Ngemplak is a mountainous village about a 90-minute drive from downtown Yogyakarta, Indonesia by car. On Aug. 8, 15 young Koreans were working at a 68 sq.-meter bamboo house. They were removing the wooden outer wall and preparing to replace it with bricks and cement. These high school and college students were participating in the "Global Village Program" organized by Habitat for Humanity Korea, under the sponsorship of the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.
The owner of the house is Antonius Nugroho, 26, a student of Yogyakarta State University and a temporary P.E. teacher at the local elementary school. He used to live downtown with his parents. But since his grandfather died four years ago, he has lived here with his 78-year-old widowed grandmother.
The 40-year-old house was damp, smelly, and a cold wind blew through the loose walls at night. Nugroho felt sorry for his grandmother¡¯s situation and in April applied to a local Habitat to remodel the house.
Habitat is an international body that builds houses for homeless people. After selecting a few target houses, including the house of Nugroho's grandmother, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia asked for volunteers. Habitat for Humanity Korea promised to send them.
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Volunteers remodel a house under the Global Village Program organized by Habitat for Humanity Korea.
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Lee Kang-jin, 56, secretary general of Habitat for Humanity Korea, said, "There are many Koreans who also need help, but Korea has now grown strong enough to be able to extend helping hands to foreign nations in need.¡±
Habitat does not build houses for free. Beneficiaries should contribute what they can or at least provide ¡°self-help¡± labor. Under this principle, Nugroho advanced Habitat 700,000 rupiah (about W80,000, US$1=W1,049) from his savings. After classes every day, he labored alongside the young Korean men.
Habitat's Global Village Program, which started in 1988, builds houses in less developed or developing nations, such as the Philippines, Bangladesh and Thailand. Until August since early this year, a total of 568 volunteers had worked in Nepal and India.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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