Kathy Kirk
My Volunteer Journey:
I was in my early 50s when I saw an article in the local Sunday newspaper about volunteer work in Mongolia. I had always had a fascination with Mongolia and didn’t think I would ever get there. I jumped onto the website and found Habitat for Humanity. I was incredibly lucky to begin my journey with Val and Nick.
HfH Mongolia – Baganuur. Mongolia and its people were as spectacular as I had thought they would be. The country is amazing – we froze and got sunburned all in the same week. The people are very stoic. We built two brick houses for two families. Our translator didn’t arrive so we had some hugely funny charade sessions getting our messages understood. It was very hard to say goodbye to the people we had worked with.
HfH Nepal – Chitwan. Again Nepal had been one of my list of ‘go to’ places. We were down near the border with India so quite hot and humid. Again we built two brick homes. I spent a couple of mornings helping the ladies who were preparing our lunch. We all worked over a charcoal fire. While in Kathmandu I got involved with Papas House – a Nepali Orphanage. I have helped support them since and took my 12 year old Granddaughter there in 2014 for a week
HfH Zambia – Kasese. I didn’t know a lot about Zambia but it turned out to be a lovely country. We were a couple of hours outside the capital Lusaka. We built two brick homes in the village. The other houses were the round huts with grass roofs. Cooking was over the open fire. I expected to see giraffe or elephant come lumbering past. Each night I went to sleep to drums and singing. How many people can say they have made 20+ toasted sandwiches over a charcoal brazier?
AFCA Kenya - Mombasa. Mombasa has always been Lauren and Bogie territory but this was the slums and what a hard life they lead. Just getting to the house site was quite a trek. A family had taken in their niece whose family had died of AIDs. We renovated their mud hut and added two additional rooms. The little toddler in the family was quite distressed that we were ‘breaking his house’ until someone explained to him that we were building a new one. After weaving branches into the wall structure, we got to mud the wall, which was lots of fun – bit like a snow fight for adults.
AFCA Uganda - Kilembe. This was quite a different trip. There was no construction on this trip to western Uganda. We were working at a hospital. Two of the four member team were nurses so they worked in the hospital. The other two of us worked with the administrative staff. We built out an outline and steps for them to build a strategic business plan. We designed a website with them and after returning home got this built through contacts and colleagues.
Why have I done these trips?
I get to see places and experience the culture and traditions in a safe environment under the umbrella of a larger organization.
I get to meet like minded people who are open to adventure and want to see more than another 5 Star hotel on their holidays.
I have learnt that I can volunteer so much more than my labor. Now in my late 50s I don’t have a huge amount of labor to give any more but I do have lots of other skills that are useful including business consulting, planning, knowledge transfer etc.
I am showing my grand children that you always have something to give and that they have an incredibly blessed life no matter the current challenges they may face.
I ALWAYS come away from every trip feeling as though I am taking home so much more than I was able to give. I am so very, very lucky to be able to have this life experience.
Deb Walts
I have been on both Global Village ( Thailand, Nicaragua, Romania) and AFCA (Nepal) Volunteer with a Purpose teams with the “Val & Nick dynamic duo”.
They bring together great teams, of all ages - (12 to 72). Team members bring different skills and experiences to help get the project completed. We learn from each other, we work hard and have fun after.
For me the adventure starts with deciding on the trip, learning about the country, culture and of course the people. The host country is so happy to have you and help
make the experience one you won’t forget. I have met so many wonderful people and and have friends for life.
Waiting for the next adventure!
Fred Crisman
Working on projects with Val and Nick with Habitat for Humanity or American Foundation for Children with Aids is, at times, trying, frustrating, heartbreaking, eye-opening, fun-filled ...and many other things. However, overall, the experiences have always been for me very fulfilling, rewarding and life-changing. I've included a passage from my journal about a H4H build in the Eldama Ravine region of Kenya in June 20, 2012:
Our first day at the worksite.
It is a 50 minute drive over some really shitty roads and for even more excitement, the final 4 miles contain three huge, mud holes. We almost get stuck and, at one point, our van tilts almost 45 degree, Val looked worried at times. The drive out, we get stuck twice - I've got video.
Finally at the worksite. The day is rather boring to discuss because I had three jobs:
1. Use a wheelbarrow along with 6 other team member to move a big pile of fine sand 50 yards.
2. Dig a foundation ditch, 2 ft wide, 30 inches deep, and 12 feet long using hoe/axe. The ground is mainly sticky red clay, which builds up on your shoes to where it feels 20 lbs on each foot.
3. Get in the ditch and shovel the clay chunks your hoe loosen out of the ditch.
Fairly boring work, but the physical labor feels good until about 1:00, then I feel done-in for the day.
We stop to eat, great food, vegetable stew with delicious pieces of grisly meat poured over hot , steaming rice -- I don't ask what type of meat it is. Don't care. We eat alongside family members and neighbors watching the kids play or getting wheelbarrow rides from Terry.
Refreshed, I return to my ditch digging thinking about the weight I'm losing. After, twenty-five minutes my butt is dragging again. So I sit down and look busy cleaning the 2 inches of red clay off the bottom of my boots. I gotta start working out. A wonderful shower & quick dinner after our extended ride home and I'm ready for bed. Damn the tv doesn't work and I wanted to catch up on Wimbledon.
Like many projects, as the work continued, I got to know the other team members who are like-minded people from other states and countries, several of whom I still keep in contact. But, most importantly, I received a glimpse, a flavor of how Kenyans in that region live, eat, work, play with their children, dress...etc. It is far beyond anything a regular tourist or tour group can experience -- it's not for everyone, but it can be everything to some, especially with the leadership and organization provided by Val and Nick.
Jeff Sands
So far I've been on three adventures with Nick and Val. Two for Habitat for Humanity, and one to Nepal for AFCA. They have been the most exciting, and rewarding adventures of my life. The first trip to Thailand was an eye opener, where we built a house for a family that lived in a dilapidated shack with two young children and a baby. As a VP of Purchasing in the building industry, I had built thousands of homes in my day, but none of them were as rewarding, and memorable, as the one I built with Nick and Val. I also met some of the most amazing people ever, in the history of the world, who all became close friends, and who I joined on future humanitarian trips. My next trip, which was with my fiance, was to Nepal, where we stayed at a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayan foothills. And although we did our best to teach the nuns our infinite Western knowledge, I think they taught us more than we taught them. And finally, we did our last build in Nicaragua, which was just as amazing as the other two trips, bringing us all to tears during the home dedication. Knowing Nick and Val has been instrumental in helping me understand what's important in life, which has lead to me quitting my job, and pursuing a life that is rewarding, where I can practice being happy and spreading goodwill. I can't wait for my next trip with them, and I look forward to seeing my "Habitat family" again soon. Thank you for everything.
Jan and Gordie Sands
We both have a passion for travel and wanted to help people and experience different cultures away from the normal tourist areas. That's how we decided to do a Habitat for humanity trip and now we're addicted! We have met some really interesting people and have had some amazing cultural experiences. We also participated in two trips with AFCA and are looking forward to another one this year! We would encourage anyone who feels they want to help make a difference in someone's life and are open to cultural experiences, to join one of these amazing trips!
Joe and Lauren McFarlan
It is hard to describe the camaraderie one feels with people who volunteer for service in an international situation. Like Bigu, Nepal and 50 Buddhist nuns at a monastery who find it amazing we have traveled so far to help in any way we can. Nick Cassino and Val Tomey set the stage for such an experience and allow us to enjoy it all.
Corliss Perdaems and Carl Kassebaum
We have done three Habitat for Humanity international trips with Val and Nick – Thailand, Nicaragua and Romania. All three trips offered us extraordinary experiences on the work site and culturally. We especially like the camaraderie with team members and have formed lasting friendships; we find the manual labor physically satisfying; and we love the emotional rewards when the “keys” to a new house are handed to an excited and grateful family. We will continue to participate in Habitat builds with Val and Nick as our leaders. They are the best kind of leaders – extremely organized, safety conscious, and focused on making the Habitat experience fun and rewarding.