Volunteers See Work that Tithe is Doing First Hand
You don’t need to look too far to see the difference that Habitat for Humanity of Douglas County (HFHDC) has made in the lives of families in our community. Since 1997, the affiliate has built or renovated homes for 30 families, partnering with them by providing a hand up for a better future. What you may not know is that while the affiliate is building homes and changing lives locally, they are also building homes and changing lives across the globe.
This November, seven individuals had an opportunity to see firsthand how Habitat changes lives both at home and abroad. Greg and Deb Pouliot, Tom Schabel, Bob Seward, Gordon and Deb Vander Helm and Sara Vander Helm travelled half-way across the globe to take part in a life-changing mission to build 22 homes in 5 days for families in Cambodia. 
Participants paid their own travel expenses to take part in the mission and spent five days working alongside families in building a house made of not only brick, but of love as well.
This build is possible through the support of Habitat affiliates from across the globe through affiliate tithes. HFHDC made the decision early on to tithe as part of its Christian identity. The concept of tithe is based on the biblical principal of sharing from what God has blessed you with to bless others.
YHabitat is a global organization and many places where the need is the greatest for housing, the options for fundraising are dim. Affiliates in the United States and other developed countries of the world join together in sending tithe donations to support the developing countries of the world. HFHDC has consistently been a leader among small affiliates across the US in its tithe support, and is currently in the top 25 in the nation.
Since 1997 our tithe has helped to build 33 homes for families abroad in places such as Central America, Latin America/Caribbean and Nicaragua, in addition to the 30 homes that they have built in Douglas County.
Khmer Harvest Build – November 15-19, 2011, Oudong, Kandal, Cambodia
Cambodia, located in the heart of Southeast Asia, is an ancient land with a young population. The median age is 22 years. According to the United Nations, over 26% of its 13.9 million population lives on the equivalent of less than US$1.25 per day. The majority of children, families and communities live in desperate poverty and struggle to meet the most basic needs of food, clean water and shelter without assistance.
The Khmer Harvest Build took place over 5 days from November 15-19. Over 350 volunteers from around the globe worked to build 22 homes for families who used to live on a municipal dumpsite. The homes was built to have sanitation facilities, safe water, a rain water collection tank and a solar-energy panel.
The families who will live in these homes live and work on a municipal dump site, forced to scavenger through the 900 tons of trash dumped each day to survive. The Khmer Harvest Build will not only provide a healthy home for these families, but will also provide a way to make a living, as the homes are being built around a farm being developed in partnership with International Children’s Care Australia. The build continues work begun in 2009 as part of a Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project, where 21 homes were built.
The volunteers indicated that the work was hard, yet very rewarding. You can see pictures from their experience by logging on to our web page at http://www.hfhdouglascounty.org
or visiting us on Facebook.
