What's it all about?

You may be wondering what this blog is all about, well it all started when Touchstone committed to a 3 year partnership with Habitat for Humanity in 2016.

Who are Habitat for Humanity?

Habitat for Humanity is a charity dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide; to achieving the vision of a world with no poverty housing and homelessness, and to making decent housing a matter of conscience and action for all.  In the industry we are in this partnership makes perfect sense

What have Touchstone committed to?

With Touchstone’s help, HFHM will construct 24, fully-subsidised decent and permanent low-cost houses for 96 orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCs) (average of 4 individuals per family). A family with up to 3 members will have a 2-roomed house, and a family with 4 to 7 members will receive a 3-roomed house whilst a family with 8 members and above will receive a 4-roomed house. Each family will also receive a ventilated and improved pit-latrine (VIP) to improve sanitation and hygiene. Each house will meet Malawi Government housing quality standards in terms of ventilation, space, and other features.

 

The project will also:

• incorporate HIV prevention training for the 24 OVC beneficiary families;
• provide 3 insecticide-treated mosquito-nets per family (on average) and also provide the 24 OVC families with malaria prevention training. Training will also cover better hygiene practices around the homes to eliminate mosquito breeding places, signs of malaria and when to seek medical help.
• provide property-rights and wills and inheritance training to safeguard the lives of the OVC from property-grabbing. In many communities in Malawi, when the breadwinner dies, children are subjected to property-grabbing and are often left destitute. The training will be offered not only to the OVC care-givers, but also to traditional leaders (village headmen), child protection workers, CBO representatives and other influential people (gate-keepers) in the villages.
   
  The project will provide an opportunity for Touchstone staff to visit Malawi and participate in the construction of the houses. This will enable the team members to have an opportunity to interact with the homeowners and the wider community. Through the global village visit the Touchstone team will see first-hand the need these vulnerable families have for shelter and the impact that this project will have on the targeted families and wider community.
  Tasks at the worksite may include mixing mortar, carrying water, passing bricks, laying bricks, cleaning the area, plastering walls, passing mortar and sorting bricks
   
  The first team of Touchstone volunteers travelled to Malawi in June 2016 and between the team of 12 built 2 houses in 5 days……..not bad going
  This year sees our second team of Touchstone volunteers heading out to Malawi in June 2017.  The team are really excited and can’t wait to get their hands ditty.
  We will see more blogs leading up to the time they go and will see how they are getting on while they are out there (despite the very intermittent wifi)
  Good luck guys, an amazing cause and what will make a life changing experience for you all