Nadim van der Ros, Founder of Be An Idea, shares his personal motivations for bringing people together to build homes under Habitat for Humanity’s Batam Build programme. As the founder of a consultancy that facilitates meaningful dialogues for positive change, it is no surprise that Nadim is passionate about making a meaningful impact in the communities around him. While the actual work he does with community organisations delivers value on a strategic level, he sees the comm

As a master electrician by trade, JP (pictured right in the photo above) had spent time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Canada to build houses for families there. And supporting vulnerable families was something JP knew he wanted to continue doing even after moving to Singapore in 2017. It didn't take long for him to get in touch with Habitat Singapore and within 2 months of living here, JP found himself at his first Project HomeWorks session in December 2017. He's bee

As women everywhere were championing female rights on International Women's Day, Hesti only had 1 wish: to bring her children back under one roof and live as a family again. “I need this house so that I can be reunited with my children," said the 41-year-old single mother. Working as a seamstress in a garment factory in Batam, Hesti's salary was barely enough to provide for her two children. Her son, 15, lives with his grandparents on another island altogether on West Sumatra

"As we grow in our consciousness, there will be more compassion and more love, and then the barriers between people, between religions, between nations will begin to fall. Yes, we have to beat down the separateness.” – Ram Dass Every faith can be put into action. It's a simple statement that Habitat demonstrates every single day with our commitment to helping and working with everyone regardless of their backgrounds. It's also that same belief that compelled us to bring toget

Mr Bahtarim, together with his wife and 3-year-old son, in front of their completed Habitat house (April 2018) If the home is a building block for a better life, Mr Bahtarim’s family have built a home beyond their dreams and climbed several rungs up the ladder towards securing a more stable, healthier future. Back in August 2017 when a team of Singapore volunteers first met Mr Bahtarim in Batam, the site where his future house stood was a typical construction site. A tarp hun