Turkey

Context at a glance

In Turkey, housing is a complex social issue. Thirty years ago, three quarters of the population lived in the countryside. Now, the situation has reversed. Most villagers who migrated to the cities looking for work could not afford decent housing so they built temporary shelters in the outskirts. These shelters soon became neighbourhoods of shacks, with no piped water or electricity. Poverty and crime took hold in these growing urban slums.

This substandard housing could not withstand earthquake hazards, and had devastating consequences during the August 1999 tremors and aftershocks. Cheaply built, illegal housing lies at the heart of that earthquake disaster. It explains why so many houses collapsed like packs of cards. More than 20,000 people were killed and more than half a million people were left homeless.

Habitat for Humanity programme

Habitat for Humanity began work in Turkey shortly after the earthquake as we were invited to participate in a housing project for families whose homes had been destroyed. HFH and its partners committed to build 50 homes for families who had lost everything in the earthquake. But the project was about more than just building houses. Its aim was to create permanent and sustainable communities. Like Habitat homeowners across the globe, partner families in Turkey are involved in every stage of building, from planning to mixing cement for the foundations of their new homes.

The houses we are building combine local tradition and modern construction methods. The framework of houses is reinforced with galvanised steel to offer better protection from earthquakes. Each house will have a solar panel and windmills will also be built in order to provide the community with clean, renewable energy.

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