The first Habitat Youth BUILD culminated in a volunteer workday May 12 across five countries in Asia. But the five-month campaign started long before that.
Beginning in January, youth in China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand raised more than $1 million and told more than 2 million supporters of the urgent need for decent housing in the region.
In May, 5,000 of those young fundraisers turned into hands-on volunteers, as they helped more than 700 families on 15 worksites. In central Thailand, nearly 200 Youth BUILD volunteers weathered the heat to construct a community center. Film star Jet Li joined 320 volunteers at work in Guangdong province, China. More than 500 youth built or repaired 45 homes in four states across India.
“I am happy that my friends joined me for this,” Zeenia Kolah says. “It is great to see young people in India concerned about the well-being of others.”
