Lots of us talk about wanting to make a difference. One group of students have put their good intentions into action, reports Louise Holden

Every 30 minutes, somewhere in the world, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) volunteers hand over the keys of a brand new home. They have built 200,000 since the programme kicked off, in 1976, housing more than a million people in 3,000 communities. Since 2003 Habitat for Humanity has had a branch in Ireland. Some of its work is here - four Ballymun families will one day move into houses they built with the help of a team of volunteers and co-ordinators - but it also sends Irish teams abroad to build: last month transition-year students at Wesley College, in Dublin, handed over another set of keys - their third - to a family in the Romanian town of Beius.

The students have travelled to Beius every Easter for three years. Each fortnight of building finishes with a closing ceremony as the recipient family crosses the threshold. "Every year the students are deeply touched, even changed, by their experiences in Beius," says Nigel Mackay, the college chaplain. "They come away with an overwhelming awareness of what they have. Post-communist Beius is going through a very painful transition from dependence on the state to a capitalist economy. Many families are living in extreme poverty."

The students have built homes for people coming out of orphanages and for homeless families. Habitat for Humanity works with local authorities, communities, potential homeowners and volunteers to build affordable housing for families that agree to be part of the process rather than passive recipients. Building costs are kept to a minimum through financial donations, gifts of serviced land and volunteer labour. Selected families invest a minimum of 500 hours' "sweat equity", working alongside the volunteers. The organisation provides interest-free mortgages to these partner families, reinvesting the repayments in future construction projects.

Habitat for Humanity Ireland has sent teams to Mexico, Madagascar, Chile, Malawi, Zambia and Honduras as well as Romania. The students at Wesley College are the only transition-year group to take part, and Mackay feels it is a perfect fit for the transition-year programme. "A trip away is very important in TY, as it gives the students a chance to bond in a new environment. However, we wanted to send the students on a trip that would involve some real learning and exposure to another culture. The HFH programme was a good choice for us, because the organisation is long established and trips are well organised. Nonetheless, we were quite unprepared for what was in store for us that first year."

It was hard, dirty work. The students dug foundations, mixed concrete, built stud walls, assembled roofs, insulated cavities and plastered rooms. They took a project from greenfield site to completed dwelling in four and a half days. Beius had only recently been connected to the water main, and the new house boasted the town's first flushing toilet. The students were stunned at how much they had achieved.

"The best moment by far was the dedication service, when the students handed over the keys of the house to the family they had been working with for the previous week. The reality of what they had done only dawned on them as they realised they had actually provided a home for a needy family from scratch."

Since then Wesley has developed a thriving relationship with the people of the town. "We have grown quite comfortable in Beius. The people are very welcoming, and the students feel relaxed there. We have never had a discipline issue in our three years with HFH. The students know what's at stake, and they are not prepared to jeopardise the project."

Schools that are interested in sending teams off with Habitat for Humanity should note that they are required to help finance the trips and contribute to the cost of the builds. Trips cost between €1,500 and €2,300 a person (which covers flights and other transportation, insurance, board and lodgings and a donation to Habitat for Humanity). Most trips outside Europe cost about €2,000 a person.

Teams stay in guesthouses or Habitat homes; an on-site professional assigns work each day. Locals often prepare food for the team, who experience local culture in the evenings and at weekends.

For further information contact 01-6299611 or info@habitatireland.ie, or visit www.habitatireland.ie

"One day, while I was filling a skip on site in Romania, a woman climbed into the skip and began rooting for food scraps. It really brought home to me the level of poverty that some people in post-communist Romania have had to contend with. After that I was really determined to work as hard as I could for this community, and building that house became very important indeed. Since I came home I am affected by poverty in a way that I never was when I saw it on TV. I plan to study engineering, and I hope to use my skills in overseas development again in the future. I will certainly be travelling to build with HFH again." ... Ben Hopkins

"The most important thing I gained from my trip was respect for the Romanian people. I worked in a community where everybody was looking out for everyone else, including us. The children would come to the site after school and help us to carry stones for the foundation, and the local shopkeepers would give us free food. The house was not for them, but they were proud to help their neighbours. I felt like I was working in partnership with the people of Beius to build this house and help this family. Now when I hear negative comments about Romanian people in Ireland I speak up in defence of these great people, who I am proud to have lived and worked with." ... David Kearney

"Life-changing is the only way to describe my experience of building a house for the Herdean family in Beius. Before now, Marius, Fira and four-year-old Theodora were sharing a house with the local priest. Now they have their own family home. I take my privilege so much for granted, but this project has given me a new perspective. When I listen to the news I realise that global poverty is my business. I never really let it affect me before. I plan to study medicine after school, and I hope to take my skills overseas for a while at least. I'll certainly stay involved in the programme. Apart from anything else I had great fun." ... Sally Conway