• 10 tons of rock
• 6 tons of sand
• 3 tons of concrete powder
• 1 ton of water

Holy freakin' h*ll. That was a lot of concrete we made - all by hand! It was frustrating that the cement truck didn't return but I am happy that there was a large group of us to help out! Many hands make light work! As we left the site today we could see the start of a home - a big difference from when we arrived on Monday! Well done girls (and Ken)!

This was the scene at the start of day four.

We took a walk around the Kampong (village) before we headed back to Kuching. The village has about 400 people, a school and soccer pitch. It is surrounded by beautiful bush and jungle - which is rich in fruit etc. It was interesting to walk around town and glimpse into their daily life. I felt odd walking through the village, like a outsider. I'm sure some of this feeling is due to guilt - as in comparison, my life in the west is luxurious. I hate the feeling of 'us' and 'them'. I hate being the intruder. I hope that the house gives Deloy and his family the solid (material) basis that they need. My concern was that perhaps our project would come off as 'us' helping 'them', a top-down sort of arrangement. From my studies I know that this is a common problem and I was leary of this happening. But, due to the structure of the program, Habitat is an empowering organization. It isn't a handout. And it isn't overbearing. The family has made a commitment to Habitat and will remain involved through the home owners association as well as additional volunteer work.

I came to Kuching expecting to help build a house, which I did. I also came expecting to feel uncomfortable with my own consumption, which I did. I expected to feel good about myself at the end of the build, which I did - in a bittersweet sort of way.

Habitat builds one house every 26 minutes!
By 2005, 1 million people will be living in Habitat Homes.
80% of the world's population survives on 20% of the world's wealth.

We helped one family.

It's not even the tip of the iceberg.