There is so much that any person handy with a hammer, a saw, a spirit level, a drafting board, a plunger, and some good old fashioned elbow grease can do in poorer communities.
Many countries still do not meet their citizens’ basic needs, including food, clothing and shelter. Shelter is a serious issue across the developing world as many families have no shelter, or they live, work and attend school in buildings that would be deemed uninhabitable by western standards. Access to water is another major issue and water access projects are key areas where volunteers are needed.
Volunteer Builders, Plumbers, Electricians and Carpenters
It takes five minutes in a developing country to notice that many buildings need maintenance work if not tearing down and rebuilding. Stories about poorly constructed buildings crashing down in poorer nations are so common they stop making news. The devastation after the earthquake in Haiti revealed that many of the buildings were not built to last or withstand an earthquake. Worse, the country needs rebuilding. News reports about fires in badly wired dwellings killing their inhabitants are also common in the developing world.
There is, in fact, endless need for anyone with skills to construct new buildings and bridges in poorer nations. It is not necessary to be a building industry professional. In some cases all that is needed is energy and hard work: carrying bricks across building sites, for example, and digging trenches.
There are numerous projects throughout the developing world where professionals can, however, contribute their time and energy.
Builders, plumbers, electricians and carpenters will find themselves besieged in any post-disaster situation where coordinated rebuilding efforts can take years. Clinics and hospitals need to be rebuilt from scratch. In much of sub-Saharan Africa this involves a lot of concrete and time. Concrete is made with cement mix and locally obtained sand, by hand, in the hot mid-day sun. Bricks are made with a mould and set to dry. Once dry, they are transported by person or donkey or truck to the building site and then foundations are slowly laid.
In many parts of the world volunteer builders may find themselves directing teams of unemployed youths allocated to the project either through a government scheme or a local community organization.
Carpenters are likely to help build bridges that might have been damaged in a natural disaster or conflict, or in eco-conservation areas, and also pass on skills to local communities where a lot of learning is done on “road sides”, not at formal building colleges.
For example, Schools Without Walls advertises for volunteer builder/carpenter. “The responsibilities include…maintaining trails, constructing small bridges, constructing bird-watching towers, replacing roofing, and building low cost bamboo houses.”
Architects, Engineers and Ex-Military Volunteers Abroad
Engineers, architects and ex-military personnel who worked in the construction field will find their skills also useful in the developing world environments which they may well have worked in previously. Interestingly, West Point Academy in the USA now demands that its students participate in volunteer abroad programs during their summer break.
Former military personnel may find themselves in charge of designing and strategizing clean up work after a natural disaster like that which struck South East Asia in December 2004 or Haiti in 2010.
Engineers may find themselves involved in any project from road construction, to building construction, depending on their skills set.
For example, Engineers Without Borders in Australia writes: “Overseas field volunteers are seconded to partner organizations where they spend between three to twelve months on placement. Heidi is working with Bia Hula in managing and advising on a water supply project providing access to improved sanitation and clean water to villages in East Timor.”
In short, there are plenty of opportunities for plumbers, carpenters, builders, architects, engineers and anyone else with building experience to get involved volunteering abroad. Volunteer opportunities for the building and construction trades can be found by searching “Google” for one’s field like “Volunteer engineers” or searching dedicated volunteer data-bases like Idealist.
Gayle Pescud - Co-founder of G-lish Foundation in Ghana, an award winning non-profit that welcomes volunteers in Africa.
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