Building Houses

With the assistance of local architects, we build traditional Khmer-style wooden houses for the poorest families in rural areas of Siem Reap province. We target the communes and villages with the highest levels of homelessness. Most of our work in Chikreng District, it's approximately 60 kilometers from Siem Reap. We provide poor families in rural Siem Reap with housing, water wells, and toilet facilities.

Poverty levels are stagnant in Cambodia, with most rural families earning less than one dollar a day and hoping to survive on that income. In many cases the housing is rudimentary at best and many homes are fragile structures with palm front walls and dirt floors. Many do not survive the flooding created by severe rainstorms that occur regularly in this area.

Our houses replace fragile structures that offer little protection. We have seen first-hand how improved living conditions change lives, through better sanitation, increased security, better sleeping arrangements and healthier living. Children in secure homes are less likely to get sick and more likely to attend school. We work with local social workers and volunteers from around the world to build safe housing for rural families.

Through the house project, donors can sponsor funds for the houses, water wells, and toilets facilities to improve living conditions for the poorest families in rural areas of Cambodia.

What is the design of house?

Houses are constructed with wooden frames and coverings and will last over 100 years with continual upkeep. The size of houses is (4m x 6m) with concrete footings, wooden sides, floorboards and a tin roof. They include one enclosed room and one room with open sides. The space underneath the house is often used as a daily living and cooking area.

How long does it take to build a house?

• It takes seven days to build a house. On the final day, a new Khmer house blessing ceremony is celebrated before the family moves into it. This is a special cultural experience for both the families and the people who have constructed the house. Each house has a signboard of the sponsor name or someone they dedicate it to and the country they are from.

What are the benefits from volunteers helping in construction?

Many sponsors would like to be a part of the project that they donate, VTAC being one of the very few that allow volunteers to be involved.

• To give local builders the opportunity to teach foreigners the skills of house building.
• To become partners with VTAC, volunteers raise funds for various projects.
• To learn a practical experience of the impact on many people here through building the home for a family in our project.

Total budget plan

• The price of one house $4,900 dollars, including the cost of local builders who participate in the building of a house for five days.

Please note: Transportation can be arranged by via your own tour operator, or VTAC is happy to organize this for you from Siem Reap to VTAC areas at the countryside by Minivan, or Taxi car.