Leo Perego first began as an international volunteer in 2007. Eighteen years later, each experience of building with local communities brings fresh emotional impact. “It’s not just construction,” he says. “It’s connection. You build alongside people, not for them. That’s what makes it meaningful.”

He recalls a defining moment when he returned to a build site in Bangalore, India, nearly a decade later. A boy that he met was now a university student, still living in the same home Habitat helped build. “Seeing that transformation, from a fragile start to a stable, hopeful future, was incredibly moving,” he says. “It reminded me how lasting and life-changing Habitat’s work truly is.”

Back home, he speaks up for the cause of housing with friends and even strangers. “Without a safe space to live in, people cannot strive. Housing is not just about walls. It’s about dignity, opportunity, and hope.”

To those who hesitate to volunteer, Leo says, “There’s no perfect time to start. Just show up. You’ll see what it means to build something that lasts. You’ll meet people who will change your life, and you’ll help change theirs.

Now in the 14th year of her volunteering journey, Robyn (pictured above, second from left) has built multiple times in Vietnam. “Every build is different but at its heart it is the same,” she says. 

Working on a new home with a mother-to-be of twins was a memorable experience. Robyn and her team of volunteers worked hard with the hope that the babies would have a safe place to live and grow up in, and the mother could have the confidence to focus on making a living.

Is volunteering worth the time and the resources? Robyn has no doubt. “Just do it! It will change your life. Your contribution makes a huge positive difference for someone who had little hope before. You are the hope builder.”

Kirk Nelson (pictured above, left) is not new to Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program having joined 17 international builds. But his first volunteering experience in Fiji felt like a new adventure with a familiar purpose. “I believe in the mission of Habitat and want to continue helping as often as I can. We chose Fiji because Jackie (volunteer team leader) and I had never been there before, and the program sounded very interesting to us.”

The housing need in Fiji is just as great as what Kirk has witnessed in many parts of the world. However, a particular moment stood out for him. “When we met with the Turaga Ni Koro(village head) on Monday, he said something like, ‘You are no longer visitors or volunteers in this community. You are now considered part of the community and a member of the community.’ Through the build week, that was very evident to be true. They treated us like family.”

From learning clever building tricks like using a PVC pipe and nail to start holes in the metal roofing to sharing laughter and meals with new friends, Kirk left Fiji with a piece of the community in his heart.

Shibu, Nepal

A trained community facilitator, Shibu belongs to the Santhal ethnic group who mostly reside in Jhapa and Morang districts in eastern Nepal. He helps Habitat for Humanity Nepal and its partner organization Sahara to promote the financial literacy program.

“There are a lot of deprived and marginalized people in my community who are illiterate. I want my community to be aware of financial literacy.” He said, “The people in my community are mostly daily wage laborers. Whatever they earn, they would spend. If they don’t save the money they earn, they will remain poor and can’t build proper homes. With savings, they can invest in starting small businesses.”

According to Shibu, a family in his community can save about 200 Nepali rupees (US$1.40), about one third of their daily household income. Now each family has at least one account, mostly with microfinance institutions. “Women can save money because they are disciplined,” Shibu said.

His role extended beyond training. He helped to translate the financial literary booklet from Nepali into Santhali. Keen to preserve his own language and culture, he edits and contributes articles to a Nepali-Santhali journal.

He also teaches the Santhali language and writing to the children in his community. “The new generation has forgotten their own language. This is my effort to preserve our own culture,” he said.

While his dream is to have a full-time job in a financial institution, Shibu remains grounded. “I want to work in the community, for the community.”
 

Muskan Lund, India 

“I have been associated with Habitat for Humanity since I was 13 years of age. It’s been 10 years now and it has been quite a journey. I feel when it comes to young people and the youth, they bring so much energy, they bring so much innovation, they bring a fresh mind into play.

We’re not always held back by this thought that this is how things work. We always want to strive for change, we always want to break barriers, we want to break cultural norms, we want inclusivity and I think there’s so much that the youth can bring. It is the perfect blend of the people who have come before us and who are going to come after us.

So, I feel we strive to balance that. We need training, we need mentorship, we need the funding, we need the guidance and we also need a seat at the table where decisions are being made.”

Alex Taladua, Philippines

An active youth advocate, Alex is part of a Habitat for Humanity Green Chapter in De La Salle University in the Philippines. Over the past five years, her campus chapter has developed a close relationship with the Pasig 2 community comprising about 150 families who were resettled from living along the river banks.

Alex says, “We should be locally calling to action for the youth to be volunteering and to take part in climate-resilient infrastructure, to take a focus on how the climate can affect the living standards of these people.

Because, once again, a home is not just a place where you go to sleep or to eat, it’s something where you go to develop yourself even further. It’s the whole, it’s the foundation of life.”

Gregg, Hong Kong

About 220,000 people live in subdivided flats in Hong Kong. These units include those in poor conditions such as what Gregg and other volunteers encountered. Over two days, amid sweltering heat, he helped declutter a family’s subdivided flat, clearing years of accumulated belongings, and transporting waste safely to nearby collection points.

After decluttering, there was space for storage at home and the children could study and rest more comfortably. “It was a very enriching experience for me — I felt I had a real impact helping someone,” Gregg shares. “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to give back to the community.”
 

Connie, Hong Kong

Through volunteering with Project School Works in Hong Kong, Connie has discovered new passions. She helps transform school walls into vibrant canvases. She recalls the moment students walked into their newly painted computer room, eyes widening and exclaiming, “Now we can find our classroom so easily!”

Along with painting walls — an activity that takes her back to her school days — she cherishes the teamwork and shared purpose among volunteers. “It’s fun, fresh, and you meet the most amazing people.”

Linh, Vietnam

Used to supporting community-wide projects, Linh had some misgivings over her first Habitat volunteering experience in Hoa Binh province, Vietnam, at the end of 2023. “One family didn’t seem enough. I believed impact should be wide and far-reaching.” 

However, she changed her mind after meeting the family — a mother and her daughter, both living with disabilities — in their inadequate house.

Together with other staff members of Wells Fargo Vietnam, she returned for two more volunteer builds with  in Phu Tho and Dong Thap provinces in 2024 and 2025. Linh says, “We’re supposed to support areas near Hanoi due to our work schedule, but we choose to go farther. The more remote the community, the greater the need.” 

The volunteers laid the foundations and built brick walls. Above all, they connected with the families and community members through the sharing of life stories.

According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, an Australian government statutory agency, men represent 74% of the total workforce in the country’s construction industry. The highest quartile of average remuneration is largely dominated by men at 88%. Average total remuneration for this upper quartile of employees is nearly A$230,000. By contrast, women are 47% of the workforce at the lower pay quartile with average total earnings of A$62,000.

Elizabeth’s story is not an individual triumph. It represents collective progress in the longstanding challenges over gender equality. While the Habitat Women program offers professional and personal growth opportunities, the people matter most. Elizabeth shared, “Honestly, I think my favorite thing is the people and just being able to come in and be myself and everyone is so encouraging and supportive and that has been really, really nice.”