Building homes in Mongolia ‎

Mongolia's nomadic population is settling down but buying a house is out of the question for many who are used to life on the move.

That will soon change for 20 families.

Habitat for Humanity resource manager Conrad Lapointe is taking a team of about 50 New Zealanders to Mongolia to join a 100-strong team of volunteers from international branches of the charity.

They will be building 20 new houses in the week they spend working in Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar.

"Teams will be building the houses with the Mongolian families who are moving in. Over a period of years the families will begin to pay off their home and own it," the Meadowbank resident says.

Micro-loans will also be given to some of the home owners to help them set up a business and create an income.

"Essentially we are creating new communities through these houses," Mr Lapointe says.

"A community is more than just a house.

"We're assisting with one part of these new developments for people who are living in poverty.

"It's a new life that we are helping to support through housing, through infrastructure and through jobs."

Roads, schools and community centres will also be built over time.

Mr Lapointe knew very little about the country before he began preparations for the trip.

"Mongolia's known as the country of the big sky. It's the least populated country in the world. There's one person per 18 square kilometres," he says.

"Through our presence there we hope to raise more awareness of the need for simple, decent, affordable housing in countries that rarely get mentioned."

The houses will be very similar to those made in New Zealand but will be insulated to suit the cold, dry climate.

They will also be larger than the huts people are used to.

"The important thing is there are separate areas for cooking, there's a separate toilet, there's a separate area for living and there's a separate area for sleeping which will be a substantial upgrade from what the people are living in at the moment."

Volunteers range in age from 25 to 72 years old.

They don't need to have any building experience.

Mr Lapointe says there are still a few spaces available for those interested in going to the trip.

The team leaves on June 27, spends three days in Beijing, a week building in Mongolia and another week travelling the country.

They will spend two days in a national park, take a train through the Gobi Desert to stay with a Mongolian family and visit national monuments before returning on July 13.
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Participants need to pay their own way.

Email conradlp@habitatga.org.nz for more information about the trip.

- © Fairfax NZ News