Scotch College

‘You must be the change in the world’

A Scotch group travelled to Vietnam to work on a Habitat for Humanity Project, and to sample the country's rich culture

Words: Alex Song (Year 11)

Habitat for Humanity International is a non-profit Christian organisation that partners with future and current homeowners to build simple, decent, and affordable housing for low to very low-income families.

Ed Goldsmith (Yr 11), Tom Hamilton (Yr 11), Jack Mcintosh (Yr 11) and Chris Watts (Yr 12) with friends in Vietnam

Volunteers and future homeowners work together in the building process. Houses are sold at no profit and owners are charged no interest. The purpose of the organisation is to bring families and communities in need together with resources and volunteers to eliminate sub-standard housing in low-income areas. This year, Scotch College decided to take a team of 20 boys and three teachers to participate in this programme in Vietnam.

Vietnam has a rich history that covers more than 2,700 years; however, after the civil war that split Vietnam into two, many of its citizens suffered, and many were homeless. Habitat for Humanity’s project was in My Tho, where they were to build two houses for two elderly homeless people.

The Scotch contingent split ourselves into two groups, one consisting of Year 10s led by Mr Waugh, and another of Year 11s and 12s, led by Mr Monaghan and Ms Linossier. We were sent to our assigned locations every day and given tasks, and then we started constructing.

The job was both tiring and rewarding. We worked for long hours in hot and humid weather, but through that gruelling work we were able to appreciate the little things. Lunch is surprisingly tasty after a tough morning’s work; but what seemed to be the most rewarding thing to us boys were the smiles and the tears of the people we built for. It was touching to see how much they appreciated our work.

After the building work, we headed over to Hanoi, where we stayed for a night before setting off to Halong Bay. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and possibly the most beautiful place on the planet. The bay consists of many limestone islands, which are sometimes called the ‘rock wonder in the sky’. We spent two days and a night on a boat that circled around the bay, and throughout the journey we stopped off at many islands to have fun, see the scenery and learn more about the history behind the bay.

After this incredible experience, we were given time off for two days to wander the streets of Hanoi and shop around. This was possibly the best part of the trip, with boys having to learn to barter in a strange environment. However, before we knew it, the trip had drawn to a close.

The Global Village programme is a great programme that helps to enrich the lives of both the unfortunate and the fortunate. To us as Scotch College boys, it helped us to learn about other cultures, and especially to see that we are indeed fortunate to be in the position that we are in. Mahatma Gandhi once said: ‘You must be the change you want to see in the world’, and I believe, that we, as Scotch boys, have done that. GS