Yiftu used to live in a dilapidated shack in Akaki Sub City, Addis Ababa, with no protection from rain or sun. Her family endured constant health and safety risks, with rainwater flooding the house during storms.
“As the corrugated iron sheet was broken, rainwater would flow into my house, and I had to pour it out. I covered my children with plastic sheets to protect them from the rain. I was worried whenever the rainy season came,” Yiftu recalls.
“I am blessed not only with a new house but also with people with whom I can talk and share many things,”
The shack had no proper door and the family lived in constant fear of unsafe conditions. Her family’s income, from selling grass, was meagre and the shack’s poor condition made it difficult to focus on anything beyond survival. In a report by the World Bank, it was noted that over half of women in Ethiopia do not own homes, bearing the burden of substandard living conditions, which often restrict their ability to support their families effectively.
However, through Habitat for Humanity’s ‘Ethiopia Urban Slum Upgrade Project’, funded by Leo Lion Foundation, Yiftu’s life changed when she moved into a newly built home in August 2024. The house, built by Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia, provided her family with a stable, clean, and secure environment. “Now, we sleep without fear; there is no rain, no cold, and no dust on the floor. My children are happy, and their friends respect them at school,” she says with relief.
A Sense of Belonging
The new home, part of a block shared with other families, has given Yiftu more than just a roof over her head. It has given her a sense of community and belonging. “I am blessed not only with a new house but also with people with whom I can talk and share many things,” she says.
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