Batam Build
every mother
needs to know her children have a safe place to call home
Important Notice on Global Village trips:
Habitat International is suspending all Global Village volunteer builds at least through the end of June as a proactive measure to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission among volunteers and in the communities it serves. Volunteers affected by the suspension can contact us at on trip postponements or refunds. Read the full statement from Habitat International here: bit.ly/GVupdate1
Volunteer overseas with Habitat Singapore
About Batam Build: Community Rejuvenation in Kabil Village
Don't have enough time to commit to a Global Village trip or looking for a nearer destination? Build with us on Batam Island instead!
Batam Build is designed as a short-term alternative for those who are unable to take a long break. Builds can be as short as 1 day, where participants can leave in the morning, build for half a day and return to Singapore in the evening. The maximum trip length for Batam Build is 2 days.
Since 2014, Habtiat's building efforts in Batam have been focused on transforming Kabil Village, a sub-district of Nongsa located in the Western side of the island. 40% of its over 20,000 residents live in substandard houses built using scrap wood and tin sheets. These small shacks are susceptible to water leaks, floods and sometimes structural collapse during the monsoon season.
Habitat aims to improve the standard of living for 1,000 families through the reconstruction of new homes, improving the current water, drainage and electricity system.
Batam Build Impact Update
Families Served
957 houses built in Kabil Village by volunteer teams from Singapore
Volunteers In Action
10, 344 have answered the call to fight poverty housing alongside Habitat
Hover on the photo to see the old house
Hover on the photo to see the old family house
Homeowner Story: Siti Sara
Meet Siti Sarah, our homeowner in Batam. When Habitat Singapore visited her in 2017, she had moved into her new Habitat house and started her own home business.
She proudly shows off her hand-weaved floor mats that she sells to supplement her husband's income as a security officer.
With a safe roof over their heads, families like Siti Sara's can better focus on saving money, invest in their children's education and make forward-looking choices to build a better life for themselves.
Join us as a Batam Build Volunteer!
What To Expect:
Build Trip Information
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Batam Build trips are 1-2 days long.
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Team size is a minimum of 8 to maximum 10 volunteers.
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Minimum age for volunteers is 15 years old on the date of the build trip.
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Volunteers must be reasonably fit with no serious injuries or medical conditions.
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Every team will have a Habitat host coordinator in Batam as their on-site liaison.
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No prior building experience is required. Volunteers will be trained & supervised by locally employed construction supervisors and Habitat staff.
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Volunteers will also be working alongside the family who is receiving the Habitat house.
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Construction tasks volunteers will do include:
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Hand-mixing cement, carrying & laying bricks for walls or tying reinforcement bars.
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What It Involves
Volunteer Preparation
Travel Arrangements
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Volunteers are responsible for arranging their visa documents (for non-Singaporeans).
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Ferry tickets & accomodation can be arranged by Habitat or by the team.
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What Habitat will arrange: local transport, build site meals, accident/illness insurance and volunteer welfare logistics like tentage & water.
Trip Cost
1. Team Contribution/Donation: $500-$750 per pax (depending on trip length)
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Supports Habitat's house-building programme like the cost of construction materials & programme coordination like assessing potential homeowners, hiring local construction supervisors etc.
2. In-country expenses: varies with travel season, team size & length of trip
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Includes accommodation, meals, local transport, volunteer welfare logistics
3. Flights: to be booked by volunteers
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While most teams cover the cost of the trip on their own, volunteers are also welcome to set up fundraising campaigns on our Give Asia portal.
Volunteer Sign Up
Corporates,
Groups & Individuals
For Groups
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Batam Build trips need to be booked at least 3-4 months in advance.
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Groups may email us at to request for available build dates. In your email, please include details like your name, your organisation, group size and preferred date range.
For Individuals - Lead your own team
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As team leader, you'll get to decide the date of your build trip.
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You may recruit your own team members or request Habitat Singapore to help publicise recruitment for your team.
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Find out more about how you can be a Team Leader
For Individuals - Join an Open Team
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If you prefer to not to lead a team, you can join an existing Open Team that is recruiting for individual volunteers. Slots are subject to availability based on a team leader's request.
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Visit our Open Team page to see teams that are currently recruiting. Stay updated by subscribing to our mailing list or following us on Facebook & Instagram.
Corporate Partners for Batam Build
