Launched in 2012, Habitat for Humanity’s Young Leaders Build is the largest youth movement in the Asia-Pacific region. The annual campaign brings together youth from across the region to support families in need of decent, affordable housing.
The campaign motivates young people to take the lead in building homes, raising awareness online through their social networks, and advocating for sustainable cities and communities.
Habitat Young Leaders Build is launched every year on December 5, which also marks International Volunteer Day. Typically, the multi-month campaign peaks in April with young people taking part in simultaneous volunteer activities — such as house builds, community facility repair, water, sanitation and hygiene projects, and awareness-raising sessions — across Asia-Pacific. Many also support the campaign online and raise funds to support Habitat’s projects.
Youth supporters have been engaged through more than a dozen Habitat national organizations in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
In support of Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live, young leaders:
- raise their voice offline and online by sharing about the need for safe and affordable housing in Asia-Pacific.
- join the HYLB community online: https://bit.ly/HabitatYLB
- organize creative fundraising activities that help future Habitat homeowners build sustainable homes and communities.
- volunteer with Habitat to engage other young leaders in bringing attention to the systematic causes of the housing crisis.
- partner with their friends and other youth organizations to strengthen young people’s voices on housing issues.
What the campaign has achieved in 2022 (top) and cumulatively by its 11th year (bottom).
In the last two years, the campaign reflected the realities of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite limited in-person volunteering activities for safety reasons, young people remained active online, raising funds, and finding ways to support their local communities.
Going into the 12th year of the campaign, young leaders continue to make their presence felt. With your continued support, the youth in various Asia-Pacific locations can make an even greater impact on equitable housing solutions in the region. Please consider donating and designating your donation to a Habitat for Humanity national organization in Asia-Pacific.
More than 15,000 people from nine countries and one Special Administrative Region supported the 2022 campaign in the region. In the decade since Habitat Young Leaders Build began, over 17 million supporters have raised US$9.4 million, enabling more than 36,200 families to achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves.
In December 2022, young leaders will launch the 2023 campaign with social media activities under the theme “Solidarity for Decent Housing through Volunteering” in alignment with International Volunteer Day. In early 2023, young volunteers will also join regional builds in Cambodia and Vietnam under Habitat’s Global Village program. Working primarily with Habitat offices in the areas where they are based, supporters are expected to raise awareness and contribute to addressing the systemic roots of inequity and exclusion from access to adequate housing. In addition, they will be introduced to Habitat for Humanity’s upcoming global advocacy campaign for equitable access to housing in informal settlements and help raise funds in support of various Habitat programs.
Join the Habitat Young Leaders Build community on Facebook bit.ly/HabitatYLB. Post on social media with the hashtag #HabitatYLB. Follow on Instagram @HabitatYLB and Twitter @HabitatYLB.
Watch a video about what supporters of Habitat Young Leaders Build have learned.
