Global Village Expeditions, a monthly email update on Global Village news
and opportunities around Asia-Pacific and beyond for international
volunteers, team leaders, coordinators and HFHI staff.

Spotlight on East Timor 2004

HFH Australia's Global Village Coordinator Tera Fediuk will co-lead a Global Village team to East Timor with Ian Morcombe. The team, mainly members from Wollongong Church of Christ, will be in East Timor from 6 to 21 March 2004.

The devastation and violence that engulfed East Timor following the 1999 vote for independence displaced over one third of the population and destroyed 70 percent of all infrastructure. Thousands died and 85 percent of the country's buildings were burned. More than 67,000 families were left homeless.

Habitat for Humanity East Timor joined the Habitat for Humanity International family in November 2001 after an assessment team first visited the country in June 2000

HFH East Timor focuses upon house renovation using alternative construction technologies and local resources, and Habitat's "building in stages" concept.

Global Village teams primarily assist with renovations.

For further information about East Timor's GV hosting program, e-mail next@hfhap.org

Experience Wanted: Adventure in Africa

My name is Trevor and I am an assistant English-language teacher Hong Kong Japanese International School having come from teaching in Akita-ken, Japan, for three years.

I'd like to lead a build in Kenya at the end of the Japanese school year, around March 21st to 27th 2004. The team will consist of ten members, mainly English-language teachers, both Japanese and native speakers . But we will be delighted to include anyone who wants to join from the Global Village.

I've participated in four Habitat builds -- to Nepal in 2000, the Philippines 2001; Bangladesh 2002 and India this year. I co-led the team to the Philippines.

March will be my first foray into Africa and I'm looking forward to experiencing a new culture, learning Swahili, building with Kenyan people and exploring Africa on safari.

"Kenya" is the Swahili for safari (literally, journey) and wouldn't mean much to most people if it wasn't for this East African adventure land. Revered by anthropologists as the cradle of humanity, Kenya is the heart of African safari country. It boasts the most diverse collection of wild animals on the continent.

Kenya is also home to 30 million people of whom nearly 60 percent are rural subsistence farmers. Most of Kenya's poor live in rural areas, where poverty manifests itself in poor housing conditions. Some rural communities are blessed with lush, green fields full of healthy crops, but
disease is a constant concern. Malaria, amoebic disorders, respiratory ailments and other diseases continue to claim the lives of villagers living in poorly maintained, unhealthy homes. A simple, decent, affordable house built in partnership with HFH Kenya results in a cleaner, healthier living environment for each family.

If you're interested in joining the team, please send me an e-mail and I'll do my best to answer any questions or queries.

For more information about H4H and Kenya in general, please check the following web-sites.

www.hfhkenya.or.ke , www.habitat.org

Global Village Is Getting Better

Behind the scenes, Habitat for Humanity is working to ensure that the Global Village program gets better and better. New standards are being introduced in the summer of 2004 to ensure teams enjoy a similar experience with their host affiliates no matter where they go.

Planning Ahead: New Listings

New hosting opportunities occur all the time. For the second half of 2004, Global Village teams are being welcomed in: Australia; Fiji; Indonesia; Malaysia; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Samoa and Vanuatu. Look out for other countries posting invitations to visit within the next
few weeks.

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