Snoqualmie residents build homes in cambodia

Published 10:01 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

Every year Dave Richter of Snoqualmie takes a group of volunteers to Cambodia to build houses. On Nov. 14, he will present a slide show about the trips at the North Bend library.

Cambodia is emerging from a violent and turbulent past that left a third of the population below the poverty level, Richter said.

“These building trips are both humbling and exhilarating,” he said. “We work with poor families who would otherwise not be able to afford houses.”

Area residents, ranging in age from 12 to 75, have joined Richter on the trips. The experience expands their world view while allowing them to help others, he said.

Richter got started building houses in Cambodia four years ago when a friend and former co-worker told him about the program.

The program is run by the Tabitha Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of life in Cambodia. Volunteers are responsible for their own travel, lodging and meal expenses. In addition, adult builders are required to donate $400 for building materials.

“It’s very moving work,” Richter said.

Volunteers spend about a week in Cambodia, learning about the country for two days before traveling to the building site, where dozens of volunteers build about 10 simple, one-room stilt houses. In addition to new homes, the people of Cambodia gain the gift of kindness, something many there have not seen from strangers in decades, Richter said.