Bio: Weldetinsae (Welde) Yemane was born in the impoverished and war-torn African country of Eritrea. He arrived in Saskatoon as a refugee in 2009. Because he had worked in construction in his native land, an immigration services organization encouraged him to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity as way to make new friends and improve his English-language skills. Yemane, 25, is a Top 10 finalist in CBC and Outpost magazine's Champions of Change competition.

My story: When I arrived in Saskatoon last year as a refugee, I was helped by the Saskatoon Open Door Society. I took an English as a Second Language course and they encouraged me to do some volunteer work to practise my English. I had experience in construction from Eritrea and so I was recommended to Habitat for Humanity.
 
I began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon in February 2010.

Before I came to Canada, I had never heard of Habitat for Humanity. It is such an important organization and I feel really happy about donating my time to building homes for low-income, working families in my community. I volunteer to help the community and myself.

Since volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon I have learned how homes are built in Canada and how to use different power tools. Construction in Canada is very different from Eritrea and I had a lot to learn. For me it was a great change. The construction supervisor, Matt, taught me how to do many things and the other volunteers helped me too.
 
Now I have a job in construction and I really love it. Volunteering with Habitat Saskatoon helped me gain experience so that I could find a job in building. I will continue to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and a nursing home in Saskatoon in my spare time because I love it and want to give back to the country that helped me.

We also want to share your stories of volunteerism. Tell us what volunteer work you do and answer this question: "Why do you volunteer?" We may feature you on our website as well. Let us know in the comments below, email us at yournews@cbc.ca, or leave a message on Facebook or Twitter. You can vote for your favourite Champion of Change here.