Non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity Romania celebrates 40 years of worldwide existence and the World Habitat Day with a massive construction project in October this year.

The project, called Big Build, will be the largest accelerated construction and volunteering event ever done in Europe. Some 800 volunteers from 15 countries such as the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, North Ireland, and Slovakia, together with Romanian companies, will build 40 houses in just five days in Romania’s Bacau county. Moreover, other 1,200 volunteers will work in the pre-event, to set up the construction site and prepare the foundations for the new houses.

The beneficiary families will work together with the volunteers at building their own houses. The families with low incomes can apply for such a home until April 20.

During last year’s Big Build event, Habitat for Humanity Romania built eight houses in five days for the families in need in Bacau. Big Build 2016 will take place between October 3 and October 7. Find out more here.

World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly and was first celebrated in 1986. There is no fixed date for it, as it takes place each year on the first Monday of October.

Mario DeMezzo splits time between building – and raising money for – social houses and the radio.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo by Vlad Ilas)