September 20, 2007

Global Village trip to Kyrgyzstan remembered on volunteer’s Weblog

BARSKOON, KYRGYZSTAN (September 20, 2007) – A Habitat for Humanity Global Village volunteer tracked her recent trip to a build in Kyrgyzstan this summer on her Weblog.

Emma Pearson was one of 16 people from France, England, Scotland, Italy, Australia, U.S., Belgium and Romania that traveled to Barskoon to help build two houses alongside two local Kyrgyz families. Total donations raised for the trip were approximately $14,000 USD.

Of 5.2 million people in Kyrgyzstan, 40 per cent live below the poverty line. In addition to the socio-economic situation, Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country with little habitable land. To date, Habitat has helped provide 1,800 people in Kyrgyzstan with a decent place to live.

For Pearson, the home building experience and interaction with the homeowner families was one of many memorable parts of the trip. One of the families, the Sabyrovs, had started their house but were unable to finish until partnering with Habitat for Humanity. Volunteers like Pearson helped families like the Sabyrovs in Barskoon finish their half-built homes in three-and-a-half days.

Erkinbek and Gulbaira Sabvrov have five children. Erkinbek’s new job will allow him to pay back the cost of construction materials used to finish their house.

Pearson and the others on the Global Village also traveled to the village of Saruu for a Habitat house dedication ceremony, where they were also invited to a party with the new homeowners.

It was a special occasion for Pearson, who raised money for Habitat and the Saruu house by organizing a mountain run in August 2006. “I was enormously touched and honored to see the house that benefited specifically from the funds raised,” Pearson wrote in her blog.

When Pearson and the rest of the GV team weren’t on the construction site, they were fortunate to soak up the rich cultural experiences that Kyrgyzstan and its people offer. Following three and a half days of hard work, the GV team decided to use its free time to experience Kyrgyz traditional culture by staying overnight in a “yurt,” or nomadic tent, made out of cream-coloured canvas supported by flexible sticks.

Nine of the participants, including Pearson, were from Personnel Decisions International (PDI) offices in Minneapolis, Geneva, Brussels, Milan, the Hague and Melbourne. PDI is a global human resources consulting firm with offices in 28 countries.