek Commercial, Inc., Philippine National Police, Polaris Power Engineering, Scooby’s Snack Bar, Silliman Medical Center

Volunteer teams

City Engineers Office, E-Games, Kwansei Gakuen University, Lotiff Construction, Metro Dumaguete Lions Club, NORECO-2, Po’s Marketing, Rural Bank of Sta Catalina, Scooby’s Snack Bar, Silliman Medical Center, TELETECH, Ventus, Individuals

A successful press conference in the lead up the big event.

Our first press conference was a big success with key media turning out for the event.

Hosted at the home of local journalists, the Dumaguete City Press Club, the media came to interview and record members of the Habitat community including board members Engr Jose Quiamao, Engr. Greg Uymatiao and Mrs Norma B Caluscusan, home partners Juanita Cagadas & Jocelyn Sinco as well as key Habitat staff.

 Thanks to all the media in attendance: DYGB Radio, Sky Cable, DYRM Radio, Fil Products, Visayan Daily Star, & DYWC AM.

 We look forward to receiving some great media coverage and a HUGE event starting this week!

Calling all budding photographers and videographers. We need you!

With the Blitz Build fast approaching (only just over a week to go!); we are calling for volunteers to help out with capturing the event on camera . 

Are you a budding photographer, or a wannabe documentary maker? Then we want YOU!

We are looking for creative people who can capture the energy, excitement, and community spirit of the build.  

Requirements:

- Previous experience or folio to show us

- Ideally you will have an interest in photography or video

- Maybe you are studying mass communications, photography, or cinema at University.

-  Have your own equipment or access to equipment you can borrow.

If you think you have what it takes and will be available from 6th – 12th March 2010, please email us on dgtehfh@gmail.com or call 422-1716 and speak with Kate Delbridge to register your interest.

The Dumaguete community plays its part in building hope.

The Dumaguete corporate community has pulled out all the stops to show its support for the Dumaguete City Habitat Blitz Build. The event, scheduled for March 6-12, will see Habitat build 10 houses in just 7 days with the help of local and international volunteers.

 Prominent businesses & individuals across the city were approached to become part of the event in a hope to encourage community involvement and share the spirit of volunteerism. Habitat continually seeks to partner with sponsors and volunteers to ensure its house building and community programs are sustainable for the future. It has set a goal of building 2000 homes by 2020. 840 homes are already completed throughout the city leaving a remaining 1160 to be built. The March Build is the first step in 2010 to achieving this goal. 

 Those organisations already committed to supporting the March Blitz Build include cash donations from Teletech, The Teves and Sagarbarria families who generously donated an entire house each. Sans Rival, Coco Grande, O.K Mart, the Metro Dumaguete Lions Club and Ramas Uypitching Sons.

Product donations and volunteer teams were also generously donated by the following organizations Ventus, Coca Cola Bottlers Philippines, Lotiff Construction, E Kho Rural Development, BB Catarata Assoc., Silliman Medical Center, Scooby’s Snack Bar, City Engineer Kirit, E-Games, Rural Bank and New Bian Yek Commercial Inc and of course Professor Nobu and Kwansei Gakuen University.

 Dumaguete City Habitat would like to thank all its generous sponsors and supporters, without whom this March Blitz Build would not be possible. 

 Habitat is still accepting sponsorship and volunteers. If you would like to volunteer or become a sponsor please contact the Habitat office on (035) 225 4399 or email dgtehfh@gmail.com.

Contribute just one day in your life to give a family a whole new future.

A Blitz Build always needs a site to start building on. This year it is the Dumaguete City Habitat site in Candu-ay. Candu-ay is already home to over 120 families and now thanks to the build will add 10 new home partners to the community. 

Naturally the houses don’t just pop up overnight. A lot of pre-building work needs to happen before any volunteer steps onto the site to help build. All the foundations are laid and the prefab frames are brought in.

Check out the pre build photos to see the preparation that goes into a build of this kind.

Dumaguete City Habitat receives some great publicity for 2010 Blitz Build

Dumaguete City Habitat for Humanity announces March Blitz Build 2010.

 

During March 2010 Dumaguete City Habitat for Humanity Inc is hosting a major volunteer house blitz build for ten Dumaguete families. International volunteers will join hands with local volunteers to build ten new Habitat homes in just 7 days.

The blitz build will take place on 6^th – 12^th March 2010, from 8am-12pm and 1-5pm. All ten houses will be built in the existing Habitat community in Candau-ay, which has been home to over 100 families since 1991.  

 For the past 20 years Habitat has faithfully served the Dumaguete community by providing over 830 homes for Dumaguete families in need. However, the need for secure housing options for low-income Dumagueteños is still very high, with over 4000 houses still to be built for disadvantaged families. To answer this need, Habitat is now embarking on the ambitious plan of having built 2000 homes by 2020. The blitz build in March is the first of a number of events to happen over the next 10 years to reach this goal.

 To ensure we reach our goal we are calling out to the community for local volunteers and event sponsors. 100 volunteers per day are needed to join with local carpenters to build the homes in the seven days. Local volunteers will join with international volunteers from Japan, Australia, USA and around the globe providing much needed manual labor to this worthy cause.  Already we have the commitment of the dedicated students from the Silliman University Habitat Campus Chapter and look forward to many more.

 Sponsors are being sought from all areas of the community and can provide support in several ways; in cash (that will go towards the materials for each home), volunteer labor or in kind products to use throughout the build.

If you would like to volunteer or become a sponsor for this event just contact us on this page or email dgtehfh@gmail.com and we will contact you soon.

Contribute just one day in your life to give a family a whole new future.