September 2011 - Habitat for Humanity

Habitat World
September 2011
Habitat partner families
in Europe and Central
Asia build better
futures on a foundation
of decent housing.
[ facing forward ]
IN THIS ISSUE:
» The Carpenter’s Gift shares a lesson of giving
» Affiliates helping affiliates
Foundations
From Habitat CEO Jonathan Reckford
Much to Celebrate
E
very Habitat project is a celebration. As we come together in
community to serve families, we
celebrate collaboration, hard work
and brighter futures. Helping a
family create a better life is an act of joy in
which so many of you have shared.
During this year, in particular — when
we celebrate Habitat’s 35th anniversary —
that joy overflows. This fall, we will recognize the 500,000th family served through
Habitat partnerships around the world and
begin work with the 500,001st.
These are important milestones, and we
are exceedingly grateful for the many ways
in which God has blessed this ministry. But
what we really celebrate is the ever-growing
number of individual victories in which
families all around the world have partnered with Habitat to improve their housing situations.
For some families, that means laying a
concrete floor, which drastically improves
health conditions. For others, it means the
ability to make much-needed repairs. For
still others, it means receiving the keys to
a brand new house. It is exciting — and
necessary — to be able to offer a variety
of housing options that allow us to serve
families in the ways that help them most on
terms they can afford.
It is overwhelming, as well, to contemplate the millions of people who have
played a part in making this possible all
around the world. Each milestone we
reach only serves to remind us of each
occasion in which individuals, churches,
businesses, organizations and governments
have reached out to help their neighbors
in need. Over the years, Habitat World has
presented amazing stories of how those acts
of compassion have transformed the lives
of partner families and of those who gave of
themselves to help. For every story we have
shared, for every story we tell in these issues and on habitat.org, we know there are
countless more, and we are grateful.
In this issue, you can learn how Habitat
affiliates and national organizations have
worked together to further our mission.
Rather than staunchly guarding geographic
boundaries, these affiliates have demonstrated how supporting each other makes
us stronger. On pages 18 and 24, we visit
Europe and Central Asia to witness examples of how families’ everyday lives are
affected by decent housing.
This is a wonderful time, and I am so
grateful for all of you who have caught
the vision and are helping families have a
simple, decent and safe place in which to
live. We know even as we celebrate that the
need exponentially outpaces our efforts, so
we must continue to do more. We ask God’s
continued blessings as we look ahead.
Jonathan T.M. Reckford
Ezra Millstein
Chief Executive Officer
Habitat for Humanity International
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HabitatWorld
The Publication of Habitat for Humanity International
e x e c u t i ve e d i t o r M A N AGI N G E DITO r Ass i s ta n t E d i t o r P h o t o e d i t o r P r i n t S upe r v i s o r D E S IGn Jennifer Lindsey
Shala Carlson
Phillip Jordan
Bob Jacob
Mike Chapman
Journey Group, Inc.
M I S S IO N V I S IO N
A world where everyone has a decent place
to live.
M I S S IO N S TAT E M E N T
Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat
for Humanity brings people together to build
homes, communities and hope.
WHO W E AR E
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit Christian
housing ministry that works to eliminate poverty
housing around the world and to make adequate
housing a matter of conscience and action.
Habitat World is the educational, informational
and outreach publication of Habitat for Humanity
International. The magazine is free to anyone
who wishes to receive it.
WHAT W E DO
Habitat for Humanity organizations build,
renovate and repair houses in partnership
with people in need of adequate housing.
Homeowners are selected locally by Habitat
organizations based on their need for housing,
ability to repay a no-profit loan and willingness
to partner with Habitat. Loan repayments
contribute to help build and repair additional
houses. Because Habitat’s loans are no-profit,
they are affordable for low-income partners.
L E T U S H E AR F RO M Y O U
[email protected]
(800) HABITAT, (229) 924-6935
Read Habitat World online at habitat.org; visit
our blog at habitat.org/blog.
Printed on 100 percent
recycled paper
Habitat World (ISSN: 0890-958X) is published
by Habitat for Humanity International,
121 Habitat St., Americus, GA, 31709-3498.
Vol. 28, No. 3. September 2011.
Circulation: 1,038, 681 (estimated)
Copyright © 2011
Blueprints
p
September 2011
Your content guide to Habitat World
In Khujand, Tajikistan,
5-year-old Dalerjon
Hoshimov and 4-yearold Gulnorakhon
Umaralieva play
outside the house
of their grandfather
steffan hacker
Tursunkul Hoshimov.
FEATURES
10
12
18
24
t h e c a r p e n t e r’ s g i f t
A new children’s book celebrates a real-life
partnership that helps a family build a decent,
affordable house each year.
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Habitat World
In Every Issue
September 2011
Habitat partner families
in europe and Central
asia build better
FO U NDATIONS : Habitat for
Humanity International CEO Jonathan
Reckford looks forward to a major milestone.
futures on a foundation
of deCent Housing.
all over the map
In addition to helping the families that they serve,
Habitat affiliates and national programs find ways to
support each other.
l i f e i n c e n t r a l a s ia
Partner families in Tajikistan celebrate the everyday
changes that decent shelter has brought to their lives.
pa r t n e r i n g f o r p r o g r e s s
Working through local organizations and
microfinance institutions, Habitat Bulgaria seeks to
address a variety of housing needs.
[ facing forward ]
Pa g e 2
IN THIS ISSUE:
» The Carpenter’s Gift shares a lesson of giving
» Affiliates helping affiliates
ON THE CO V E R
The Habitat home that
Tursunkul Hoshimov
lives in with his large,
multigenerational family
was built in 2001. Hoshimov
is a well-respected elder
in the community and is
often referred to as the
“unofficial mayor” of the
Habitat neighborhood.
Photo by Steffan Hacker
WO R LD V IE W: The annual AmeriCorps
Build-a-Thon covers seven U.S. cities; Habitat
Mexico launches a new project.
Pa g e 4
FIELD NOTES : Habitat St. Louis
expands its efforts; preparing for the 2011
Carter Work Project in Leogane, Haiti.
Pa g e 2 8
CO M ING HO M E : A Guatemalan
family anticipates a brighter future.
Pa g e 3 1
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[ birmingham, alaBAMA ]
Serving Others
April tornadoes did not deter
AmeriCorps Build-a-Thon efforts
by Habitat for Humanity of Greater
Birmingham. Habitat Philadelphia’s
Vicky Rosenzweig was one of more
than 450 AmeriCorps members
who participated nationwide.
In Birmingham, one of seven
Habitat affiliates hosting Builda-Thon events, AmeriCorps
members helped with repair and
weatherization projects in addition
to post-storm clean-up.
Ph oto by E z ra M i llstei n
World View
International news
5
Great Britain
build provides
housing and
training for
young people
National
Women
Build Week
involves
250 Habitat
affiliates
Habitat
Mexico
reaches out
to indigenous
communities
9
3
4
2
Habitat
Macedonia
housing
complex
opens to
families
7
New Jersey
affiliate goes
solar with
help from
teenage
volunteer
Dubai art
exhibit
benefits
Habitat
8
1
Habitat and
local tradition
weave
together in
Afghanistan
6
Cambodia hosts Khmer
Harvest Build
Habitat Madagascar fights
fires, slum conditions
Picturing a new future for vulnerable children
lawrette mcfarlane
1
Brother and sister Tumelo and Nthoto
Molefi live outside Maseru in Lesotho,
where Habitat for Humanity builds
homes for orphaned and vulnerable
children who are in need of decent shelter.
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[ unITED ARAB EMIRATES ] In early
April, The Ara Gallery opened in
downtown Dubai with a powerful
exhibition highlighting the work
of Habitat Lesotho. The grand opening
featured a charity-driven art auction led
by Christie’s in which six artists donated
pieces to help raise more than $44,000 for
Habitat Lesotho’s efforts to provide homes
for orphans and vulnerable children.
The auctioned artwork came from the
gallery’s inaugural exhibition, “Through
the Eyes of Africa’s Children,” which was
put together in partnership with Habitat.
Last year, more than 50 children who had
received assistance from Habitat Lesotho
were asked to take photographs of what
makes them happy. The pictures were used
by Emirati artists to portray their understanding of the lives of these children.
The $44,000 raised is enough to provide comprehensive housing assistance to
10 households caring for an estimated 50
orphans and vulnerable children. The gallery also has produced a book, The Children
of Lesotho: Through Their Eyes, featuring the
children who inspired the exhibition and
benefiting Habitat’s work.
Vulnerable children in Lesotho — those
under 18 years old who have lost one or both
parents or whose caregiver is unable to provide adequate care — face many hardships,
among them the lack of decent shelter.
Artists helped raise
more than $44,000
for Habitat Lesotho’s
shelter efforts.
2
[ macedonia ] In 2009, Habitat for
Humanity International’s board
of directors, joined by CEO Jonathan
Reckford, gathered to lay foundations
for a housing complex in the central
Macedonian city of Veles. The goal of the
project: create 11 buildings that would provide affordable homes for 90 families.
Today, four buildings are in the final
stages of construction. They will house 24
families who have taken an active part in
the construction alongside local volunteers
and more than 500 Global Village volunteers
from the United States, Canada and Europe.
Earlier this summer, Habitat Macedonia
and its partner families signed formal
contracts, paving the way for families to
move into each of the new homes as they
are completed. The ceremony featured the
mayor of Veles, Goran Petrov, as well as
the U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia, Phillip
Reeker. After the formalities, partner families, volunteers and dignitaries spent the
day building together on site.
3
[ mexico ] Indigenous communities
make up the most poverty-stricken
demographic within Mexico. Of the nearly
14 million indigenous people in this nation
of cultural contrast and diversity, an estimated 80 percent suffer from “high” or
“very high” levels of marginalization.
Habitat Mexico has launched a long-term
project to serve rural and semi-urban indigenous communities in seven states. Housing
services include new construction, roofing
repairs and other house improvements.
Extra housing solutions — “eco-stoves” and
finished flooring — also have been developed to address common challenges. All are
accompanied by education in community
development and financial literacy.
“I am a Raramuri woman and single
mother,” says Alicia Villaloboz Ruiz, who
lives in the northern state of Chihuahua.
“Habitat helped me to build my house. It is
an organization that helps people who have
few resources but a lot of willingness to
change how we are living.”
4
[ great britain ] A 10-home build in
Banbury will provide housing and
training opportunities for local young people without access to education, employment or training. The enhanced arrangement is possible thanks to partnerships
with several local agencies, including the
Cherwell District Council and Oxford and
Cherwell Valley College. The joint enterprise has also attracted funding from the
nation’s affordable housing program.
The main task of the local Southwark
Habitat affiliate is managing the construction site and ensuring that high-quality
training opportunities are provided during
the construction process. Ten one-bedroom
flats are being built with a mixture of skilled
subcontractors and young people, who can
earn a national-level college award through
the experience. Each young volunteer also
will be assisted by a college tutor and a
life-skills mentor provided by another local
agency, Connexions.
5
[ united states ] The first week of May
once again proved to be a busy one for
thousands of Habitat’s women volunteers.
Leading up to the Mother’s Day holiday
in the United States, 250 Habitat affiliates
celebrated the annual Lowe’s-sponsored
National Women Build Week.
In New York City, women and girls
painted a community center as part of
the local affiliate’s A Brush with Kindness
program. In Orlando, Florida, more than
450 women volunteered on five homes
throughout the week. Oregon’s Habitat
Portland/Metro East affiliate held a
Mother’s Day build. Sara Moskovitz braved
the mud to work alongside her mother,
Gloria Harper, installing siding. Moskovitz
says she signed-up because “it was what my
mom said she wanted for Mother’s Day.”
The week generated considerable attention
Windows on the Work
[ tulsa, oklahoma ]
Age doesn’t matter
The “Tuesday Morning
Miracle Worker”
Age: 74
Craft: Cabinetry
Number of Builds: 40
Families served: 22/year
Heart size: Huge
Tulsa Habitat’s “Tuesday Morning
Miracle Workers” will soon begin
work on their 40th build. For two
decades, the group — 35 men, at an
average age of 74 — has aided Tulsa
Habitat by building cabinets in the
winter and completing houses
in warm months. “Their spirit of
giving is very contagious,” says
Jamie Cox, the affiliate’s director of
volunteers. “These men have huge
hearts, and they are a big part of
why we are where we are today —
serving 22 families a year.”
[ detroit, michigan ]
Silver anniversary
Habitat Detroit
has bold plans
for its 25th
anniversary:
serve 25 families
in one year.
To accomplish
its goal, the
affiliate added a pair of large-scale
blitz builds with volunteers this
summer. It also has opened a third
ReStore in the area. At the same
time, the affiliate’s getting a boost
from a hometown marketing
effort. Habitat Detroit is one of
four nonprofits selected to receive
merchandise proceeds from
Chrysler’s national “Imported from
Detroit” marketing campaign.
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World View
from some high-profile volunteers, too.
Actress Emily Bergl built in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and actress/author Lisa Whelchel
joined the action in San Angelo, Texas.
[ cambodia ]
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[ afghanistan ]
In the northern village of Ali Abad, the lives of Habitat
partner families are intertwined with the
age-old tradition of carpet weaving. The
intricate craftsmanship of Afghan carpets
reflects the rich heritage of an art long
passed from generation to generation.
Eighteen-year-old student Zahra Husain
grew up joining her mother, sister-in-law
and younger sister in weaving carpets to
supplement the daily wages her father
brought home as a laborer. “After my
mother passed away, we chose to shell peas
for a living. Shelling peas is not a decentpaying job, but the fact that each of us
receives 20 Afghani in cash on a daily basis
is helpful,” Zahra says.
Today, Zahra’s family lives in a Habitat
house that means being able to resume
carpet-weaving to supplement the family
income. She continues to juggle work with
her studies. “I am determined to press on
because I am optimistic about the future,”
Zahra says. “Our home will be the foundation on which my family and I can build a
better life.”
8
[ madagascar ]
On a quiet morning in May in the southern city of
raritan valley habitat
November’s five-day
Khmer Harvest Build will result in 20
new houses in Oudong for families who
used to live at a municipal dumpsite in the
capital of Phnom Penh. The houses will be
built on secure land, each with sanitation
facilities, a rainwater-collection tank and
solar-energy panel.
Help for the event is coming from many
quarters. Habitat Germany has committed
17,000 euros (USD$23,900). The United
States is sending Global Village volunteers, and affiliates such as Massachusetts’
Habitat Greater Lowell and Colorado’s
Habitat St. Vrain Valley have pledged
$25,000 and $50,000 respectively.
Habitat Cambodia also is working with
International Children’s Care Australia to
develop a farm next to the new houses, where
partner families will be able to grow fruits
and vegetables and raise chickens and fish.
Raritan Valley Habitat
6
Annie Kuster examines an electrical
component donated to Raritan Valley
Habitat that allows solar panels to be
installed on a home as a complete unit.
“Our home will be the
foundation on which
my family can build a
better life.”
— Zahra Husain
where we work
Habitat for Humanity started in the United States in 1976, and today its work reaches around the world. Currently, Habitat is at work in all 50 states of the United States, the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Territory of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other countries around the globe, including: Afghanistan | Argentina | Armenia | Australia
Bangladesh | Bermuda | Bolivia | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | Bulgaria | Cambodia | Cameroon | Canada | Chile | China | Colombia | Costa Rica | Cote d’Ivoire
Dominican Republic | Egypt | El Salvador | Ethiopia | Fiji | France | Germany | Ghana | Great Britain | Guatemala | Guyana | Haiti | Honduras | Hungary | India | Indonesia | Jamaica | Japan
Jordan | Kenya | Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Lebanon | Lesotho | Macedonia | Madagascar | Malawi | Malaysia | Mexico | Mongolia | Mozambique | Myanmar | Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand
Nicaragua | Northern Ireland | Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Republic of Ireland | Romania | Russia | Senegal | Serbia | Singapore | Slovakia | South Africa | South Korea
Sri Lanka | Tajikistan | Tanzania | Thailand | Timor-Leste | Trinidad and Tobago | Turkey | Uganda | Ukraine | Vietnam | Zambia
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Find Habitat World online at
HABITAT.ORG/HW
Read weekly updates at
HABITAT.ORG/BLOG
together in one neighborhood. Since that
meeting, the high school junior has persuaded renewable energy companies in the
area to donate about $150,000 in equipment and engineering. By this fall, all nine
Habitat homes on Dutch Lane will be complete, with 35 solar panels atop each roof.
To Kuster, the most rewarding part was
getting to meet the families who would
benefit. “It’s important to remember that
beyond the equipment and the engineering,
there are people,” she says. “They grew to be
my driving force behind the project. It was
about giving them the opportunity to have
as fulfilling a life as possible.”
Toliara, a group of residents picked through
the ashes where their homes had stood the
night before. In this impoverished nation
off the coast of Africa, fire is one of the
main enemies of the millions of slum dwellers who live in overcrowded, unsanitary
conditions. Much slum housing is pieced
together with wood and reeds — usually
intended to be temporary structures that
simply become permanent dwellings.
Stanislas Manahadray’s family doesn’t
have to worry about the threat of fire like
they used to. Manahadray has finished
the sweat equity on his new, brick Habitat
home — one of 139 houses completed in
the past three years and a house that will
make him “stand tall and hold his head
high,” he says.
His two children, Marie and Mario,
go to school nearby, but still have to walk
through the cramped pathways of the
slum area. In the rainy season, these pathways become difficult to navigate through
the mud and water. To help, Habitat
Madagascar paves mud-prone pathways
and builds drainage channels in addition to
its construction and renovation efforts.
[ united states ]
When 16-year-old
Annie Kuster walked into Raritan
Valley Habitat’s office last year, she came
with a bold offer: the environmental enthusiast volunteered to raise the funds and
materials needed to install solar panels on a
Habitat home being built.
The Bridgewater, New Jersey, affiliate’s
construction director Bob Miller explained
that they were working on nine homes
[ ontario, canada ]
ReStore-inspired decor
When Geoff Zanetti decided to open
a bistro this summer in Windsor,
Ontario, he knew he wanted a
classic pub feel. To create that
backdrop, he went to the Habitat
Windsor-Essex ReStore. “My
light fixtures, moldings, a candle
chandelier, light switch covers, and
other odds and ends all came from
the ReStore,” Zanetti says. “Add
that to what we had, and it’s pretty
magical in here.” Find the ReStore
nearest you at habitat.org/restore.
[ beius, romania ]
Piece by peace
mikel flamm
9
Windows on the Work
Volunteers will help build 20 houses
during November’s Khmer Harvest
Build in Cambodia.
Habitat Romania teamed up
with Peace Corps Romania for
a weeklong build in Beius this
summer. More than 50 Peace Corps
volunteers joined in the build, and
the group raised more than $27,000
to sponsor the house. Habitat’s
Beius affiliate invited the Peace
Corps crew to participate as a way
to celebrate Peace Corps’ 50th
anniversary, as well as Peace Corps’
20th year in Romania.
H F HI W o r l d w i d e A r e a Off i c es
Africa/Middle East PO Box 11179, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
Tel. 27-12-430-9200, [email protected]
Asia/Pacific Q. House, 38 Convent Road, 8th Floor, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand. Tel. 66-0-2632-0415, [email protected]
Europe/Central Asia Zochova 6-8, 811 03 Bratislava, Slovakia, [email protected]
Latin America/Caribbean PO Box 1513-1200 Pavas, San José, Costa Rica.
Tel. (506) 296-8120, [email protected]
United States 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709. Tel. (800) 422-4828, (229) 924-6935, [email protected]
Office of Government Relations and Advocacy 1424 K St. NW, Suite 600,
Washington, DC 20005. Tel. (202) 628-9171
Canada 40 Albert St., Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3S2. Tel. (519) 885-4565,
[email protected]
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The best presents
are the ones you don ’ t e x pect .
A new children’s book about the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is a story for every season.
“It had been the best day that Henry could remember, and he didn’ t want it to end. He stood
before the decorated tree, enchanted. The streetlamps had just come on, and the tin cans
glittered in their light. If ever there was a magic moment, Henry thought, this is it.
“He decided to make a special Christmas wish. He wished that one day his family would live
in a nice warm, house.” — The Carpenter’s Gift
S
ometimes, a simple of act of kindness takes
on a life of its own. An illustrated children’s
book published later this month brings that
lesson home — and celebrates a real-life partnership that helps a family build a decent, affordable house each year.
Written by David Rubel in collaboration with Habitat
for Humanity and illustrated by Jim LaMarche, The Carpenter’s Gift tells the story of Henry, a young boy growing
up in Depression-era New York. At the end of a day selling Christmas trees in Midtown Manhattan, Henry and
his father give the last few to nearby construction workers. When the tallest of the leftover trees is decorated on
the spot with tin cans and paper garlands, it becomes the
very first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree — a tree that
enchants young Henry and the first in a series of moments that end up changing his life.
The construction workers, having become acquainted
with Henry and his father, show up the next day to help
them build a simple, decent home to replace their drafty
shack with its patched walls and ill-fitting windows. At
the end of their work, they leave behind a sturdy new
house, a community of neighbors brought together by
a building project, and a boy with new hope for the future and a hammer in his hand. As Henry grows older,
he finds a wonderful way to turn the blessing he received
into a blessing he can share with others.
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The story of The Carpenter’s Gift celebrates the magic
of an American icon, the annual Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. Each year, that tree is milled into lumber
that Habitat volunteers use to build a home with a family
like Henry’s. The book honors this fruitful partnership
and shares a lesson about the importance of generosity
and helping our neighbors.
“The Carpenter’s Gift is fundamentally a story about Habitat-style giving,” says Rubel. “All who take part give something emotionally of themselves, and all receive as well.”
“Habitat’s mission allows people from disparate walks
of life to make connections that would be unlikely, if not
impossible, otherwise,” says Chris Clarke, Habitat’s senior vice president of marketing and communications.
“The generous gift of lumber milled from one of the
world’s most iconic holiday symbols is one such connection. And now that gift is helping us do more than build
homes. It’s helping us open the eyes of young readers to
a lasting message of selfless giving, a message I hope we
hold as a guiding light in all we do.”
Published on Sept. 27 by Random House Children’s
Books, The Carpenter’s Gift will be available from major
booksellers and at habitat.org.
Excerpt at top from The Carpenter’s Gift by David Rubel, copyright © 2011 by David
Rubel. Reprinted by permission of Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint
of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House Inc.
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Be a part of the story.
The 2010 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was milled
into lumber and has been used in a home built by Habitat Greater Newburgh in New York’s mid-Hudson Valley,
near the community of Mahopac where the tree grew.
Parts of the tree that couldn’t be turned into lumber
have been used to make special paper for a commemorative bookplate that can be placed inside your copy of
The Carpenter’s Gift.
To find out how to add this piece
of Habitat history to your book,
scan the code at right with your
smartphone or visit habitat.org/
thecarpentersgift.
Don’t miss the
December issue.
You can learn more about The Carpenter’s Gift today at
habitat.org. For a look behind the scenes at the creation
of The Carpenter’s Gift and to read more about the Rockefeller Center trees and the Habitat houses they have
helped build, watch for the next Habitat World.
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SHARING
T H E
BURDEN
Sometimes, Habitat affiliates
extend the ‘hand up’ to each other.
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Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ. — G a l a t i a n s 6 : 2
E
ach day, thousands of individual Habitat for Humanity donors, volunteers and advocates enable this ministry to help more families longing for home. There is,
however, another layer of support that people might
not notice. ¶ Habitat’s own affiliates frequently lift up
and sustain each other — especially in periods of need.
An offer of help could be an unexpected gift, sent at
just the right moment. It could be wisdom dispensed that allows an
affiliate to grow. Or it could be the power of simply standing with another affiliate during a time of personal loss. ¶ However it happens, the
act of one Habitat group helping another is often what makes it possible to get through tough times — and refocus on what matters most.
BY Phillip JordaN
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Our Towns Habitat’s supporters never forgot that their 16th
house in 2010 came courtesy of Habitat Guatemala’s gift. That
following summer, as work progressed on the “Guatemala house,”
Laney invited Samayoa, other Habitat Guatemala representatives
and a homeowner to come work on the home and be involved in its
dedication. This time, it was Laney who had a secret up his sleeve.
“At our house blessing, we explained how our friends in Guatemala had made this house happen,” Laney says. “Then we presented them with an oversized check for $125,000 — the amount
we owed to get us fully caught up on our tithe.”
“It was a huge surprise,” Samayoa says. “We gave our tithe to
them without expecting anything back. When I received the news
that day, it was something I could not believe.
“What is most special is that partnership we share. Part of that
partnership means commitment, loyalty, perseverance and love.”
In the past year, that relationship has continued to grow. Our
“A b le s s i n g b o th ways”
Towns Habitat now sends its tithe to Guatemala on a monthly basis,
Guatemala and North Carolina groups take
not quarterly as before. The affiliate is also recruiting volunteers to
turns aiding each other
go on two Global Village trips to Guatemala each year.
On the most recent trip, North Carolinians helped Habitat GuaWh e n o u r to w n s H a b i tat began working in Davidson, North Carolina, back in 1988, the affiliate’s founders pledged to tithe 10 percent of temala launch its “smokeless stoves” project, an initiative that helps
all locally raised funds to further Habitat’s work in Guatemala. The families install stoves that require much less wood and save famicommitment of funds and volunteers has helped Habitat Guatemala lies from inhaling harmful smoke inside their houses. Our Towns
serve an additional 940 families. It also has established something Habitat has committed to raising $60,000 over the next two years
else: a true friendship and partnership. Two years ago, Our Towns to help Habitat Guatemala serve 600 more families with these efficient, healthy stoves.
Habitat discovered just how deeply that bond had grown.
“Everything we do with Habitat, it’s about relationships. Some
In 2009, as the worldwide economic downturn intensified, Our
Towns Habitat realized it was facing an economic crisis of its own. people don’t get that,” Laney says. “People ask me, ‘Why do you go
Soon, the painful decision had to be made to delay sending its tithe down there?’ If we go down to Guatemala with our hands and our
hearts and just be servants, the things we bring back are the stories.
to Guatemala; the money just wasn’t available.
Executive director Terry Laney called Habitat Guatemala’s na- Then we can affect people here with our personal experiences. It’s a
tional director, Luis Samayoa, to let him know. “I told him that we blessing both ways.”
would catch up,” Laney says. “He just said, ‘That’s ok. We understand times are tough.’”
By January 2010, Our Towns Habitat was at least able to undertake one of its regular volunteer trips, sending some staff and volunteers to Guatemala for a Global Village build. The trip’s participants
fundraised for Habitat Guatemala and then built alongside local
volunteers and partner families. There remained a different backdrop to this visit, though. Back home, Our Towns was still working
to catch up financially.
The first night in Guatemala, before the volunteer team started
work on three houses in Puerto Barrios, Samayoa pulled Laney
aside, telling him he had a surprise to share: “Our board unanimously voted to tithe $35,000 to your affiliate. We know it’s been a
hard year. You have always been there for us, and now we want to
be there for you.”
As word of the gift spread among Our Towns’ staffers and volun- “Go d was l eading us t o t his po int”
teers, the tears began to flow. “I just broke down and cried in front Neighboring affiliates blossom in Nashville
of everyone,” Laney says, “including people we had brought from
another affiliate that we wanted to introduce to Guatemala.”
As 2 0 0 7 daw n e d , Habitat Dickson County could count 12 houses
Almost immediately, he called his construction director back in built in its 13 years of existence in Middle Tennessee. Marsha HudNorth Carolina: “Put another house on the schedule.”
gens had joined the rural affiliate in 2004. In three years’ time, she
“But we’ve already said we can’t do more than 15 homes this year,” had already served as accountant, secretary of the board and execucame the reply.
tive director. “I could name a lot of different positions,” Hudgens
“We can now,” Laney answered.
says with a laugh. “We all could.”
1
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Everything we do
with Habitat, it’s about
relationships.”
It’s easy.
It’s quick.
It’s free for you.
— Terry Laney, Our Towns Habitat
The year of her arrival, Habitat Dickson County had managed
to rehab one house and build another. Since then: nothing. “Board
members were burned out, and a lot of them had been there since
the beginning,” Hudgens says. “We wanted to get new blood in, but
nobody wanted to join without anything happening. It was just a
cycle we couldn’t break through.”
Local need remained evident. “Our county has roughly 52,000
people,” says Dickson director Chris Greene. “Approximately 3,000
families could immediately qualify for a Habitat house based on
their need and income. More than 13 percent of our population lives
in poverty.”
In July 2007, Hudgens and the Dickson staff made a call to Habitat Greater Nashville, a large affiliate located in Tennessee’s state
capital, just 40 miles away. To Hudgens, the call was a matter of
survival. “Nashville really cared about what we were going through,
and they set up a lot of other discussions with us,” Hudgens recalls.
“They were so willing to talk and to help as much as they could.
“Eventually, it evolved to the point where they saw the level of
need we had, and they suggested merging as an option. We pretty
quickly thought, ‘Oh yeah, that could work.’”
In the months that followed, Habitat Greater Nashville worked
with Dickson’s staff to set up an arrangement that would enable
Dickson’s staff to remain at work in the county — with the support
of services already established in Nashville. By year’s end, Dickson
had become a division of Habitat Greater Nashville.
Today, the Dickson division locally directs fundraising, volunteer engagement, family selection and education. Nashville-based
staff are able to provide other services that don’t need to be duplicated: accounting, construction staff, leadership and advocacy.
The results? By the end of this coming year, Habitat will likely
have already built more houses in Dickson than it did in the 13
years pre-merger. The division has a new office and the first ReStore
in the county.
“None of this would have been possible if Nashville had not been
willing to help us through this process,” Greene says, “and stuck
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S ep t em b e r 2 0 1 1
ha b i tat. o r g
15
with Dickson to not just help it survive — but to ensure that it from watching or listening to her,” says the affiliate’s board president, Linda Holder-Beneker. “She treated every person like they
would grow.”
Now, Dickson’s success has emboldened Habitat Greater Nash- were the most important person on earth. She treated our families
ville to start a new division in nearby Cheatham County, where like they were the most valuable people, with such respect and love.”
Ehrlich’s genuine compassion also helped win over partners and
there has never been an active Habitat group. The first Cheatham
sponsors within the community to support Habitat’s work. “Those
County house is being built this summer.
“The Dickson model helps a ton,” says Ralph Knauss, Habitat relationships she built, they’re still with us,” Holder-Beneker says.
Greater Nashville’s chief operating officer. “Cheatham might be “She built foundations that aren’t going to tumble.”
Those foundations include strong working relationships with
from scratch, but we can take what we learned from helping Dickother area affiliates. In the months before Midland County Habison when they were in need.
“In both cases, we acted because our success as an affiliate, and tat could find a new executive director, calls of support came from
Habitat’s success as a whole, really boils down to how many families neighboring affiliates in Saginaw and Bay County. As executive diwe’ve served. That’s the whole mission. That’s what we ask ourselves rector, Ehrlich had worked closely with Saginaw Habitat’s Cameron
Brady, who made sure that Midland County’s staff knew they could
to decide if what we’re doing is worth it.”
A 25-year native of the area, Hudgens says Habitat now has a count on his affiliate’s help to continue.
Brady met with Midland County Habitat in person at least four
presence in her community like never before. “There’s really no
comparison. A lot of people didn’t even know we were here before, times in the two months after the affiliate lost Ehrlich. He offered
or what we were,” she says. “Now, it seems everybody in Dickson to send some of his staff to work out of their office if needed. He’s
knows about Habitat or has even been involved in some way. It also taken more phone calls than Midland County’s staff can count.
“He and his colleagues have sent us forms, websites, directions on
was like God was leading us to this point: to ask for help when we
where to go for resources we need,” Holder-Beneker says. “And we’ve
needed it.”
called and asked just a hundred silly little questions that Terri would
know, but we didn’t. We would have sunk without Saginaw’s help.”
She also points to the aid of Habitat Michigan’s state support
organization — an entity that strives to help Michigan’s 77 affiliates better serve their local communities. Tom Williams is Habitat
Michigan’s director of capacity building. On the day of Ehrlich’s
death, he was driving to visit another affiliate in the state. He immediately changed course and made it to Midland the next day, simply
to offer whatever comfort he could.
“Everybody was in shock, people were still trying to get their
heads around it,” Williams recalls. “Just being there was the best
you can do. Habitat is a personal mission, and when you lose somebody, everyone in that mission really feels it.”
Since that day, Williams has been able to assist in more concrete
ways, including helping the affiliate finish vital grant applications
that were in process when Ehrlich passed away. “Tom would be at
“ F o u n d at i o n s t h at a r e n ’ t
going to tumble”
our side any minute we need it,” Holder-Beneker says. “That’s huge,
and he means it.”
Friends help as a Michigan
There have been countless examples of similar, selfless support.
affiliate recovers from loss
A former treasurer came back to help in the office. Construction
O c c a s i o n a l ly, t h e n e e d s o f a H a b i tat a f f i l i at e extend far beyond staff have helped in ways far beyond their job titles. Terri Ehrlich’s
the construction site. Sometimes, the need stretches all the way to sister offered help when needed. One week, she made posters that
were needed for an event at the affiliate’s ReStore.
the heart.
Beyond those examples, other projects have begun to flower
In early March, Midland County Habitat’s much-loved executive director, Terri Ehrlich, died unexpectedly due to complications from seeds that Terri Ehrlich herself helped to plant. During her
from a recent injury. All at once, the Michigan affiliate’s staff, vol- time at Midland County, she championed collaboration between
unteers and partner families found themselves without their leader affiliates in Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay region. Today, the Saginaw
and Bay County affiliates are working with Midland County on
— and without their close friend.
“She was just a really bright light,” says Terri’s husband, Brian, several regional efforts, including an expanded, donor-supported
who worked alongside his wife as Midland County Habitat’s Re- Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.
“Terri left us this opportunity to join forces and share,” says SagiStore manager. “First and foremost, she was a happy, positive person. She’d talk to anybody. And she could convince most anybody naw Habitat’s Brady. “She brought a willingness to work together that
just catapulted our regional efforts to a whole new level. We said we
around here that things could get done — and they did.”
“Whether Terri was working with a partner family or a high-up were going to help and we’re going to do that. Helping now is how we
executive at a corporation, you would never know the difference can follow through on what Terri helped build.”
3
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ha b i tat wo r l d
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See
Habitat World
Beginning with a special preview in October,
Habitat World will offer regular interactive
content and multimedia features on habitat.org.
stories come to life!
See how you’re making a difference through
these new online issues of Habitat World!
Sign up today to receive Habitat World email
updates. Just visit habitat.org/hwemail.
Be among the first 100 new online subscribers and receive a Habitat World hat.
1. Enter your email address
at habitat.org/hwemail.
2. Let us know you signed up. Email
your name and mailing address to
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Act now!
3. Go to mailbox. Open gift. Place hat
on top of head. Wear with pride!
[
18
G l i m p s e s
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]
Families in Tajikistan build on the
foundation of simple, decent housing.
B y S hala C arlson
|
P hotos by S teffan H ac k er
of life
Tu r sun k u l H o s h i m o v w a i t e d ne a r l y h a l f
In Khujand, Tursunkul
Hoshimov, far left, looks out
over the small plot of land
behind his Habitat house
where his family grows fruits
and vegetables. In Shaydon,
Gulandom Qarobeova, above
right, enjoys the sunlight
that streams through the
windows of her newly
completed Habitat house.
his life for a house of his own.
He says it now with a smile so deep it fills even his eyes, but he remembers almost losing hope. Working long days as a police officer
in the city of Khujand, coming home to a crowded two-room apartment that housed eight members of his family. He applied to all of
the appropriate government agencies to request a plot of land so he
could build a house, but never made it any further than the purgatory of a crowded list of local names representing similar appeals.
He waited for 30 years. Hope was hard, he says, but somehow he
kept a small bit of belief alive.
As he tells his story, Tursunkul serves homemade cherry juice,
pouring the sweet burgundy beverage from a wide-mouthed jar
into frosted golden glasses on a low table. His belief, he says, turned
into the miracle of the house he now sits in. Overflowing plates of
fruits and nuts and small dishes of cookies and brightly wrapped
candies clink together as room is made for more — always more, in
the customary warm welcome that awaits guests and visitors to the
Central Asian republic of Tajikistan.
From time to time, Tursunkul’s quietly basso laugh punctuates
the excited chatter of children peeking into the room where their
grandfather sits. Doors open and close as little ones venture out to
the yard behind the house, a bare plot in today’s winter sun but a
space that will, in spring, bear apples, pomegranates, apricots, potatoes and onions. For holidays and special celebrations, his extended
family will come to visit the house he and his son Qahramon helped
build, sleeping outside under the stars when the weather is warm.
“All of this,” the 67-year-old says, “is thanks to Habitat.”
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S i n c e 1 9 9 9 , H a b i t a t f o r Hum a n i t y T a j i k i s t a n
has partnered with families throughout the formerly Soviet nation.
In so much of the mountainous country, life can be as difficult as
the Tajik culture is colorful. In rural areas, work can be hard to find;
in the cities, it’s land that can be elusive. But families everywhere
hunger for a chance to make a change.
In Tajikistan, that change takes different forms — new construction or the completion of half-finished houses, renovation or disastermitigating reinforcement of existing houses and apartments, the development of vocational and construction skills through building and
training centers, the provision of innovative, low-cost water filters.
Some families — like Tursunkul Hoshimov’s — have spent years
in their Habitat houses, grown in to them as they cooked and studied and met challenges and made plans. Others — more all the time
— are just starting down that road of promise and potential.
Habitat’s work begins anew each morning. And so do the everyday lives of Habitat Tajikistan’s partner families.
In h i s sm a l l s h o p o n t h e o u t s k i r t s o f t h e
village of Shaydon, master carpenter Munin Yuldoshev is hard at
work. This morning he’s making window frames, methodically
planing the wood with the help of his young assistant, Suhrob. The
two work quietly, only the sound of their tools and the shavings
from their work filling the air.
When he was a young boy, Munin remembers going to work
with his father and watching him make things. From his father
and grandfather, he says, he learned all of the practices of being a
carpenter, but he knew he needed to understand the theory behind
them. And if he ever wanted to own this shop of his, he needed official certification.
Because employment and skills training can be as scarce in
Shaydon as good housing, Habitat Tajikistan — with support from
Habitat Canada and in partnership with the district’s Department of Education — has opened a building and training center.
The facility offers construction-related and vocational training; its
students generate materials that are sold to the public at affordable
prices or are used in ongoing Habitat house construction and renovation projects. Graduates like Mumin are instantly positioned to
find work — or to open their own businesses. One student at a time,
Habitat is creating skill sets, the financial stability required for better housing and a hope that comes with finding the right path.
The road that runs past Mumin’s carpentry shop continues into
Shaydon and turns into a tree-lined way named Somoniyon Street.
Inside the open door of her storefront, Habitat training center graduate Nigina Masharipova sits behind a gently swaying sewing table.
Gingerly stretching the flowered material of a Tajik national dress,
she slowly pushes down the pedal of her sewing machine with her
shoe, which is adorned by a tiny black bow.
The youngest child in her family, Nigina adds her income to that
of her parents. She’s doing well enough to consider expanding her
offerings soon. A shy 19-year-old, she’s wanted to be a tailor since
she was a child, she says, dreaming of making beautiful dresses.
She remembers the first one she ever sold and how she immediately
used the money to buy more thread. “For me,” she shares, “to find a
job is to find your way in life.”
20
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Clockwise: Habitat Building and Training
Center graduate Nigina Masharipova runs her
own tailoring shop. Shoira Zoidova serves tea
in her family’s freshly painted Habitat house.
Munin Yuldoshev now owns a carpentry
shop, thanks to the skills and certification he
received at Habitat’s Building and Training
Center. Farogat Zoidova and her family
supplement their income by raising chickens
behind their Habitat house.
Watch a multimedia
presentation about
Habitat Tajikistan’s building
and training centers online
at habitat.org/hw.
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W i t h eve r y t h i n g t h a t h a s c h a n g e d f o r t h e
Zohidov family in the past five years, some things are still the same.
Omina still resists sitting down to chat until she’s sent out all
of the prepared plates from the kitchen, until she’s sure that everything is just right. Daughters Manizha and Farzona still help her,
quietly hovering at the edges of the conversation. And Farukh still
firmly presses his fingertips together when he’s making a point he
especially wants to emphasize.
His point today is all that their Habitat house has meant to his
family. The Zohidovs live in a renovated apartment building at Khujand State University, part of a community of 52 Habitat families. In
the five years since they first moved in, the family has been able to
save, acquiring their first car and the washing machine Omina has
always wanted. Their son has entered university. They have more
space and a real kitchen. None of this would have happened, Farukh
says, without Habitat’s help.
But as much as he loves all of these improvements and the progress they represent for his family, there are intangibles that Farukh
loves just as much. His friendships with his neighbors, “brothers,”
he calls them. The peace of mind he feels each day when he gets
home from work. The pride in something he has helped create.
Sometimes, on his own, Farukh makes his way up to the roof of
the Habitat building. From there, he says, “you can see the city like
it was in the palm of your hand.”
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Bun d l e d up a g a i ns t t h e ne w l y f a l l en sn o w ,
2-year-old Najot Qobilov totters back and forth on the sturdy porch
of his grandmother’s newly completed Habitat house. As he entertains everyone within range of his delighted squeals, the pompom
of his knit cap bounces like a ball. He is clearly a source of unending joy for Unziyamoh Abulhaeva, who comes around the corner to
watch his antics.
Unziyamoh has had to search for joy, but with Habitat’s help, the
foundation of her home is almost finally as strong as her determination to improve her living conditions. For 20 years, she lived in a
house of increasing instability. The rocky land under her home was
loose and shifting; earthquake tremors had cracked the walls and
roof. She was, she says, afraid it would collapse at any time.
While her husband would send home what money he could
from his job in Russia — a common occurrence among residents of
the Asht region — Unziyamoh knew that making a change was up
to her. And so she began building a new house just up the hill, with
the help of her son Foteh and their relatives. Unable to afford all of
the materials required for its completion, she applied to Habitat for
financial assistance after hearing about it at the school where she
teaches, and now the house is almost finished. “It will be a relief for
me,” she says, her voice a sigh of contentment.
Her friends and neighbors, she adds with pride, have a hard time
believing that she’s done so much of this by herself. By herself, she
says, but not alone.
“Always when I prayed,” she says, “I would say, ‘Oh, God, let me
meet such people as can help me.’ As a result, He sent me Habitat.
And I am so grateful.”
Clockwise from left: Children from a Habitat
neighborhood in Khujand play soccer. A Habitat
homeowner family in Shaydon welcomes visitors with
traditional Tajik hospitality, which usually includes a
large meal. Two-year-old Najot Qobilov is a frequent
and lively visitor at his grandmother’s Habitat
house. The Zohidov family have lived in their Habitat
apartment in Khujand for five years.
E i g h t-ye a r - o l d M u h a mm a d j o n Z o i d o v s t a n d s
in the courtyard of the Habitat house in which he’s growing up. You
can see echoes of his father and his older brothers in the way he
determinedly puts his hands on his hips, legs stretched wide in a
confident stance.
One of the families’ hens has escaped the coop, and Muhammadjon is plotting how to catch her. Catch her he does, quickly returning her to the rest of the brood, which numbers about 50 in all.
He turns to lift the top of a wooden bin, reaches inside and proffers
an egg with a smile. The family supplements their income by selling
these eggs to neighbors. They also have room to grow grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers and more.
Muhammadjon’s parents, Rajabboy and Farogat, helped build
their Habitat house in 2003. The growing family had lived with Rajabboy’s parents and his brother in a small house until Farogat saw a
Habitat flier at the hospital where she works as a cook.
“We impatiently waited to move into our new house,” Farogat
says. “Most of all, I waited for privacy, to have our own space. And
also I dreamed to have land, this small farm.”
Muhammadjon walks toward the gate, where friends from this
neighborhood of Habitat houses are waiting. He has dreams, too.
He loves math, he says, and wants to be a pilot, his hand drifting up
toward the sky.
A t eve r y t u r n , t h e r e a r e t h ese m o men t s .
A dark-haired girl in a smart red coat celebrates a birthday in
the village of Kumsangir. She smiles as the wind ruffles the fur trim
around her neck, turning quickly as she plays hide-and-seek with
her sister. In a nearby outbuilding, Habitat staffers help her mother
install a locally made water filter, an affordable solution to the family’s lack of regular access to clean water.
In Shaydon, a mother sits in her family’s Habitat house. Sunlight
streams through the bigger windows that she loves so much, illuminating all of the additional space that her two children now enjoy. A
math teacher for 17 years, she sees the difference that decent living
conditions can make in the life of a student. She speaks proudly of
her daughter’s plans to study Russian literature at university.
In Khujand, a philosophy teacher stands at the front of a chilly
classroom, warmed only by his enthusiasm and the rapt attention
of his students. He greeted the day with his wife and children in a
Habitat apartment. He was encouraged to apply by the dean of his
school, an older man who likes to dole out dried apricots from his
garden. There are parallels, the dean tells us, between their calling
and the work of building affordable housing: Our business is about
humanity. Yours is for humanity.
As if to prove his point, a family of five welcomes a group of
strangers from halfway around the world. The family shares a feast
with their guests as they share their plans to improve the Habitat
home they helped build. Generous and funny, they invite their visitors to stay longer, eat more, come back soon. Although this is their
first and perhaps only meeting, in their eyes they are already all
members of the same family. A family — international in scope,
limitless in number — that goes by the name of Habitat.
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23
A Country Profile
Photos by Steffan Hacker
T
his time of year, the cold and damp Bulgarian winter approaches. Crowds make their way
along the modern streets of ancient Sofia, a bitter wind wrapping itself around the warmth of
the city lights. A heavy blanket of snow will soon cover this corner of southeastern Europe,
creating a pristine postcard whose close-up reality is icy sidewalks and village lanes, frigid nighttime
temperatures, and families struggling to stay warm and healthy in too-often crumbling and crowded
housing. Active since 2001, Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria works to improve housing conditions from
the capital city to the countryside, in partnership with local organizations and microfinance institutions.
Sofia | Renovations to
aging apartments
Six-year-old Paulin Nikolovi plays on the floor of
his family’s newly renovated apartment. Paulin’s
father, Petar, was born here and inherited the
declining flat from his father. Through a Habitat
Bulgaria partnership with local microfinance
institution Microfond, Petar took out a small,
low-interest loan to perform much-needed renovations. With help from friends, he upgraded
the apartment’s bathroom, replaced decaying
pipes and wiring, and installed snugly fitted
window frames that more effectively keep out
the cold. Petar also was able to reallocate the
family’s living space, creating a better kitchen
for his wife, Violina, and — for the first time — a
separate bedroom for Paulin and his 6-monthold sister, Toni.
24
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Koilovtsi
Housing improvements
Yaroslav Milanov built his house in this
village outside the community of Pleven
more than 40 years ago for his growing
family. Now retired, his children grown
with children of their own, Yaroslav and
wife, Iliyana Mihaylova, have struggled to
maintain the house. When the roof began
sagging three or four years ago, Iliyana
constantly worried that it would collapse
on the heads of her visiting grandchildren.
After hearing from family members about
the partnership between Habitat Bulgaria
and the Pleven Community Fund, the
couple took a small loan to buy materials,
then happily repaired their roof with help
from a neighbor.
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Koilovtsi
lilyak
sofia
Sofia | Improving accessibility for families with disabled children
When Antoaneta Petrova and her son, Dobi, first moved to Sofia, their apartment was on the 14th floor.
On days when the unreliable elevator didn’t work, 19-year-old Dobi, whose muscular dystrophy means
he uses a wheelchair, was a prisoner in his own home. After two years of waiting and working, the family found a first-floor apartment and relocated, but there were still at least a dozen steps to navigate at
the building’s entrance. Through Habitat Bulgaria, Antoaneta has taken out a housing microfinance loan
to make improvements, including the purchase of a ramp that gives Dobi more freedom.
26
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Lilyak | Access to running water
Many families in the small village of Lilyak lack access to running water. Throughout Europe, Roma
communities like Lilyak are often excluded from society and struggle for equality of access and
opportunity. Here, city services stop short of the Roma community, ending in nearby Targovishte.
Residents often walk up to 800 meters to water sources (about a half-mile), bringing back as much as
they can carry for their households. Habitat Bulgaria is partnering with the local
Club of Non-Governmental Organizations
in the hopes that the two groups can work
with these families to find solutions. Stefan Nikolov and his wife, Asia Marinova,
have borrowed 400 leva (about USD$290)
through the partnership, funds the family
of five used to connect their house to the
closest water main.
Sofia | Energy efficiency
A maze of concrete high-rises sits on the residential western outskirts of Sofia. Like so many of
its formerly Soviet counterparts, Bulgaria continues to struggle with districts full of these towering — and deteriorating — apartment buildings. With an eye toward helping families make repairs
and increase the energy efficiency of their homes, Habitat Bulgaria has begun to assess the need
and raise awareness about the types of assistance the organization could provide. Staff members
have begun seeking out existing homeowners’ associations, officials from local districts and municipalities, and individual families and groups of families who might be interested in partnering.
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FieldNotes
Perspectives from around Habitat’s world
Affiliate Spotlight
Gateway Expansion
To reach new communities, Habitat St. Louis adapts its ways
B y P hillip J ordan
Volunteers have helped Habitat St. Louis
create more than 300 homes since 1986.
Beginning this fall, the affiliate ventures
Habitat St. Louis
into new territory to reach more families.
F
or nearly the entirety of Habitat for Humanity St. Louis’
existence, the affiliate has
concentrated its efforts on St.
Louis’ North City. Blighted
land, crumbling properties
and abandoned communities
have provided Habitat with a chance to create substantive and visible change.
Since its founding in 1986, Habitat St.
Louis has built or repaired more than 300
houses in North City — safe homes for more
than 1,000 parents and children in the area.
Last year, more than 3,000 volunteers helped
Habitat build 23 of those homes.
But need exists throughout the region,
and the affiliate wants to reach new places.
This fall, Habitat St. Louis will begin work-
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ing, for the first time, in South City.
“Our biggest goal is to have a broader
presence,” says Kimberly McKinney, Habitat St. Louis CEO. “We don’t want to have
someone say, ‘Habitat? Oh yeah, they work
in North City.’ We want to provide families with hope in every part of the city and
throughout St. Louis County.”
That ambition comes to life with the
construction of five homes in South City’s
historic Carondelet neighborhood. Over
the next two years, Habitat hopes to build
at least another dozen homes here.
The southern section of St. Louis hasn’t
suffered the scars and abandonment that
have plagued North City. Its working-class
neighborhoods, however, include homes in
need of repairs and plenty of infill opportu-
nities where new housing could be built with
low-income families.
In Carondelet, Habitat St. Louis enters
a neighborhood with promising assets.
A growing and diverse population, a reemerging business district, parks and public
transit options make the neighborhood ideal
for residential growth. Still, to succeed here,
new challenges have forced Habitat St. Louis
to learn a few new tricks.
For starters, Habitat needed to collaborate with new municipalities, development
agencies and, most prominently, historicpreservation groups. Carondelet was initially
established as an independent village and its
boundaries include some of St. Louis’ most
historic homes. To build in the neighborhood, which is listed on the National Regis-
Find Habitat World online at
HABITAT.ORG/HW
Read weekly updates at
HABITAT.ORG/BLOG
“Sometimes, even if something’s
not broke, you still need to fix it
to find better solutions!”
— kimberly mckinney,
Habitat St. Louis
ter of Historic Places, Habitat St. Louis worked
to pass three layers of design approval.
Habitat also has tirelessly assured neighbors that affordable housing doesn’t have
to detract from the neighborhood’s historic
nature. Tom Purcell is chairman of the
Carondelet Housing Corporation, a locally
based group that supports efforts to preserve
and develop quality housing in the community. Purcell’s group first invited Habitat to
work in the neighborhood; he says Habitat’s
collaborative spirit has won over skeptics.
“There were some disagreements at first
about how Habitat’s design fits the area, but
Habitat hosted a series of meetings, made
tweaks and showed a willingness to adjust,”
Purcell says. “At the same time, Habitat also
explained their commitment not to give up
on their principles and how they’re trying to
serve who they need to serve in their mission. It impressed people.”
“The best thing is that the people we’re
working with care deeply about making
the community an even better place to
live,” McKinney adds. “It’s been a challenge, but it’s made us think more creatively about how we can work.”
That creativity extends to the construction site, too. Building on more
constrained sites, doing infill housing and
coming up with new schedules for volunteers have all been re-learning experiences. “Flexibility is huge,” McKinney says.
“We’ve had to adapt in a couple of ways,
especially since we’re not taking over an
entire neighborhood, like we have so often in the past.
“It’s making us smarter. Sometimes,
even if something’s not broke, you still need
to fix it to find better solutions!”
Purcell says he suspects that approach
might be one of the reasons Habitat continues to grow. “As a businessman, I’m
impressed,” says Purcell. “I treat Habitat as
a respected developer. What I’ve realized
is that when Habitat comes into a community, they deal honestly with what and
who is already there.
“They have a vision for St. Louis and a
very focused dedication on accomplishing
it. But what they’ve done here — working
on new designs, doing infill housing — it
shows they have flexibility, too.”
Be a blogger of the week! »
Have you recently enjoyed a great
experience on a Habitat build site? Does
your affiliate or national organization have
exciting news to share with the rest of the
Habitat world? Do you have a personal
story that speaks to the lasting benefits of
simple, decent housing?
Send us your stories, and we’ll
consider including them on the Habitat
World blog. To get started, take a look at
habitat.org/blog for inspiration, then email
your best 300-500 words to habitatworld@
habitat.org. If your post is selected, our
editors will be in touch — and you’ll be
one of our bloggers of the week!
FieldNotes
Find Habitat World online at
HABITAT.ORG/HW
Read weekly updates at
HABITAT.ORG/BLOG
Perspectives from around Habitat’s world
Moving Forward on a Promise
The 2011 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project supports local efforts in Haiti
L
ess than a month after the January
2010 earthquake forever altered
Haiti’s landscape, Habitat for Humanity made a bold commitment.
Over the next five years, Habitat
would seek to serve 50,000 earthquakeaffected families, helping Haitians move
toward safer, more secure, permanent places
to call home.
From Nov. 5-12, that pledge will take new
shape, when more than 400 international
volunteers work alongside Haitian families to
build 100 core houses in Leogane, Haiti. The
November event is the first of back-to-back
Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Projects
scheduled to take place in the country. Each
year, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and
his wife, Rosalynn, give a week of their time
to lead volunteers in building homes and
raising awareness of the need for affordable
housing. In 2011 and 2012, the Carter Work
Project heads to Haiti.
“Like the rest of the world, Rosalynn and
I were heartbroken to see the devastation
and despair that the earthquake brought
onto a country already so impoverished,”
says President Carter. “We are pleased to
join Habitat volunteers and the Haitian
people to rebuild homes and to bring attention to the ongoing support needed for
Haiti’s recovery.”
International volunteers will dedicate
their time and resources to support efforts
in Leogane, a town about 20 miles west of
Port-au-Prince. The earthquake that flattened the country’s capital actually had its
violent epicenter eight miles below the dry
ground of Leogane, damaging or destroying
more than 80 percent of the town’s structures and leaving thousands homeless.
Since the earthquake, more than 27,000
Haitian families have partnered with
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jason asteros
B y P hillip J ordan
Habitat through a variety of construction
programs: emergency shelter kits, transitional and upgradable shelters, and repairs.
Habitat’s housing damage assessments and
household mapping and surveying have
benefited thousands more.
The earthquake also left survivors without the means to rebuild and without jobs to
make a living. Habitat Haiti has trained locals
and provided job opportunities through the
construction of upgradable and transitional
shelters for those who lost everything.
The 400 international volunteers supporting this year’s Carter Work Project will
build with many of those Haitians trained
through Habitat’s local resource center.
Together, their work will help 100 families
craft a new future for their resilient community. Eventually, this site will provide as
many as 500 families with a healthy, secure
place to heal, grow and thrive.
From the very beginning, Habitat has
worked in partnership with families here
to envision this new community, called
“Santo.” Once the land was secured, Habitat
engaged potential new homeowners in the
design, planning and decision-making for
This fall, a field in Leogane’s Santo community
will be filled with neighbors and volunteers
building 100 new Habitat houses.
the new neighborhood.
Habitat has worked with these families
to address all the needs the community
might have: house designs, environmental concerns, employment opportunities,
proper water and sanitation, education and
infrastructure. The community also is helping Habitat identify the most vulnerable
families that need to be reached first.
“We are doing this right from the beginning,” says Claude Jeudy, Habitat Haiti’s
national director. “If this is also in the hands
of the local community from the start, we
can better ensure we’re increasing self-sufficiency among the families and that we’re
creating sustainable solutions.”
go online »
The 2011 Jimmy & Rosalynn
Carter Work Project travels to Haiti Nov. 5-12.
Keep up to date at habitat.org/cwp/2011.
ComingHome
g
The camera captures a moment in time
BRIGHTER TIMES ahead
E ight- year- old Omar Vasquez studies for school inside his family’s makeshift home in San Martin Jilote-
peque, Guatemala. Omar’s textbook and face are illuminated by sunshine penetrating through cracks in the wooden shelter.
For 25 years, Omar’s grandparents — Maria Teresa Ramirez and Miguel Angel Juares, pictured in the background — had lived
in the same house. As their family grew to include children such as Omar’s father, Edwin Yoani Vazquez, space grew tighter.
To ease the suffocating conditions, Maria and Miguel recently moved into this improvised structure with Omar, Edwin and
two other grandchildren. Thankfully, their time here is temporary. Soon, Omar will have more space — and light — to study
in a new, block home the family is building with Habitat Guatemala. “Omar always arrives back at the house after school and
immediately asks about the volunteers,” says his grandmother, Maria Teresa. “The volunteers all work so hard, also chatting and
playing with the children. We are very happy we have the opportunity to know them and to work together to build the house.”
P h o t o
B y
E z r a
M i l l s t e i n
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121 Habitat Street, Americus, GA 31709-3498
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HABITAT FOR
HUMANITY
INTERNATIONAL
Give a gift that opens doors.
This season, when you send a Habitat for
Humanity Gift from the Heart card, you help
open the door to safe, decent and affordable
shelter for families around the world.
When you order a Gift from the Heart for
someone you care about, a donation will
be made in their name. In addition, they’ll
receive a memorable note card confirming
your thoughtful gift.*
Visit us at habitat.org/gfh, or call us at
1-800-HABITAT to learn more about how
you can help open doors.
*Available in e-card or postal delivery options.
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
121 Habitat Street
Americus, GA 31709-3498