A hand up not a hand-out
Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide. We work in over 90 countries with volunteers from all backgrounds, races and religions to build homes together with families in need.
A wide range of charitable trusts and foundations provide support for our house-building and community development projects. If you are a trustee or have links with a charitable trust or foundation, please consider how you can help.
Here is a flavour of some of the trusts and foundations that we are already working with to bring hope and new opportunities to families living in poverty …
Comic Relief
Habitat For Humanity is working to improve the quality of life for around 1,500 HIV/AIDS affected orphans and vulnerable children in 10 communities in the Kwa Zulu Natal region of South Africa. In partnership with local communities, complementary organisations and institutions, HFH is setting up systems to protect home tenure and shelter for orphans while strengthening a community-centred cycle of prevention, care and support.
Jersey Overseas Aid Commission
Over the past couple of years HFH has invested grants from Jersey Overseas Aid Commission into building safe, decent and affordable homes with low-income families in Armenia, Chile and Guatemala and will soon start building in Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and the Dominican Republic. Each of the projects is unique. They combine the need for decent housing with urban, rural, environmental, sustainable development, internally displaced people, land rights or access to government grants and relocation issues.
Christian Aid/DEC
When the Tsunami struck the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, Habitat for Humanity's existing infrastructure was well placed to help thousands of homeless victims repair or rebuild their homes. Working alongside other major agencies, HFH affiliate offices were able to assess the situation on the ground and organise both an immediate and long-term recovery strategy.
Here are some good reasons why you should support Habitat for Humanity …
In a speech on October 3, 2005 (UN Habitat Day), Kofi Annan identified the need for decent housing as being essential before the millennium goals can be reached. He also underlined the fact that the elimination of poverty, universal primary education, infant mortality reduction, mothers' health, women's rights, the environment and the fight against AIDS and malaria are all impacted significantly by the state of housing.
We offer a 'hand up', not a 'hand out' to disadvantaged people. Beneficiaries elect their own management committee and invest hundreds of hours of their own labour in building their own and their neighbour's homes. By working alongside HFH staff and volunteers, beneficiaries not only learn valuable building skills, they also gain experience in community development, advocacy, management, basic health, dealing with local government and financial planning.
Your investment is re-cycled again and again within the same community. Beneficiaries repay the basic, no-profit mortgages for their new homes into a HFH Revolving Fund, which is then loaned out to other low-income families in order for them to own new homes.
Habitat For Humanity takes UK volunteers over to work alongside the beneficiaries; not only do the volunteers learn first hand what it is like to live in poverty, they also come back to Britain and share their experiences with family, friends and work colleagues and thus encourage others to become involved in development issues.
If you would like more information about how you can support our work, please contact Lesley Davies by email at ldavies@habitatforhumanity.org.uk or phone 01295 220187.
