Habitat for Humanity Australia are proud to launch a Tradies Build Abroad Global Village Program in Cambodia this September. This eight-day experience will see a group of Australian volunteers fundraise and head over to Siem Reap to build homes alongside vulnerable families in the community. This overseas program was paused prior to May this year, due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, however Habitat Australia are thrilled to be back, hosting multiple Global Village Builds in Cambodia and Vietnam for 2023.
Coralie Stuart is behind the Tradies Build Abroad concept, and is a qualified horticulturist, landscape construction specialist and apprentice carpenter who is fiercely passionate about using her practical skills to create positive change – within her own communities and further afield. A successful fundraiser and woman in trade, Coralie had previously supported Habitat Australia in 2021 for a Levis Workwear campaign, where a group of volunteers built a home and garden for Blue Mountains resident, Elisabeth, after she lost her home during the Black Summer fires.
When Coralie decided to join a Global Village build and recruit volunteers within her supportive network, the concept of Tradies Build Abroad was created! Despite no prior construction skills required for a Global Village, the team has grown over the last two months and is now sitting at sixteen people and includes electricians, caulkers, painters, stonemakers and carpenters – many of which have large social media followings. At the time of writing, the team are also halfway in meeting their fundraising target of $25,000, with thanks to generous friends, family members and support from the construction industry through both financial and product donations.
Signups to join the Tradies Build Abroad team have officially closed, but if you’d like to travel to Cambodia with a group of likeminded individuals who are making a real impact on the lives of others overseas, please reach out to us directly to see whether we can squeeze you in.
Alternatively, please consider supporting the build with a financial contribution, all donations are tax deductible. If you work for, or own, a business who would like to come onboard as a partner for this build, please reach out directly so we can discuss ways in which we can work together, and appropriately acknowledge your support.
You can follow the build from 1st – 8th September through our Instagram and Facebook account, you can also follow some of the tradies involved via their handles listed below.
@coralie.things @sparkyvos @camilathecaulker @pauline_voltlet