Vulnerable Groups/OVC
Around the globe, many people are particularly vulnerable and require a holistic solution, of which a safe, decent home is a critical part.
Habitat for Humanity works in collaboration with other charities, non-government organisations, and national and local government to address the specific needs of each group.
Here are some examples of such programmes around the world:
Orphans and Vulnerable Children – Sub Saharan Africa
In 2008, according to UNAIDS, 22.8 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa were living with HIV/AIDS– that’s 67% of all people worldwide infected with HIV/AIDS. Africa had over 14 million AIDS orphans.
In Africa, when a parent is infected with HIV, their children are immediately affected. As the parents’ health declines, they cannot work. Cutbacks in outlay therefore have to be made: Children are taken out of school, the quality and quantity of food is reduced and repairs to the home go unmade. When the parents die, the children are left traumatised and bereft of any income because of their age or lack of education, and many will resort to crime or prostitution just to survive. They cannot buy food, let alone access proper healthcare or education or repair and maintain their homes. They are also open to abuse of their rights, with property and belongings being taken from them by relatives and the community.
The Habitat for Humanity Response
Providing shelter for orphans and vulnerable children is one of Habitat for Humanity’s leading programmes, now covering Mozambique, Uganda, Botswana, Zambia and Lesotho. We have already helped over 84,000 orphan and vulnerable children and their caregivers with the building of homes and related services. Our targets for the coming three years are to help more than 1000 families across these countries.
In order to provide these children with the best possible chances for the future, a holistic approach is needed: Habitat for Humanity provides the element of safe healthy homes and sanitary latrines, mosquito nets where needed, and training in inheritance rights so that the children will be protected by their community from others snatching their property from them. The children will also receive health education, including education about HIV/AIDS. We work with other non-government organisations who provide food aid, education and skills training, healthcare and psychosocial support. In Mozambique, we also apprentice older orphans, training them in construction skills which they can use in building their own homes. Subsequently, they can earn a living by offering construction services to others in their community.
Our preference is always to use local materials to build homes, thereby contributing to the local economy. Local people will also be employed as construction managers, overseeing the building and renovation done by volunteers.
We cannot ask orphans or vulnerable children to contribute financially to the building of the homes as they are already under a considerable burden. We therefore have to find the funding up front. The future of orphans and vulnerable children depends on it.
(Link to a homepartner story)
Post War Reconstruction - rural Côte d’Ivoire
Until 2002 Côte d’Ivoire boasted the strongest economy in West Africa. However, mounting ethnic tensions and resistance to those deemed non-Ivorian erupted into a civil war in 2002 between the government and rebel forces. Due to this war 800,000 people were displaced and lost their homes as the country fractured along a north-south divide. Poverty has now deepened, infrastructure has been destroyed and communities have been ripped apart along ethnic lines.
As rural families return home following the peace agreement in 2007, they are confronted with many issues including:
- Severe poverty housing conditions
- Poor or non-existent sanitation facilities. (53% of rural households have no access to safe drinking water and 54% are without access to toilets facilities)
- Government financial resources focused on development of urban areas.
- Lack of financial resources with which to re-establish themselves and meet basic needs.
- Lingering ethnic tensions.
Poor living conditions contribute to chronic and life-threatening diseases and rural communities have high instances of cholera, buruli ulcers, diarrhoea and dehydration. Malaria is also extremely prevalent with 63,000 children under 5 years of age dying each year.
The Habitat for Humanity Response
Habitat for Humanity will work with local communities and other Non-Governmental Organisations over the coming 3 years to provide a holistic solution to the needs of over 600 farmers in rural Cote D’Ivoire:
Shelter and Sanitation - Access to homes, toilet facilities and land tenure
Development of long term income generation opportunities
Repair of 12 water pumps giving 4,800 people access to clean water.
Healthcare Training to resolve the heath problems linked to poor hygiene
Stronger community cohesion will be achieved through working with the local community to ensure that families of different ethnic background (including ‘non-Ivorian) work together to contribute physical labour to build their ‘neighbours’ houses. This will contribute to the weakening of racial tensions and encourage reconciliation and a sense of partnership. In the future local leaders will continue to encourage members of their community to be open to other groups and will organise regular cultural events to bring people together.
(Link to a homepartner story?)
(Perhaps add a leprosy or disability project – e.g. Asia Pacific?)