People for Care and Learning (PCL), an independent, benevolent organization with origins in the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), has announced a highly ambitious project to build an entire city in the southeast Asian country of Cambodia.

PCL Director Dr. Fred Garmon announced the project today in conjunction with the release of a Web site and video explaining the project. The video and other details concerning Build a City can be found on the PCL Webs site, www.peopleforcare.org or www.buildacity.org.

According to Garmon, 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.

Key components include:

• 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.

“It is true that we are building a city from scratch,” Garmon stated. “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.”

Garmon continued on to explain that homes will be 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.”

A formal groundbreaking for the project will be held on February 6, 2012 with several dignitaries and other leaders from Cambodia and nearby Phnom Penh, the capital city. For more information about Build A City and how you can become involved, visit www.peopleforcare.org.

January 27, 2012

Posted by: Faith News Staff

Category: Church of God News