Vanuatu

Context at a glance

Forty students have completed two workshops on an innovative technology for concrete block production that could revolutionise the construction of low-cost housing in Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a group of some 80, largely volcanic, islands scattered in the southwestern Pacific. Located some 2,300 kilometres off the east coast of Australia, Vanuatu is remote and isolated. The eight largest islands account for 80% of the total land area and are home to nearly 95% of its population of 200,000. Vanuatu's isolation is heightened by poor infrastructure and expensive international and internal transportation links.

Housing is a major challenge for the residents of Vanuatu. Overcrowding and unhealthy and unsanitary living conditions are common. Squatter communities have grown rapidly in urban areas. In rural areas more than half of the houses are built from traditional materials and are over ten years old, making them very vulnerable to cyclone damage. In February 2004, Hurricane Ivy damaged more than 10,700 houses on 13 islands.

Rapid population growth and land disputes between tribes mean there is a shortage of relatively low-cost land for affordable housing. Poor families seeking decent homes face high land prices, costly building materials, especially if imported, and a lack of assets to secure land ownership.

Even substandard conditions are costly. Rents can take up more than half of an average worker's salary, which is the equivalent of £60 a month.

Habitat for Humanity programme

HFH Vanuatu began operations in the capital of Port Vila in 2001. It builds and renovates houses in three communities: Fres Wota, Nambouru and Beverly Hills. Eight families in Beverly Hills have formed Vanuatu's first "Save and Build" group, in which the combined financial strength of a savings group enables houses to be built more quickly, as well as encouraging a savings ethic.

Habitat homeowners pay an average monthly repayment of approximately £24 – far less than the rent for a rundown urban apartment.

Habitat houses in Vanuatu use cement slab foundations and are made from concrete blocks and wood with hardwood frames and shutters. Corrugated iron is used for roofing. It takes 20 to 30 days to build a house.

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