Please enter search keywords
2 min read
Hello! I’m Kobayashi, a 2nd-year APU student in the College of Sustainability and Tourism (ST). In this issue, I’d like to share with you my experience with the Global Village (GV) activities (in which we volunteer to build houses abroad) of Habitat APU, a circle to which I belong.
Let me briefly introduce Habitat APU. Habitat is one of the many volunteer circles at APU, and simply put, it is a group that goes abroad to build houses to improve poverty and housing problems in the world.
I went to Cambodia for 10 days in September this year. My first impression upon arrival was, "Wow, what a nice airport!" The airport was much more magnificent than I had imagined and provided a warm welcome for us Habitat staff. Also, the immigration system is online, and I was surprised to see that it incorporates more modern technology and buildings than I had expected. The staff at the hotels in the city center were excellent, and we realized that hospitality in Cambodia has matured.
We took a bus from the city center, and as the number of buildings gradually decreased and nature became more abundant, we arrived at the building site about two hours later. Starting by cutting the materials for building the house, we and the local coordinators worked together from scratch to put up the pillars, put down the flooring, attach the walls, and install the roof. It was harder than I had imagined. We had time to play with the local children during the GV activity period, and they were just adorable! At the same time, when I thought that each one of those children had a future, and that future would start with the house we were building, I was filled with happiness and was able to look at everything in a positive light!
The road to the work site.
Laying the floor on the second level.
Building the stairs with concrete.
After five days of work, the house was finally completed and we concluded our GV activities without incident. Looking back, I feel that we were able to experience and learn a lot of things from GV. Frist, these kinds of activities are the best way to nurture self-love. There are many people in the world who have difficulty carving out a future on their own, and these people also have dreams and a future. Since they were born as human beings, they have the right to strive for their dreams just as we do. That is why all inhabitants of Earth need to help each other and create a world where everyone is equal. What I want to say more than anything else is that APU is full of opportunities to have experiences like this. I hope this article will help to convey one of the many attractive features of APU.
The house in progress and after completion.
"Providing Housing Support for People Struggling with Poverty Overseas:APU Student Organization Seeks Funding for On-Site Activities" (Published in the morning edition of the Oita Godo Shimbun on August 16, 2024)
I want to write articles that will help APU students love their university even more! Additionally, I aim to share the greatness of APU that only current students understand with middle and high school students interested in APU!
Copyright (c) 2016 Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
