About Build A City

Andong Village

A Displaced Village Affecting Over 6,000 People

Imagine losing everything—your home, your job, and your livelihood. You are forcibly relocated to an empty field outside the city, left to fend for yourself with no shelter or electricity. There are no hospitals or schools, no trash collection or even drainage pipes. During the rainy season, your garbage and sewage literally float back to you in the waist-high water. The dreams of jobs and small businesses float away, as the cost of commuting 15 miles to a job in the city amounts to more than a day’s wages. Powerful people with connections have seized your home, and no one seems interested in helping you.

Events like this are not uncommon; and this is the world of the inhabitants of Andong Village in Cambodia. As many as 6,000 people were relocated in 2006 from their home territory beside the river in Phnom Penh to make room for land developers. People who live in the slums usually don’t own their property, or can’t prove ownership. All ownership records were lost or destroyed under the rule of the Khmer Rouge, which lasted from 1975 to 1979.Although people are supposed to have property rights in Cambodia, once they live in a place for an extended period of time, getting these rights legally registered is no small task.

Imagine losing everything - your home, your job, and your livelihood.

Where to begin? What basic human needs, taken for granted in so many countries, would improve the lives of these people? It goes beyond a few problems that need to be addressed. Instead, in places like Andong, the list is very long and almost every problem is connected. For instance, we see this in the lack of clean water. It is a cause of concern; further, the well-water in Andong Village is tainted with metals. This is dangerous water, full of toxins and needing to be boiled to be safe for consumption. Families and individuals must travel far to find clean water; however, fuel is expensive, and families without options have to take their chances. By attempting to simply distribute clean water without addressing the many surrounding issues, toxic water is being distributed. This is not the fault of the NGOs, who originally set up a system for clean water; rather it is the inherent challenge of working in locations such as Andong.

The heavy rainfall in Andong Village requires a better drainage system. Without it, flooding cannot be prevented, and trash and sewage overwhelm the poorly fashioned huts. Whatever materials or garbage that floats by or can be salvaged is used to make these homes, but the huts can withstand the heavy rains for only a short time. Health problems are rampant due to the unsanitary conditions; and hospitals are not an option for these poor villagers.

Children are forced to walk through their flooded homes, and mothers are unable to prepare healthy food for their families in these conditions. A night’s rest turns into a nightmare as water-filled homes make sleeping almost impossible. Dry land is needed for the people of Andong Village. It is a basic human necessity that needs to be addressed before it is too late. All of this is in view as the new city is planned.

Humanity was created to build; able-bodied and with a powerful will. There is something within us that recognizes our commission and our given right to walk forward into tragedy and loss—to sculpt beauty and balance; to be builders of love and mercy; to build cities; to express life to the full and construct foundations established on care and learning.

For more than a decade, People for Care and Learning (PCL) has been moving into neighborhoods throughout Southeast Asia—inspiring hope, living justice and giving the poor a working chance. Now we are committed to take on a new endeavor—to build a new city in Khan Dang Kao, Cambodia, that is home for 1500+ families living amid extreme poverty. A city that is not just explained by manmade structures, but defined by our responsibility to make a the world a better place.

Goals

The completion of Build a City will require a few key objectives to achieve: the financial support of thousands of individuals as well as backing from key organizations and corporate sponsorships; the commitment of the Cambodian government to start and complete the project, as well as a legal way to attain property ownership for the residents to own their homes; and capable oversight of the people involved, including workers and the quality of construction.

• Build 1,500 homes, providing a safe and healthy environment for around 6,000 people.
• Give the residents of Andong a good home to live in.
• Provide a way for every family to own their land and house.
• Provide reliable and long-term infrastructures, such as proper plumbing that will manage the flooding during the rainy season.
• Create an environment that fosters education, economic development, job training and health improvements.
• The final goal is to see Andong functioning as a sustainable community and for us to start over and Build a City again in a new location. This model is reproducible in Cambodia and many other countries that share similar challenges. We want to provide a model that other organizations can replicate.

The cost of the entire project is $2,250,000. One-hundred percent of the money raised goes toward the actual cost of building the city. All operational, marketing and research costs have been raised separately.

What Will Happen?

It is true that we are building a city from scratch. One of the underlying problems relates to already-existing structures in some portions of the new city. Some of these structures are in extremely poor condition and are classified as temporary. They are made of readily-available material such as plastic, tin, wood and burlap. These structures will be demolished and cleared away to permit a proper cement foundation and home built in its place. The family will get a new, safe home to live in. There are some homes that are permanent, meaning they are built out of suitable building materials. The homes that are well-built and safe to inhabit will stay. Some homes will need to be repaired or replaced to meet the safety standards of the new city.

Homes are built one or more blocks at a time. Some families will move from their temporary home into a new home without any inconvenience. However, some will have to move out of their temporary homes while their houses are being built. In these instances, they may move in with relatives or—for those who do not have that option—we will provide a temporary home of similar quality to the one that is being built. Demolition and construction of a replacement home will take about three weeks.

Videos & Studies

Get Involved

1. Stay Connected: Follow Us on Facebook & Twitter
   The best way to get involved with PCL and stay up-to-date with the latest in what PCL is doing and how you can get involved is to stay in the loop.
   Follow PCL on FacebookFollow Build a City on Twitter
2. Be A Social Media Activist
   Follow @PeopleForCare on twitter and retweet statements and links shared. Also, become a fan on our Facebook Fan Page and give us some likes and comments. Help us spread the word about our latest activity and projects.
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3. Give
   Use one of the links below to give instantly to the Build a City project:
   $25 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1000 : Build A Home Other
4. Start a Campaign

   Start a People for Care & Learning chapter on your campus, in your church, or in your city. People are looking around for a leader to help them take steps in the fight against extreme poverty. Perhaps that leader is you. Set goals and go after them. Bring People for Care & Learning to your community and to others around the world.

   We are currently developing campaign resources for download that will be available. In the meantime, use the button below to contact us and we’ll send whatever resources you need.

   Contact Jake for More Information
5. Show the Film

   Show the Build A City film to your organization, school, faith community, and friends. Click "Videos & Studies" at the top of this page to view the full selection of videos available, or click the button below to download the main film.

   Download the Main film
6. Travel With Us

   Take a short-term Care and Learning Journey with one of PCL’s teams.

   Join a team today and start making a world of difference. These trips provide an opportunity to both observe and contribute to PCL’s work firsthand.

   Get More InformationContact Us

7. Volunteer

   We need volunteers to help our efforts in the United States. Sign up on our E-List and we’ll be sure to let you know when an event is coming to your city.

   Contact Us For More Info

8. Get Creative

   Take that skill set you’ve been given and rock it out to end poverty. Do you paint? Write? Draw? sculpt? Got a band? Perform a benefit concert. Know a band? Tell them about PCL and see if they want to help. Write a song, a poem, or a book and use your gift to share hope. Got a blog? Write about PCL.

Contact Us

General Contact Info

People for Care and Learning
4235 TL Rogers St NE
Cleveland, TN 37312-4991

Phone: 423-478-7071
Fax: 423-478-7408

Justin Knowles: jknowles@peopleforcare.org
Bienvenido Raneses: braneses@peopleforcare.org
General Email: info@peopleforcare.org

Press

For all Press Inquiries please email Jake Stum: jstum@peopleforcare.org

Get Involved with Build A City

For questions regarding getting involved with Build A City please email Laura Simpson: lsimpson@peopleforcare.org

FAQs

1. Where is the Build a City (BAC) project?
   The Build a City campaign is located in Andong, Kondong Kaw, Cambodia, about 30 minutes outside of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
2. How did the people wind up at this settlement?
   The majority of residents in Build A City | Andong previously lived in a garbage dump inside Phnom Penh. The garbage dump residents were relocated by the Cambodian government to Andong and given a plot of land to build a house.
3. Do the people own property/land?
   Yes, the resident of Build A City | Andong all have been given a plot of land by the Cambodian government.
4. What do the residents currently live in?
   The housing conditions vary within the community depending on the resources of the individuals. Many residents live in houses assembled from aluminum, cardboard, and other non-sustainable materials.
5. Does the housing construction cost the people anything?
   There is no cost to the residents for the construction of their house. However, residents are responsible for small monthly fees that will be used for ongoing maintenance of community infrastructure.
6. What are ways that I can support Build a City?
   Make a donation, lead a fund-raising project, spread awareness through social media, or go to Cambodia to serve!
7. How much does it cost to build a house?
   Houses are built in rows of 10 each. You can build one house for $1,000; a row for $10,000; or an entire block for $20,000.
8. What percentage of BAC giving is held out for administrative fees?
   0%
   
   PCL’s Administrative expenses are raised separate from project expenses. We appreciate partners who understand the need for both.
9. How can I give?
   You can give immediately by clicking on one of the "Give Instantly" links on the home area of this page (click the logo to go back), contacting us:
   
   People for Care and Learning
   4235 TL Rogers St NE
   Cleveland, TN 37312-4991
   
   Phone: 423-478-7071
   Fax: 423-478-7408
   
   Email: info@peopleforcare.org
   
   
10. Are my donations tax-deductible?
    Yes, all donations are 100% tax deductible.
11. Is Build a City a non-profit organization?
    Build a City is a department of People for Care and Learning, a non-profit 501(C)3 founded in 2002 as a humanitarian organization created to provide care and learning opportunities around the world. We are dedicated to serving the poor by helping children, widows and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by giving the poor a working chance. We operate completely on gifts donated by generous people like you. 100% of all gifts are used as designated; nothing is deducted for overhead, operating, or travel expenses.
12. Who builds the houses?
    The majority of the project will be built with local labor. There are a few portions of the project that will be built by teams of labor that travel to Cambodia.
13. How many homes are you building? How long will the project last?
    Build A City [Andong] includes the construction of 1,500 homes over the course of 3 years, starting February 6, 2012.

Campaign Credits

In October 2011, People for Care & Learning commissioned Between Pixels and Whiteboard to collaborate on the Build A City campaign. While in Cambodia, our efforts included documentary film, motion graphics and developing an interactive web strategy.

Between Pixels (www.betweenpixels.tv) produces videos that grabs attention, captures imagination, solves problems, and creates results.

Whiteboard (www.whiteboardnetwork.com) is a creative agency that builds meaningful brands.