Cambodia Trips

Last month, Habitat Wake had the joy of hosting a very special guest — Vandy Phal, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Cambodia.

Each year, a portion of Habitat Wake’s revenue is tithed to support global partners working to create safe, affordable housing in communities around the world. We are proud to partner with Habitat organizations in Cambodia, Honduras, and Malawi. Each group works in their unique contexts but is united by Habitat's shared vision: everyone deserves a decent place to live.

Today I worked at the brickyard with five other team members, our translator, and three skilled Cambodian workers. It's actually nice to be the unskilled worker and simply do what you're told. And it's amazing how much creativity can go into a simple job like sifting dirt. And how many different work styles six people can have.

The sights, smells, sounds and feels of Cambodia startle the senses -- from a 5-story golden Buddha which presides over a traffic circle to the terra cotta fences which show Warriors in period dress playing tug of war with a multi-headed snake. A family of seven packed onto a motor scooter plays chicken with our bus-- a miasma of fishy smells surrounds the city-- the aroma and tastes of the delicious Cambodian food we have been served -- a tabby cat cleans herself in the the sun atop a Russian tank with its floor missing from a land mine-- the 90 degree weather is in stark contrast to

Day 1

The 22 of us have all come together to build a home here in Cambodia. We come armed with different skills, strengths and expectations but a common desire to do good - to make a difference. That's what makes it easy to quickly make new friends and meld together as a team -- even in the heat!

As part of Habitat Wake’s global mission, we are excited to depart Wake County today to take our first ever Global Village volunteer team to build with our partners at Habitat for Humanity Cambodia.  22 team members make up this initial team led by Habitat Wake board member, Michelle Pavliv, and Kevin Campbell, President/CEO of Habitat Wake.  Two additional Habitat Wake board members, two staff members, one AmeriCorps member and a broad range of community volunteers including a number of parishioners from Raleigh’s Holy Trinity Lutheran Church make up this diverse team.

“The need for housing does not end at your county line.” -Frank Reed, Habitat for Humanity International