Thousand of students, youth volunteers take part in Habitat Young Leaders Build

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Student volunteers cleaning one of the several schools in Manila involved in Habitat for Humanity Philippines’ Young Leaders Build. Photo c/o JM Lago/ HFHP

 Habitat for Humanity Philippines (HFHP) held its sixth Habitat Young Leaders Build (HYLB) in various public schools across Manila, gathering more than 2,000 youth. 

The annual HYLB campaign is celebrated in over 15 countries across the Asia-Pacific region and Americas to engage participants to “Play a part, Lead today and Share with friends”.

Hundreds of Students from Jose Abad Santos High School in Manila getting ready for Habitat for Humanity Philippines’ Young Leaders Build. Photo c/o Miggy Rupisan/ HFHP

“Schools are considered children’s second homes and are a vital part of a community as they help build and shape the minds of our young people,” Charlie Ayco, Managing Director and CEO of HFHP said. 

As HFHP’s largest annually celebrated event, the youth volunteers led the movement by cleaning their schools in preparation for the upcoming school year.

Habitat for Humanity Philippines’ Young Leaders Build organized thousands of students to clean and organize school facilities in Manila in preparation for the national elections and next school year. Photo c/o Miggy Rupisan/ HFHP

Empowered young student leaders took part in Habitat for Humanity Philippines’ Young Leaders Build in several schools in Manila. Photo c/o JM Lago/ HFHP

The event gave young people a venue to advocate for decent housing for less-fortunate Filipino families, as well as share their opinions, concerns and ideas on how government, the private sector, organizations and individuals can be more involved in building a better Philippines. 

Student volunteers from Manila organizing their school vicinity in Habitat Young Leaders Build for the upcoming national elections and next school year. Photo c/o Miggy Rupisan/ HFHP

“This activity empowered our youth to play a more active role in revitalizing their very own community, as well as building their nation,” Ayco finished.

#HabitatYBPhils : Thousands of Youth Culminate to Build a Better Philippines

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Brick by brick, click by click; Thousands of Filipino youth will make an impact on the Philippine housing sector this March 21st with Habitat for Humanity’s annual “Habitat Youth Build.”

Now in its fifth year, Habitat for Humanity Philippines is again organizing this major event, pioneered by its Habitat Youth Council, to engage the youth to build and repair homes, drawing attention to the global housing crisis.

“Habitat Youth Build” will be hosted simultaneously in fifteen (15) countries across the Asia-Pacific, and in the following ten (10) Habitat Philippines sites: Mindoro (the main event), Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, Navotas City and Quezon City.

With over four (4) million Filipino families lacking access to decent shelter, this campaign aims to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope – by raising funds, mobilizing volunteers and gathering supporters to be catalysts for poverty alleviation.

To take part in “Habitat Youth Build” 2015, please visit www.habitat.com.ph or engage with us via the following (using #HabitatYB and #HabitatYBPhils):

Facebook – www.facebook.com/habitatphilippines 

Instagram –@habitatphils 

Twitter – @habitatphils YouTube – HabitatPhils

Habitat for Humanity Philippines (HFHP) is a non-profit organization that serves Filipino families in need of decent homes. We bring together partners who share the same vision of transforming lives through building responsible and sustainable communities. Established in 1988, HFHP is a national office of Habitat for Humanity International based in Georgia, USA. For 26 years, HFHP has served over 110,000 families throughout the country. HFHP envisions that every Filipino family has a decent place to live.

Visit www.habitat.org.ph or www.facebook.com/habitatphilippines for more details.

Thousands of Youth Gather for Habitat Youth Build 2014 “Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!”

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This year’s Youth Build is expected to be one of the biggest youth gatherings in the country. Over 5,000 youth will converge at Habitat Youth Build 2014 “Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!”

“Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!” as this year’s Habitat for Humanity “Youth Build”, happening simultaneously on May 3, 2014 in five key provinces in the country, to make a commitment to help rebuild homes across calamity-stricken areas in the Philippines. 

Beginning May 3, young volunteers will sweat it out as they get their gloves, hard hats, and shovels ready to begin the construction of Habitat houses in earthquake-hit areas in Bohol, and Yolanda-affected communities in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Naga. After Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) destroyed parts of the country in November last year, Habitat launched its “Re-Build PH” campaign with a target to rebuild 30,000 houses. This year’s Youth Build aims to rally the youth to do their share to meet this target.

“Rebuilding the Philippines is everyone’s responsibility. This time, we want to gather our youth and tap into their passion and energy to help get the job done while at the same time serving as role models to the younger generation,” shares Charlie Ayco, Habitat for Humanity Philippine’s CEO and Managing Director.

“Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!”

Since the build-sites are mostly around the Visayas region, this year’s theme was taken from the local Visayan dialect-- “Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!” (Let’s gather. Let’s build. Let’s do it.) It hopes to speak more urgently to the Visayan youth to rise to the challenge of helping their own neighbors, friends, and kababayans rebuild their own communities by taking part in the Youth Build.

“For us to be able to truly move forward from the horrors of the earthquake and typhoon, we need to work hand-in-hand as one community-- the progress of one is the progress of all. We encourage the Boholanos to help their kababayans, because by doing so they are helping the entire province,” Ayco adds.

Rebuilding 7,000 houses in Bohol

In October last year, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocked parts of Bohol leaving houses in shambles and families homeless. The Youth Build targets to rebuild 7,000 homes in 16 municipalities across the province providing decent shelter to families still living in tents and make-shift houses.

To kick-off festivities in Bohol on May 3, a motorcade of celebrity youth supporters will take place in the morning leading all the way to the Habitat site in Loon, Bohol where Habitat’s Youth Council will begin the initial build. To cap the day, a youth concert open to the public will be staged to further urge the Boholano youth to respond to the call.

Other local festivities to kick-off the “Youth Build” will also happen in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Naga.

The Habitat Youth Build is a movement that engages young people to raise funds for, and awareness of the poverty housing situation in the Asia-Pacific region where one in eight people live in slums, according to the United Nations.

Now on its third year, the annual campaign challenges the youth to do something concrete to help. Young people from 11 other Habitat countries across the region will also participate and build or repair homes for low-income families. 

Habitat for Humanity Philippines is a global non-profit organization committed to addressing the housing backlog in the country.

To know more about Habitat and its programs, log on to www.habitat.org.ph.