Gerald Schmidt fundraising for Fiji - Bell Team

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Gerald Schmidt

Fundraising for:
Fiji - Bell Team

From Gerald Schmidt

I am leading a team to Thailand to build a home for a family in need. You can make a difference by helping me raise money to build this home in Krabi, Thailand

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About Me

I have been volunteering for Habitat for Humanity for over 25 years and I am blessed to be able to use my time and talents to help support the vision of Habitat for Humanity, “A world where everyone has a decent place to live”. If this cause resonates with you too, please consider contributing to support this important work. Thank you

More Info

We will be partnering with two local communities outside of Suva, Fiji’s capitol, working to provide struggling families with a simple decent place to call home.  Our task will be to build transitional homes, working alongside our partner families. Our team is two-dozen strong, from all over the U.S.

 We choose these 'working vacations' to participate in Global Village because it is one of the most meaningful ways we‘ve learned to travel.  These builds balance our lives by getting us in touch at a very personal level with our global family.  The experience helps reset personal values and priorities and enables us to appreciate so much in our daily lives that we take for granted. On Global Village builds, we have been amazed and humbled by the hospitality and generosity of the hosting communities. The way Habitat builds - by weaving local volunteers with international volunteers - strengthens the community fabric and builds connections across cultures.

Housing needs in Fiji

An estimated 140,000 people currently live in substandard housing conditions, and the number is on the rise. Fiji is expected to need a total of more than 30,000 houses over the next 15 years. Poverty and inequality continue to be a challenge. According to official statistics, 35.2 percent of the population lives in poverty though the local social services council has put the figure at 60 percent or half a million people. 80 percent of those earn less than $47 (US) a week. The poorest households lack piped water, adequate sanitation, electricity or garbage disposal.

To meet the housing needs of low-income families, Habitat for Humanity Fiji helps to build simple, two-bedroom homes which cost about $10,000 each. HFH Fiji also renovates and upgrades homes at an estimated cost of $3,000 a unit. Habitat homes are typically built with a combination of locally supplied timber, concrete, and metal roofing.

In addition to problems associated with poverty, Fiji is also vulnerable to adverse Pacific weather patterns. HFH Fiji therefore supports rebuilding homes after natural disasters. 

COUNTRY FACTS

Population: more than 903,000

Urbanization: 52.2 percent

Life expectancy : 72 years (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8.1 percent

Population living below poverty line: 35.2 percent

Access to improved water sources: 96.3 percent

Access to improved sanitation facilities 87.2 percent 

Global Village is Habitat for Humanity’s international volunteer program. Teams travel to over 40 countries to work alongside communities, build housing solutions, and experience local culture. Our goal is to change the lives of the people we serve, as well as the lives of the volunteers.

To join a team or learn more, visit www.habitat.org/gv.

About Habitat for Humanity International 

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in more than 1,300 communities throughout the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.

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