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“Korea
Blitz Build 2004” |
SEOUL 11th June 2004: Habitat for Humanity Korea is gearing
up for “Korea Blitz
Build 2004”, its largest volunteer build of the year.
More than 800 volunteers are expected to participate in the
six-day event, which
runs from 2nd to 7th August.
The target is to build 40 two-bed-room houses. Eight will be
built in Gyeongsan, 290 km southwest of the capital Seoul; 16
in Cheonan, which lies 120 km to the south; eight in an
another southern location, Jinju; and eight in Chuncheon, to
the north
of Seoul.
Said Iris Jho, HFH Korea’s Volunteers” Coordinator:
“We welcome the volunteers,
most of whom are corporate employees and students who are sacrificing
their
summer vacations to make ‘Korea Blitz Build 2004’
a real success.”
“Given the likely sultry weather, with
temperatures in a Korean summer expected to top 30o centigrade,
the volunteers will really be putting the ‘sweat’
into ‘sweat equity’.”
This year’s blitz build is expected to cost the Korean
won equivalent of US$1.25 million. Funding is coming from corporations,
churches, and individuals from home and abroad.
“Korea Blitz Build” is the largest annual construction
event organized by HFH Korea.
This is the third consecutive year the blitz has been held.
It carries on the momentum generated by the Jimmy Carter Work
Project 2001 which saw thousands of participants complete
166 houses.
In addition to the 40 homes built during the blitz, this year
Habitat for Humanity Korea plans to build another four homes
in the southeast, at Gunsan, and lay the foundations for four
more units, in Taeback, in the northwest. It will also send
funds and volunteer teams to build about 50 houses in the Philippines,
Mongolia and other Asian countries.
Since it was formally incorporated in 1995, Habitat for Humanity
Korea has built 352 houses in Korea and another 252 overseas.
It has 12 affiliates, five chapters in schools and colleges,
and organizes volunteer builds including Global Village, “Women
Build”, “Build on Faith”, and “Cycling
for Habitat”.
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