Nelson Mandela Foundation

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67 houses in one week ... This is the primary construction target set by Habitat for Humanity SA in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation for International Nelson Mandela Build Week, an ambitious project that will run from 14 to 18 July 2014 in Pelican Park, the largest integrated development project in the Western Cape.

But there's more ... Habitat for Humanity is looking to stretch the target even further with the incorporation of a 24-hour build on the fourth day of build week in the lead-up to Nelson Mandela International Day on Friday, 18 July 2014. Thursday, 17 July 2014 will see teams of volunteers going all out and working round the clock in a 24-hour "blitz build", to exceed the target of 67 houses in one week!

To achieve this, Habitat needs your help and is asking for your support in helping to raise the required funding and also volunteering your time on-site to build the houses.

Working together under the guidance of qualified artisans, volunteers, beneficiaries and community members will lend a hand in mixing cement (dugha), passing building blocks, erecting, plastering and bagging of walls, just to name a few of the tasks at hand.

International Nelson Mandela Day (and the last day of the build week) will be commemorated in a truly special way with the handing over of the houses to the beneficiaries at Habitat’s special closing ceremony. During the ceremony volunteers will be given the opportunity to say a few words as the keys to the houses are handed over to each beneficiary. This is a truly moving and emotional experience for the volunteers, knowing they have played a significant role in making a tangible difference to beneficiaries' lives.

"The day is about South Africans coming together, taking action and in the process bringing to life Nelson Mandela’s legacy in his values, vision and leadership and responding to his call to work together to build the country of our dreams," says Adrienne Burke, Habitat for Humanity Marketing Manager.

Join Habitat for Humanity and the global community and commemorate Nelson Mandela International Day by building the 67+ houses in his honour.

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Contact
Adrienne Burke
+27 (0)21 657 5640
E-mail:  adrienneb@habitat.org.za

Note to editors

About Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organisation working in close partnership with local communities in need. Through the provision of housing and by proactively mobilising active citizen engagement and community members, communities are empowered with the tools to forge their own paths for the future. Through leadership development and joint vision creation in a people-centred approach, communities are enabled to bring about the changes they themselves want to see in their communities.

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How it works

A community will approach Habitat and ask us to join them as partners for a better future. These communities want to improve the lives of their members and need a plan to achieve this goal and funding to make it possible. At this point, the community comes together through Habitat and a housing project becomes so much more, it becomes a way for people to take action and improve their lives. The first step is to identify strong community leaders, chosen from within. These leaders are then upskilled to drive the housing development project. At the same time beneficiaries are capacitated with the information they need to take informed decisions about their project – from understanding the housing development process to the role of stakeholders, basic architecture and the responsibilities associated with owning a home. Thereafter the community, supported by Habitat’s community development facilitators, identifies their needs and the community action plan is born. From resources to timings, everything is planned out clearly. Houses are built, people are empowered and, guided by the leadership, the beneficiaries are ready to sustain themselves in the future. Once the project is complete the experiences, skills and new knowledge are shared and reflected upon through a continuous learning process that ensures every project is an improvement on the last.

For more information or if you would like to become involved in building and transforming the lives of the communities we partner with, email contactinfo@habitat.org.za or call our head office on +27 (0)21 657 5640.