In March this year, three Arup volunteers headed to Pathumthani, Thailand, to help build a new home for a family whose house was destroyed by a flood in 2011.
Our volunteers were part of a 12-strong Habitat for Humanity team. Together they built a house in less than five days, working in 35C heat to lay bricks, mix and pour concrete, dig sewerage and level sand with only buckets and shovels.
The Arup team experienced first-hand the challenges of living and building in a developing country, as volunteer Patricia Chng explains “The work was physically and mentally hard. But I feel privileged to have helped build a home for a family that was living in less than desirable conditions.”
Arup continues to partner with Habitat for Humanity on projects around the world.
I have found myself seeing things from a better perspective and moved to contribute more to the work of Habitat for Humanity and Arup community engagement. So yes. It is absolutely worth it.
Craig Riley, Arup, Sydney