Save and Build

Helping some of the world's poorest communities

Habitat for Humanity is always looking at new methods of reaching out to the world's poorest communities to help them into simple, decent homes. We are also always on the look-out for means of making your gifts stretch even further.

The Habitat for Humanity Save and Build programme does both. The Save and Build programme operates in many of the 90 countries in which Habitat for Humanity are building but our most successful programmes are in Sri Lanka and India.

Save and Build operates through community savings groups; small cooperatives, if you like. Twelve families group together and save very small amounts of money each month until after six months, the whole group will have saved enough money for one basic but decent home.

Using gifts from our corporate partners, churches and individual supporters Habitat for Humanity matches the house that has been saved for with enough money to build another two safe, decent homes. Three families from the Save and Build group can now move into their new homes.

Save and Build house

This process continues every six months until after two years all twelve families are living in basic but decent homes. The families have provided their own labour to help in the construction and they continue to make small payments back into their local Habitat group in order to help with the construction of more homes in the community.

The bottom line is however, that these families are able to live in a home that they would never have thought possible without the help of Habitat for Humanity. Using this method of construction, Habitat for Humanity is making a huge and positive impact on the lives of thousands of the poorest people across India and Sri Lanka.