SINCE its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International has built and rehabilitated more than 200,000 houses, sheltering over a million people in 3,000 communities world-wide.

About three years ago, local tennis pro Russell Eddy joined 23 volunteers in poverty-stricken Botswana to build homes for families in need. The experience so moved him that he embarked on a mission to raise funds for the organisation and later this month will be selling photos from this trip at a special presentation at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI).

The Mid-Ocean News' Tricia Walters and Tammell Simons caught up with him to talk about his African experience, the organisation and how he hopes to make a difference.

Q: When did you first get involved in charity work?

A: I arrived in Bermuda in 1974 and worked at the old Deepdene Manor Hotel. It was that year I came up with the idea of having a swimathon where people swam laps for charity. The kids would get their dads, or whoever to sponsor them.

It turned out to be a huge event and lasted all day. We had 116 swimmers swimming up and down. I remember one little guy swimming up and down and his father asking him "Are you tired yet?" and he answered: "No daddy, going to keep going" and his poor dad was worried because it was costing him a fortune because the little kid was just swimming up and down, up and down. The following year we did it for the RCCA, which was an even bigger event with 139 swimmers. What I'd like to think is that I pioneered the idea because since then we've had walkathons, swimathon, readathons... and these "thons" have raised thousands of dollars for charities every year. We also organised a charity swim from Trunk Island to Deepdene, but since Deepdene closed, they now swim to Palmetto Bay every year.

Q: What about Habitat for Humanity, when and why did you get involved?

A: I have been interested in Habitat for quite some time and have been on the Bermuda board for about three years. I went to Montana first a few years ago to help build homes and then went to Botswana in 2004 with a local group of volunteers. But you can also volunteer as an individual. You simply go online and see where in the world various builds are taking place and pick the time of year that suits you. When you get there, you join up with a group. There are two trips to Botswana in May and July this year.

Q: How long were you in Botswana and how many homes did you build?

A: We were in Mahalapye for two weeks, but we didn't physically complete a house. We started building and then the next group came along and took over from us. We were only there for two weeks, and everything was built by hand. There was no concrete mixer or anything. The next group picked up where we left off and they hand over to the next group. That's how it works. So far Habitat for Humanity have completed about 700 house in Botswana.

Q: How did the experience affect you?

A: It was a life-changing experience just to see how people live and to see the conditions there. What's amazing is that these people have nothing, but they are always happy and friendly. You walk down the street here and people are grumpy, complaining about wanting a bigger car, better job, but there... they have nothing and yet they are always happy and smiling. But on a serious note, about half of Botswana's population struggles to survive on less than $2 a day. And one of the most vulnerable groups is women. One third of all families are female-headed households and 60 percent of these women live in extreme poverty. We met very few men in the town because many were away working in the gold and diamond mines. Also, with HIV/AIDS, many of these homes are headed by children. They estimate about 37 percent of the population is infected with AIDS.

Q: What about the existing homes?

A: With so much poverty, substandard housing is an overwhelming challenge and most families live in traditional homes made of mud walls and thatch roofs. One woman allowed me to see inside her hut and it was very simple with just a mud floor, no furniture and the pots and pans they used were just leaning up against the wall. They cook outside, so I don't know what they do when it rains. They also have an outhouse and sometimes they have a two-room outhouse to shower in, but of course the water is cold. And we were told it hadn't rained in two years, so water was very scarce. When we were building, there was a hose that ran forever to the nearest well.

Q: Are the homes that Habitat for Humanity build free?

A: No, people have to purchase them. The new owners are chosen by committee and they have to put "sweat equity" in themselves by helping to build someone else's house. But they get an interest-free loan minus the cost of labour (which is volunteered) and they pay that off. But even then, they have to pay back about $20 a month - which would be their mortgage. I know of one particular lady who owned one of these houses. She earned $40 a month and paid $20 of that towards her house. So she had $20 left to feed and clothe her family, which was hard.

Q: What other challenges face Botswana?

A: Unemployment. We all got very upset meeting all these school kids and knowing that most of them will not get work or will get HIV/AIDS. The life expectancy in Botswana is only 37 years.

Q: You will be selling some photographs from the Botswana trip to raise money for organisation. Do you think the African experience inspired you to want to do this?

A: Yes, I've grown very fond of the habitat concept and will be returning to Botswana in June to visit some friends I made there. I also plan to visit the families we built homes for and see if they need any assistance and will do what I can to help. I've also been involved with a family over there, all kids, who lost their mother to AIDS.

Q: Tell me about the photos.

A: Some of the photos are of the local people and their environment, the building project and also a safari we went on. I'll also be showing a DVD with some rare footage of a leopard up a tree with an impala kill during the day - the guide said it was very rare to see a leopard during the day because they're nocturnal creatures. Because the function is being put on by BUEI, we are not having an collection for habitat, but my photos will be for sale to raise money for the organisation.

Q: What was the safari like?

A: It was for three days, but it wasn't luxury because we slept in two-man tents in the middle of nowhere. The first night we were there we pitched our tents close to a waterhole. Later we heard these noises so we put our flashlights on and about 100 yards from us there were these hippos. (laugh) Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal, so you can imagine. Also, the toilet was also about 100 yards away, so you knew you were on your own in the dark with a flashlight - or three.

Q: Weren't you scared?

A: Not really, we went everywhere on trucks and vehicles, but the guys don't carry guns with them because the philosophy is you're in the animals' kingdom and if you get eaten - tough luck! But we were told as long as we stayed on the trucks we'd be safe because the animals don't associate people with the vehicles.

Q: Does Habitat for Humanity do work here in Bermuda?

A: Yes, we work on about six or seven homes a year, but not much in the way of new construction, we're either renovating or adding on.

Q: A lot of people travel to Africa and India and are always asking what they should take along in their luggage to give children in these countries. Any suggestions?

A: I saw this article in a travel magazine once and it seemed like such a good idea to me. You fill half your suitcase with tennis balls. Because the kids can always use tennis balls. They can play football with them, bat them around, throw them to each other and it's probably the most useful thing you can take and it takes up less room than clothes and stuff.

Originally from New Zealand, Mr. Eddy moved to Bermuda in 1974 and worked as a tennis pro at Pink Beach for about 25 years. He and his wife Maureen have two grown children who both reside in London