Suriname

Context at a glance

A homeowner helps to build her new home

The government recently estimated that Suriname's housing deficit is 20,000 units – a very high number given that the total number of households nationally is approximately 90,000. This housing crisis is exacerbated by Suriname's worsening poverty and the steady stream of people moving to cities and towns from rural areas. Much of Suriname's housing stock is overcrowded and is constructed from wood, which needs costly maintenance due to the moist climate and termite infestations.

Twenty-seven percent of Surinamese lack access to safe drinking water and 12 percent lack access to a sanitary waste disposal system (this rises to almost 70 percent in rural areas). These health hazards contribute heavily to widespread malaria (the leading cause of death for children under five), acute respiratory infections, gastrointestinal diseases, intestinal worm infestation and polio. The United Nations placed Suriname in 77th place of 175 nations on its 2003 Human Development Index.

Habitat for Humanity programme

Concerned about the country's poverty housing situation, a group of citizens expressed an interest in 2001 to form a Habitat for Humanity programme in Suriname. HFH Suriname opened its doors as the 92nd Habitat programme in the world.

HFH Suriname is developing partnerships with other local non-governmental organisations and agencies that have provided office space, supplies and funds. It is currently in the process of designing an adequate housing model that will reflect local customs and socio-economic conditions. As in every Habitat programme, future homeowners will take an active role in the construction of their new houses and repay the cost of materials through a long-term, no profit loan.

As part of its goal to ensure that everyone has a simple, decent place to live, HFH Suriname also plans to develop a home repair programme where families owning substandard housing receive loans and technical assistance to make repairs and additions.

In mid-2004, the nation's first Habitat houses were built, paving the way for future house-building events and the development of an effective programme of community involvement.

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