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A youth revival will sweep the Asia-Pacific region in 2012 set to the sounds of pounding hammers and buzzing saws as thousands of young volunteers build new houses for the less fortunate in their cities.

The movement is part of a youth program with Habitat for Humanity’s Asia-Pacific division, which includes China, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

The Indonesia campaign was launched on the national Youth Pledge Day on Oct. 28 at HFH’s Jakarta headquarters in the Bellezza Shopping Arcade.

“Eighty-three years ago, we witnessed youths from all of Indonesia pledging to build this nation together,” said James Tumbuan, the national director of HFH Indonesia. “These young people were driven by their concerns, spirits and dreams to build a better future for Indonesia. We’re asking our young generation to do the same thing again today.”

Inspired by the spirit of the national Youth Pledge, HFH launched the “28uild” campaign to assemble 1,500 builders, 15,000 fund-raising volunteers, 150,000 social media supporters and 15 celebrities to build 150 homes in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Batam and Manado beginning in May 2012. The program will also mark the 15th anniversary of HFH in Indonesia, which was established in Jakarta in 1997.

Since its inception, HFH has built thousands of houses in disaster areas and inner-city communities.

“Today’s generation is lulled with high-tech gadgets and consumerism,” James said. “But they also need to see the fact that there still are a lot of people in this country living in slums and makeshift houses. They need to see it, and do something about it.”

The United Nations Habitat division’s most recent annual report on urban housing indicated that approximately 15 to 25 percent of Indonesia’s total population still lives in slums.

“A decent home is still pretty much a luxury for most Indonesians,” said Engeline Tjia, chief operating officer of HFH Indonesia. “So we dare the young generation to address this issue and rise up to the challenge.”

Today, HFH Indonesia is headquartered in Jakarta and has seven satellite branches across the country. The organization has built 32,816 houses in Indonesia since 1997.

In Aceh, Sumatra, HFH has built 5,000 new homes and rehabilitated 10,000 houses that were damaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. In Padang, West Sumatra, HFH rebuilt 780 houses that had been obliterated by the earthquake in 2009. In October, it finished 125 houses for Ambon refugees that had been living in camps for more than 11 years in Bitung, North Sulawesi.

“We believe that decent homes break the cycle of poverty permanently,” Engeline said. “In a decent home, we feel safe and lead healthy lives. In a decent home, you can actually start something better to increase your productivity. With increased productivity, you can eventually improve your life.”

Despite HFH’s efforts, data from the Ministry of Public Housing shows a housing backlog of nearly 8,000,000 homes — a number that’s estimated to increase by 10 percent in 2012.

“There’s widespread poverty in Indonesia,” Engeline said. “But we need to identify those who not only need homes but who are also ready to work for them with us.”

First, an HFH team surveys an area and works with village leaders to identify the families that are most in need.

“The beneficiaries are usually low-income families or widows with no permanent jobs,” James said. It costs about Rp 25 million ($2,800) to build a house, which is initially covered by HFH and is repaid by the beneficiary families, also called home-partners, in monthly installments. Full grants are offered by HFH to refugees and aged widows with no permanent jobs.

One such recipient is Nur Nanik. The 55-year-old widow lives in a six- by eight-meter, half brick and half wooden-plank house with her four daughters, their husbands and their children (a total of 10 people), in Limo, Cinere Raya, Depok. The wooden planks have become moldy over the years, and many of the roof tiles are cracked.

“It leaks almost everywhere when it rains,” said Nur, whose livelihood depends on her sons-in-law. They work as day laborers and coolies and have never had the money to make repairs. Now, her house is being renovated by a team of volunteers from HFH Indonesia and is expected to be finished within three weeks.

“I’m very happy,” Nur said. “At least we all can stay dry when it rains.”

Engeline stressed that this rampant poverty isn’t just happening in the remote reaches of Java. “It’s happening here, only about 40 minutes from Jakarta. We need to open our eyes to see this fact,” Engeline said.

On the Youth Pledge anniversary in late October, six national and international schools signed up to support the 28uild program.

“Our children will be the young adults of tomorrow,” said Lori Anderson, representative of the Jakarta International School. Anderson has supported HFH Indonesia programs in conjunction with JIS since 2009, and students have built more than 16 houses in several locations around Jakarta. “We want them to have a heart for giving and sharing in their communities. That’s something that really needs to start at a young age.”

Anderson said volunteers received as much from the housing recipients as they gave with their volunteering.

“Our kids come back from building houses and they just think about things differently and appreciate more of what they have,” she said.

Rick Hannah, the community and service coordinator of Sinar Mas World Academy, joined the HFH volunteer team to build a house in Babakan Madang, Sentul, Bogor, in September. He was so touched by the experience that he lobbied the school administrator to support HFH programs.

“We went out there not only to build, but also to connect with the local community,” he said. “We learned who they are, what they do and what the local culture’s like. I think we also need to give that experience to our students.”

“Nobody plays God and nobody’s a beggar in our programs,” Engeline said. “Both our volunteers and home-partners are treated equally and work side by side to build homes. An interaction occurs and we both learn a lot from each other. Hopefully, their lives will be transformed and they will all become better people because of the experience.”

A series of visits to schools and offices is planned to promote the 28uild program, which has already attracted several supporters.

“Housing is a primary need, second to food and clothes,” said Chelsea Elizabeth, a student at Bina Nusantara High School. “Without decent homes, how can children be healthy and study well? I believe by supporting the program, we are not only building homes, but also building hope for a better future.”

The youth revival has already started. With 10 of her friends, Chelsea will start building homes this month.

By 2014, HFH hopes to have built 125,000 new homes for Indonesian families. With a team of 130 full-time workers throughout the country and a handful of donors, Engeline is confident they can achieve that target.

“We’re doing God’s good work,” she said. “I’m sure he will lead us in every step that we take.”

To learn more about ‘28uild or not 28e’ (read: to build or not to be) program, visit www.habitat indonesia.org