Sri Lanka

Context at a glance

Kushala swings in front of her family's Habitat house

The lush island state of Sri Lanka is emerging from two decades of civil war. The years of conflict claimed more than 60,000 lives and displaced over 800,000 people, especially in the north and east. The troubles intensified an already huge need for decent housing. Today the central government estimates that two-thirds of the population lives in inadequate housing, and more than half of those in urban areas live in substandard conditions.

Poverty denies many families the capital or credit needed to own decent homes. Many rely on structures built from mud and discarded materials. These insecure shelters are poorly ventilated and lack access to clean water and decent sanitation. They also offer little protection from insects or wildlife.

The December 2004 tsunami left many more thousands of people homeless, especially in the east and southeast, greatly worsening the housing crisis in Sri Lanka.

Habitat for Humanity programme

HFH Sri Lanka was formed in 1994. Today it has ten active affiliates: Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Galle, Hatton, Kurunegala, Matale, Monaragala, Moratuwa, Nuwara Eliya and Wattala/Ja Ela. HFH Sri Lanka's tsunami response is centred on Batticaloa and Galle.

It was HFH Sri Lanka who pioneered a micro-finance programme called "Save and Build", to enable the poorest families to become homeowners. Average monthly repayments are equivalent to about £3.

Initiated in 1999 in Anuradhapura, "Save and Build" involves groups of up to a dozen low-income families who save together. When there is sufficient money, one house gets built and the savings cycle continues until every family has a home. The concept has led to a 40 percent jump in the number of families served each year.

HFH Sri Lanka builds two-room houses of about 24 sq. m. When a pre-agreed amount of the mortgage is repaid, a second section, either a third room or a veranda, is added. This increases the home size to 32 sq. m.

Habitat homeowners often make their own bricks or cut their own timber in order to keep costs down. Other common ways to reduce costs include using building materials that are available locally.

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