Two volunteers at the local Habitat for Humanity are taking their mission of mercy to southeast Asia.
They're part of a delegation of Canadians heading to Vietnam to help build homes in a village with no hydro or running water. The volunteers, Kim Davis and Al Howlett, were given a sendoff at the HFH Windsor Essex ReStore on Monday.
Habitat has been working with people in Vietnam for a few years now. But Fiona Coughlin, executive director for Habitat Windsor-Essex, said Davis and Howlett were chosen to join the Canadian group to participate in the "Big Build", in which homes are being built in the Vietnamese province of Dong Thap, about 160 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City.
"They raised their own funds to go to Vietnam and do this build," said Coughlin. "This is a huge commitment on their part, and we're so proud to have these pillars of our community as part of our local Habitat."
The trip is an emotional return for Howlett, a Canadian who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. He was stationed at Danang during the 1968 Tet Offensive. His tour was cut short when he was wounded. Choking back tears, Howlett said he is eager to see the positive change going on in that country.
"I'm very excited to go back," said Howlett. "The country is a beautiful country. The people are awesome there. They need help. So as my niece put it, maybe I can do some good this time."
Davis has been a board member at the local Habitat for over a year. She said she and Howlett are part of three Canadian teams doing the build, though they will working on different teams, and that it is truly an international effort.
"There's 12 teams from the United States, there's a team from Australia and a team from the U.K. and Europe," said Davis. "There's three teams of Canadians going and each team of ten will build one home."
These small homes will feature electrical power as well as running water, two luxuries that are rare for people in that rural section of south Vietnam. One particular family is living in a shack with corrugated metal for the roof and wooden panels for the walls, with no toilet. A family of four's average income in that area is about $46 Canadian per month, barely enough for necessities.
Howlett will be in Vietnam for three weeks beginning later this week, while Davis will spend over two weeks there.
