Helping to build homes for families in some of the world’s most poverty stricken countries provides a “life-changing experience” for students and adults alike.

This was the message president and founder of Bermuda Overseas Missions David Thompson wanted to convey in a speech he made at the Hamilton Rotary Club this week.

In July, the local charity took 22 Bermudians to Guyana, a country on South America’s North Atlantic coast, to help build four houses for families identified as being in particular need.

They worked in tandem with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village programme.

Mr Thompson told The Royal Gazette: “Guyana was our chosen location this year because we talked with Habitat and there was a distinctive need for help among the families there. We are talking about families who are living on the poverty line with no decent shelter.

Habitat works with the families to assess the need and will embark on a building programme.

“We provide the labour — we do free construction work.

“We raise the money for the trip and we sponsor some of the students as well to allow them to go there and give them an experience of a lifetime — they have never seen anything like that in Bermuda in terms of poverty.

“It gives them an opportunity not to just go there and see it but also to become part of a solution.

“It gives them a focus and a feeling of helping somebody in need.”

Speaking on the participants’ experience during the trip, Mr Thompson said: “The students had an amazing time as they always do.

“It is a life-changing event because they really get to see what is going on in these countries.

“It is hard work, but you are achieving something and there is nothing greater than the end of the trip when you say farewell to the family who have been working with you alongside for the two weeks and you can present them a house.

“It is a very emotional experience.”

The team worked on four houses — one was from ground up, one reconstruction of an existing building and two that had been mostly built but needed to be properly finished.

They have all now gone to local families.

Speaking on the reaction of the families who received the houses, he added: “You can imagine — it is like a dream come true.

“They are very emotional as you can appreciate.

“In previous builds we have been to see where they lived before the new homes and it is quite an eye-opener.

“You are talking about serious slum conditions, you wouldn’t even want to put your dog in it, but families live there.”

Bermuda Overseas Missions plans on another trip next year to Malawi and volunteers are welcome to apply.

The charity, which also does work for seniors locally, was in Haiti in March helping to construct a clinic in partnership with Feed My Lambs run by Bermudian Phillip Rego.

•Anyone interested in volunteering in the future can make contact with Mr Thompson by calling 295-1078. For more information, visit: www.bom.bm