Australians and Habitat build houses in Savar
The Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr. Justin Lee and 25 members of the Australian community in Dhaka spent a day working with local families to build their houses in Rajashan, Savar on Saturday 6 March 2010.
The building work was organized by Habitat for Humanity International – Bangladesh, which focuses on innovative low-cost construction technology for rural Bangladesh.
Australians from the High Commission, International School Dhaka, and Australian Youth Ambassadors in Bangladesh, among other agencies, joined in the work, hauling bricks and sand, and helping with masonry.
The High Commissioner also took the opportunity to hand over a cheque for BDT 10 lac to Habitat’s National Director Ms Kelly Koch during the build event. The funding will be used to promote the use of Compressed Interlocking Earth Blocks (CIEB) into the building practices of low income communities. The CIEB model reduces housing construction costs by up to 30 per cent and enables home owners to construct simple and environmentally friendly homes with a modest down payment.
Dr Lee said, “It is wonderful to be a part of a project that provides a low-cost building material alternative to rural home owners that is also energy efficient. I commend Habitat for investing in sustainable building practices which will make homes more affordable for low-income earners”.
A dedicated day of building was interrupted only briefly for a lunch break, when Dr Lee and his wife Jeanne played a game of cricket with a group of delighted of local children.
With the slogan Building Homes, Changing Lives, Habitat works with families to build houses and aims to eliminate substandard housing. Since 1999, Habitat has served more than 2,400 families across Bangladesh.
Australian High Commission, Dhaka
07 March 2010
For further information please contact:
Research and Communications Officer, AHC, Dhaka.
Tel: 8813105, E-mail: [email protected] or,
Grants Writing and Reporting Manager, HFHI-B, Dhaka
Tel: 88028832945, email [email protected]