Future Tajik homeowners with Richard Birk (far right), president of Habitat for Humanity, Lake County. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – Richard Birk, President of Habitat for Humanity Lake County, has just returned from a working volunteer trip to Tajikistan where he helped build homes and to consult with the Tajikistan Habitat for Humanity organization.

Tajikistan is the smallest of the “stans” and is bordered by Afghanistan, China and other countries.

After being under the domain of the old Soviet Union, the country formed a new independent constitution in 1992 and then fell into a civil war that ended in 1997.

Since the end of the civil war Tajikistan has struggled with poverty as more than 80 percent of the people live below the poverty line and mostly survive by subsistence farming. Currently many who can work, take jobs in Russia and remit much of their wages back to Tajikistan.

Traveling to Tajikistan is not easy, as it a long travel route from Lake County and there are only two flights a week from Istanbul, Turkey to the capitol city of Dushanbe and you must have a special invitation to obtain an entry visa.

The project that Birk was involved with was the building of 60 homes in order to move families from a mud slide prone village, where mud slides have already caused death and destruction.

Some of the homes are complete, but families are hesitant to move into their new homes because of the lack of water and electricity.

Since the local government does not have the funds, which is about $30,000 to supply water and electricity to all the homes, Birk is trying to find funding here in the United States, so as to get the families out of harm’s way and into decent place to live.

If you are interested in donating funds for this project, please call Birk at 707-994-1100.

If you are interested in volunteering locally for Habitat for Humanity Lake County, please call 707-994-1100.

Tajikistan Habitat for Humanity construction site. Courtesy photo.