HFHP announces 2017 Young Leaders Build
HOUSING ORGANIZATION, Habitat for Humanity Philippines (HFHP), announced its 2017 launch of Young Leaders Build.
The campaign is Habitat’s largest youth movement in the Asia-Pacific region. Organized for the sixth consecutive year, the regional campaign is driven by dynamic and socially responsible youth to ensure decent housing for all in a region where one in eight people live in slums, according to the United Nations. The annual campaign rallies young people to speak out, raise funds and build decent homes
The Philippines is currently facing a housing crisis with 5.5 million Filipino families lacking access to their own safe, decent home.
“At Habitat, we aim to serve these families in need by partnering with others to build better communities, and a better nation together. We believe the best way to face this crisis is work alongside the next generation of empowered youth leaders who are socially conscious and energetic to volunteer, fundraise and advocate for poverty alleviation,” Charlie Ayco, HFHP managing director and CEO, said.
HFHP has engaged more than 1.2 million volunteers in the past fiscal year, which garnered more than 2.5 million volunteer hours and the organization looks forward to engaging, even more, youth volunteers through the Young Leaders Build campaign in the coming months. The Young Leaders Build was first pioneered more than a decade ago by Alexandra Eduque, founder, and chairwoman of the Habitat Youth Council, who kick-started the project as a national effort. Now, due to the campaign’s successes, it is now a global youth movement. “We look forward to this year’s Young Leaders Build to be more empowering to the youth and more transforming for the families and communities we serve,” Mr. Ayco added.
In the coming months, youth, celebrities, schools and corporate supporters will volunteer, raise funds and lend their voices to help families achieve the strength, stability, and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Events planned across the region include workshops, rallies, runs, volunteer trips, a youth forum, an advocacy grant program and a Twitter party.
The multi-month Young Leaders Build campaign will culminate on April 22, 2017, with thousands of young people taking part in simultaneous activities across Asia-Pacific.