Rearcross native travelled to Kenya in June to help others

“Helping others was always something on my mind,” says James Cifford who spent part of his summer in a hot climate building homes for those in need in Africa.

The Tipperary native saw first hand the poverty and difficulty others have making ends meet in Kenya. It was his first venture into volunteering and he found it an ultra rewarding experience: “It was something else. We went where there was no electricity or roads and helped a grandmother minding her grandchildren," he said. 

“We travelled from Dublin to Kenya at the end of June with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village International volunteering programme. This was a 10-day programme where we travelled to a Laikipia County, Kenya to build a home for a family that is in need.

“There was a team of 11 of us from all over Ireland. This programme was very humbling,” the Rearcross native says, adding: “I was overwhelmed by the tough conditions and poverty that I found myself surrounded by.”

Despite the different climate, landscape and the woldlife, it was the people that had a profound effect on James: “What really surprised me were the locals. The sense of community was incredible. Locals used to walk by and stop what they were doing to help us out on site.

“Each and every day on site was incredible. I was quite nervous about my abilities and how to apply myself on site. I had never done manual labour before and was not confident about my abilities but as Niall and Susan (our leaders) say, ‘there is a job for everyone on site’.

“This gave me the confidence to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in. The transformation of the build over only a couple of days was fascinating to witness.”

The nature of the work ensured that the group could see the benefits of their labour quickly: “It is amazing to see what can be achieved over a short period of time if people support each other and work together.

“On one of the final days on site, we heard from the family and the community we were building for. They spoke some very kind words about how everyone in the community were benefiting from this new build and how grateful they were to receive such support from Habitat. But the highlight was the words from the Grandmother we were building for. She said: ‘I don’t know where you have all come from, but God has sent you here to help me and my family’.

“This really struck a chord with all of us as she showed her genuine appreciation and gratitude for the help that she was receiving,” says James.

The charity he travelled with is called ‘Habitat for Humanity’ which is driven by the vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Habitat for Humanity works beside families to build, renovate or repair their home in more than 70 countries. In a world where one in four people don’t have a safe place to live, vulnerable people face huge challenges, exacerbated by climate change, to escaping poverty and improving their health and living conditions Habitat has helped more than 59 million people build their lives on the solid foundation of decent, affordable homes.

In Ireland, Habitat for Humanity directly tackles poverty through its network of Habitat ReStores. As they build sustainable communities, ReStores provide access to low-cost home improvement materials, employability training for people of all abilities and divert tons of material from landfill which helps build sustainable communities.

Habitat also raises funds to support long-term partner programmes in some of our world’s poorest communities. Every year, volunteers from across Ireland travel to support our partner programmes around the world. They experience first-hand the impact of housing poverty and help make a lasting difference to families and communities in need.

The goal is to encourage volunteers to become advocates for safe shelter when they return home; inspiring  others to help us reach many more families in need.

All 2025 opportunities can be found at their website which can be found through a Google search or via this link: habitatireland.org/gv