News Article

St. John’s, NL – On April 24, 10 Architectural Engineering students from College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Ridge Road campus will set foot in Ploesti, Romania to take part in a Habitat for Humanity Global Village build.
 
The CNA team will be combining its efforts with thousands of volunteers from around the world who are helping with this year’s Global Village event. The CNA group has raised over $9,000 through an online donation page and campus-related activities. The volunteers have also contributed their own money to cover their in-country expenses and airfare, as well as making a donation to Habitat for Humanity. This donation helps to fund the home building in the host country and supports the overall Global Village program.
 
Craig Greene, Architectural Engineering instructor and CNA’s Romania 2016 Team Lead, says the group is currently making their way through Bucharest, Romania, en route to Ploesti, and are excited for the opportunities that await them.
 
“It is very gratifying to see the engagement of students in such a worthwhile endeavour,” said Greene. “To help students see and understand the world around them is very rewarding and to do so while helping others in need makes it that much more special. This is an experience they will carry for a lifetime.”
 
Greene says the participating students don’t need previous construction experience to volunteer, just a willingness to work hard and put in the time necessary to complete their phase of the project.
 
“This is an amazing opportunity to help families in need and to gain work and cultural experiences,” said student participant, Sarah Kennedy. “We are so lucky to have a hard working group of individuals and a determined instructor who made this trip possible.”
 
Housing in Romania
 
In Romania, more than two million children (51 per cent) are living in poverty, 8.5 million people (41.2 per cent of the Romanian population) have no bath or shower or access to running water. According to the national statistics, 35 per cent of the housing stock in Romania is in a state of complete neglect and needs repair. Much of the country’s housing stock is low quality and deteriorating because of a lack of maintenance, and while more than 10,000 blocks of flats were constructed 40-50 years ago, they also now need serious renovation to their infrastructure, heating systems and roofs.
 
In recent years, Romania has faced several bad floods, leaving thousands of people in temporary shelters every year. Similarly, the country has experienced harsh winters with heavy snowfalls that isolated many villages from the main roads and stable food supplies.
 
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Media Contact:
 
Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca