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The Gauteng Legal Community Build, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity South Africa, is to build homes for two underprivileged families in Ivory Park this month. Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 and is active in over 90 countries. Over 200 000 houses have been built worldwide, and a Habitat house is completed somewhere in the world every 16 minutes.

Habitat for Humanity South Africa (HFHSA) has been building locally since 1996 and to date 2 698 families have been served across 34 communities. As a community development organisation, HFHSA engages with local communities in the Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg areas.

This is the third social responsibility initiative since the project's inception in 2007 when Spoor & Fisher sponsored a two-bedroom house with a bathroom, kitchen, living area and garden in Katlehong for Alice Kutu and her family. Household goods and clothing were also donated to the family by staff of the firm.

"Thereafter, we extended a challenge to other firms in the legal community to join us in this initiative," says Tyron Grant of Spoor & Fisher. "Two law firms, Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes (STBB) and Werksmans Attorneys, rose to the occasion and in August 2007 three homes were built for the Letiya, Nyathi and Sibiya families."

During the third build in March 2008, the same three law firms built three more houses for the Diphare, Mokhatla and Mtywina families in Katlehong. By March 2008, a total of seven houses had been sponsored and built as part of the Gauteng Legal Community Build.

The 2009 build is jointly sponsored by law firms Spoor & Fisher and Werksmans Incorporating Jan S. de Villiers. "The 2009 build will take place from 14 to 16 August and 22 to 23 August," says Grant.

"Five days have been allocated to build the houses and over this
period, staff members from each firm will volunteer their time, labour and enthusiasm to help build the house. This will be achieved under the guidance of Habitat for Humanity South Africa's skilled builders, who also supply the building materials."

The end result will once again be a two-bedroom house with a bathroom, kitchen, living area and a garden for each recipient family. "Staff and clients of the participating firms will also donate clothes, curtains, household items, foodstuff, garden accessories, money and just about anything else they believe will be of use to these families," Grant concludes. "We call of all other legal firms to involve themselves in helping build homes and making a difference."