Habitat for Humanity International

Imagine living among people who learn from and support one another. The Katuwang ("partner" in Filipino) community in the west of Philippines is living proof. Another 40 families will be joining the first 86 families who came together in 2018 to build durable, disaster-resilient homes. They have the support of the Maritess Alava Yong Foundation and key partners in the Negros Occidental Impact 2025 Leadership Coalition such as Habitat for Humanity Philippines, Hilti Foundation and the Silay City government. Besides forming a homeowners association, families were also trained in skills such as estate management and sustainable livelihood. Read this story and more in the downloadable September issue of Habitat magazine.

NEWS

Building sustainable communities

Habitat supports livelihoods and skills training in Myanmar

U Mya Aung (left) working on a community pond; others learned about hydroponic gardening and used their skills after training.

Amid instability and challenges, Habitat continues to help families in Myanmar access water and sanitation facilities, livelihood skills and improve food security, among others. Skilled worker U Mya Aung from Yangon said in late June, “This is my best job ever as it gave me and other men in the ward income in this difficult time. The pond improvement will benefit about 1,000 families.” More updates on Habitat Myanmar’s Facebook page.

Improving water access with Habitat's investment

Habitat invests in water-access startup TapEffect

TapEffect offers a market-based solution where families pay a fraction of the cost for piped water compared to bottled or truck-in water options.

Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter has announced a US$300,000 equity investment in TapEffect, a startup based in Cambodia where about one third of the population relies on water from impure sources. The investment also marked the fifth anniversary of Habitat’s Shelter Venture Fund, launched in 2017 to accelerate innovative startups tackling affordable housing challenges worldwide. Learn more.

NZ partnership to rebuild homes in Tonga

Video screenshot of Habitat NZ group CEO Alan Thorp in Tonga

Habitat for Humanity New Zealand’s group CEO Alan Thorp was in Tonga recently to sign an official partnership agreement with the education ministry. Through the partnership, some carpentry students from the ministry’s Tonga Institute of Science and Technology will help to build up to 12 houses for families affected by the volcanic eruption and tsunami in January 2022. The students will gain hands-on experience as well as build back safer skills to help their communities in the long run. Please donate to support Habitat New Zealand’s work with local partners to repair homes and sanitation facilities in Tonga.

Forging a better life

A woman taking course as part of BMZ-funded project in Phil

A woman trainee taking a course in electrical installation and maintenance in Cebu province as part of the BMZ-funded project. Habitat Philippines' Facebook photo.

Under the Panday Buhay ("forging a better life" in Filipino) project, construction workers are not only trained and certified vocationally but they also get to protect their rights through two workers’ associations and one workers’ guild that have been formed. The current cohort includes more than a dozen women who are attending in-demand construction courses such as electrical and installation maintenance, shielded metal arc welding, and masonry. To date, 117 construction workers have been trained and almost one fifth have received national certification level II. Habitat Philippines is implementing the multi-year project in nine cities in the country with the support of Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development or BMZ. Learn more.

Be the hands and feet

Sean (L) and Park Bo Gum (C) volunteer with Habitat Korea

Sean (left) and Park Bo Gum (center) with other volunteers helped repair a house of a descendant of South Korea's independence patriots. Habitat Korea's Facebook photo.

Korean rapper Sean, campaign ambassador for Habitat for Humanity Korea, repeated his feat of running 81.5 kilometers in mid-August. This year, he had actor Park Bogum as his running mate. Together with other volunteers, they installed drainage, removed debris and painted the boiler room of a house of descendants of independence patriots. Last year, Sean donated 800 million won (about US$575,000) to Habitat Korea by completing 81.5 km in a fundraising run to mark National Liberation Day.

DISASTER RESPONSE

At home, at ease

Gunalakshmi rebuilt her house after 2015 earthquake in Nepal

Gunalakshmi rebuilt her house after the 2015 earthquake. Habitat Nepal's Facebook photo.

Seven years ago, Gunalakshmi had despaired of rebuilding her family's mud-and-hay house after it was destroyed by a devastating earthquake in Nepal. That changed when she partnered with Habitat for Humanity Nepal and its supporters. "It feels fantastic to have concrete walls and a leak-proof roof. We are at ease in our home," Gunalakshmi told a Habitat team who recently visited her.

Six months on: Habitat’s response to Ukraine crisis

Yana (R) and her mother (L) and daughter take refuge in Pola

Yana (right) with her mother and her daughter moved into an apartment with Habitat Poland's support. Photo: Habitat for Humanity international/Carolina Guerrero.

After fleeing from the war in Ukraine, Yana almost wanted to return home with her family at one point. The instability of temporary housing had taken a toll. Yana's daughter Martha is autistic and her mother Lily suffers from terminal cancer. With Habitat Poland’s support, Yana changed her mind. “They took us to an apartment — just for us. I was in shock,” she said. Volunteers brought pots and pans, dishes, blankets, personal hygiene products and a new mattress. That made her family happy, Yana said. Habitat for Humanity has provided up to 10,000+ refugees with shelter services at the border and continues to support those who fled from the war. Read the 6-month report on Habitat’s Ukraine crisis response.

OTHER

How to partner for affordable housing
Mardi Mapa-Suplido, CEO of Habitat Philippines, highlighted a startling fact in a presentation at an August virtual symposium on affordable housing in Southeast Asia. Even with a government subsidy, it will take 44 years for a Filipino family to pay for socialized housing amid continued inflation and rising land costs. The people-public-private partnership, or P4, approach is the way to go. She cited an example of Habitat Philippines' partnership with 80 informal settler families to build affordable homes in Cebu province. The local government allocated land and took care of site development while Habitat partners provided housing microfinance services.

Urban children face inadequate housing challenges: paper
Habitat has collaborated with the UN-Habitat and UNICEF on a discussion paper, Children, Cities and Housing: Rights and Priorities, that examines the challenges children in urban areas face because of poverty and the inadequacy of their housing. The paper was presented at the 11th World Urban Forum in Poland this year.

We appreciate your support for Habitat and the people from all walks of life who partner with us. Please invite others to subscribe for more updates and stories.