Housing Poverty In Kyrgyzstan

+6,000 families served
+500 volunteers hosted
Projects: construction, reconstruction, water and sanitation, disaster response

Please note that as of late 2016, we do not operate in Kyrgyzstan anymore. Our office was established in 1999 to fight housing poverty in Kyrgyzstan.

A few years later, it started an innovative building method incorporating locally grown cane reed as a construction material. This project won the World Bank award in Washington D.C. in 2006. Today, we focus on renovations of condominium buildings, finishing of half-built homes and winterisation kits as well as providing affordable loans to families with mentally disabled family members.

Homeless

After the collapse of the Soviet system, Kyrgyzstan cut a variety of social benefits, leaving families with fewer resources for housing.

Access to basic amenities such as water and sewage is limited, especially for impoverished people and those living in rural areas.

In slums...

Seeking relief from poverty, many families moved to informal settlements on the fringes of Bishkek and other large cities, where they lack secure tenure and decent housing.

It is not unusual for 3 generations to be crowded into a single room with no heating or water. People with mental disabilities, such as autism, are among the poorest and most marginalised in Kyrgyzstan.

or unsafe homes

They have trouble obtaining and keeping paid work because of stigma associated with mental health issues and additional responsibilities on family members to offer care.

As a result, most of them cannot improve poor housing situations.

Nearly 70% of the population lives in substandard homes or is homeless.

How we help alleviate housing poverty in Kyrgyzstan

Habitat activities in Kyrgyzstan range from: New house builds Completion of half-built homes Renovation to condominium block buildings Providing households…

Habitat activities in Kyrgyzstan range from:

New house builds
Completion of half-built homes
Renovation to condominium block buildings
Providing households with access to tap water in rural communities.

In cooperation with the Open Society Foundation, we provide decent homes for families where one or more members have mental illnesses.

Main facts & figures:

Capital: Bishkek
Main country facts: Kyrgyzstan is a rugged Central Asian country along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean.
Population – circa 6 million
Urbanisation – 37.5%
Life expectancy – 72.35 years
Poverty line – 20.1%

Condominium repairs and renovations

Condominium repair and renovation is a successfully established project that since 2006 in Kyrgyzstan alone helped more than 3,500 families to find safer and decent shelter.

We work with condominium associations to identify and repair the most serious problems, which usually are the result of a lack of maintenance of common areas.

Completion of half-built houses and home renovations

Many people in Kyrgyzstan use solid fuel, burning coal and wood to - inefficiently - keep their houses warm. These solutions aren't just inefficient and expensive they're often also harmful and lead to respiratory diseases without proper ventilation. Our local team provides energy-efficient insulation for the houses for low-income families by using low cost, local and natural materials.

Home renovations also include the installation of:

- New doors and windows
- New heating systems
- Thermo insulation of walls, floors and ceilings

Water and sanitation

We provide access to tap water for rural communities. The households from rural mountainous villages also benefit from cooperating with us. More than 2,000 families enjoy cold and hot tap water facilities from their Habitat (or renovated) homes - that's about 8,000-10,000 people.

Necessary water piping works connecting the households to the village water main, together with installed water boilers and wash basins in the kitchens will ensure healthier and safer lives for the villagers.

Disaster response and preparedness against earthquakes

Finally, we also hold training workshops on strengthening the capacity of local communities to disaster response and preparedness. To date,…

Finally, we also hold training workshops on strengthening the capacity of local communities to disaster response and preparedness.

To date, 4,000 training participants have learned how to build safe and affordable houses using locally available construction materials.

We make sure to introduce affordable construction technique on reinforcing the existing houses against earthquakes.