INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS 2016 IMPACT REPORT
You’ve helped more families than ever before achieve strength, stability and self-reliance. Thanks to supporters like you, 2016 was a year of record achievement for Habitat for Humanity Canada, both locally in Canada, and globally. Please accept our deepest gratitude on behalf of all the families you’ve helped, and allow me to share some highlights of the past year’s accomplishments in our global work. In 2016, your donations directly supported more than 1,300 families around the world through a variety of housing solutions, including new construction, home improvements and community support services. In total, more than 6,700 people were directly served through interventions such as homebuilding, home repairs and renovations, community infrastructure improvements and training programs. Every family you’ve helped has a personal story of how their lives have changed for the better through Habitat’s work. Like Yabunwork Lema, and her granddaughter Bethlehem, in Ethiopia who no longer have to worry about health problems caused by their poor home conditions. Or Risper Atonga, in Kenya, who was able to secure a small loan to expand on her home to create more space for her family, who were living in overcrowded conditions. You can find out more about their stories and how you’ve helped in the following pages. It is thanks to you that so many lives have changed. With your continued support, we plan to help many more. Our goals for 2017, both at home and abroad, are to help more families than ever before access safe and decent housing. This summer, in Canada, volunteers will build alongside 150 families as part of the 34th Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, marking Canada’s 150th anniversary with Habitat Canada’s biggest build project ever. To match this effort internationally, Habitat Canada aims to build 150 homes across the world in 2017, more than doubling our impact through our Global Neighbours Program.
message from the CEO 2
These achievements and life-changing stories of empowerment were only made possible thanks to supporters like you. Your generosity and commitment to our mission continues to provide housing solutions for families at home and across the world. Sincerely,
Mark Rodgers, PhD President & CEO Habitat for Humanity Canada
the need
The need for affordable housing stretches far beyond our local communities. Around the world, one in four people are in need of safe and decent housing and the number of families living in urban slums is growing faster than ever before.
Through shelter, we empower Habitat builds strength, stability and self-reliance through home construction and home repairs and improvements. We also improve the health of communities through water and sanitation solutions, as well as infrastructure improvements, and homeowner training on home maintenance and financial literacy. Families partner with Habitat all over the world to build homes and better lives for themselves, their children and their community. Habitat also provides technical assistance and access to building materials, helping families build a safer, structurally improved home. The Global Neighbours Program is Habitat Canada’s portfolio of rotational grants that aims to grow our international impact. These grants are provided annually to projects around the world that support families in need of affordable housing. The following pages highlight just some of the ways that the Global Neighbours Program is making a difference for families and communities across the globe.
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Around the world, a house is much more than a home. A house is a deeply personal and emotional financial investment for any family. Safe and decent shelter that families can afford creates a new cycle filled with possibilities and progress. There is a direct link between improved shelter and financial well-being, health and education. It is the foundation on which a family lives today and prepares for tomorrow.
A BARRIER FROM DISEASE Safe and secure housing can save lives. A simple thing such as screens can help reduce infographic the risk of malaria, a threat that claims the lives of over 600,000 people annually. Improved water and sanitation reduces the risk of diarrheal diseases that claim the lives of more than two million people annually. Pneumonia caused by household air pollution is attributable to 50% of premature deaths in children under five worldwide but improved ventilation systems can reduce respiratory diseases and fire hazards.
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A BRIGHTER FUTURE There is a direct correlation between the quality of housing and the well-being of families. With a safe, dry and warm home, children show improved grades and educational success, opening up unlimited possibilities for an improved future. Many Habitat homeowners across the globe operate businesses from their homes whether it’s a retail shop or services such as sewing or cleaning clothes. For these families, their Habitat homes improve their livelihoods, the well-being of their families, and the economic development of their communities.
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A SAFE HAVEN A structurally sound home protects against intrusion as well as natural disasters giving families peace of mind and stability. An accessible Habitat home opens new doors for elderly homeowners or those with disabilities, preserving their dignity and building their independence and self-reliance. Beyond the security found in their walls, Habitat homes also bring a sense of community and safety for families who may have previously faced discrimination or isolation. For Habitat homeowners worldwide, a home is a safe haven where their families can thrive.
year in review In 2016 you helped support
1,404 families
in Ethiopia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti. Our reach also extended to have impact in the following ways:
5,168
1,426
In 2016, 5,168 people were directly served through interventions such as home construction, home repairs and improvements, water and sanitation solutions, infrastructure improvements and homeowner training.
In total, 1,426 Canadian volunteers participated on 119 Habitat for Humanity Global Village trips in 2016. Volunteers worked hand in hand with 135 families in 27 countries.
people served directly
Canadian volunteers
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results In 2016, your support helped empower families around the world to build better lives for themselves and their children through the construction of new homes or critical home improvements and skills training.
41 families in new homes Forty-one new homes were built in partnership with families in four projects in Ethiopia, Cambodia, El Salvador and Honduras providing a foundation for a better future for vulnerable families.
22 families in improved homes Twenty-two home renovations in Honduras included improvements to roofs, converting dirt floors to concrete, securing homes with doors and windows as well as improving the health and sanitation of homes.
92 families with access to improved sanitation Seventy-seven water and sanitation solutions were built to restore dignity and improve health for families and communities in our partner countries. In Honduras and El Salvador, 72 household toilets were provided for individual families. In Ethiopia, five communal washrooms were completed which are being shared among 20 families to improve health for families and communities.
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2,074 people empowered through training Individuals were trained in various topics including financial literacy in Ethiopia, home maintenance in Honduras, community training for at-risk youth in El Salvador and land access awareness workshops in Cambodia.
4,000+ people using improved community infrastructure Eight infrastructure projects were completed in the community of Simon-PelĂŠ in Haiti. These projects included repaving and providing electricity and lighting to main streets to benefit more than 4,000 community members with improved mobility, sanitation, and safety.
25,197 people accessed microloans for their homes In partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, Habitat worked with six financial service providers to create small housing loan products for low-income families in Kenya and Uganda. As a result, more than 25,000 individuals gained access to microloans in 2016 to improve their own homes. 7
joining forces to transform a community in Ethiopia Because of your support, what started as a project that would improve living conditions for 20 families in the town of Fitche in Ethiopia, doubled in impact. Through a partnership with cbm Canada, we were able to support 40 vulnerable families with disabilities. Working together to develop and build an accessible home design that focuses on integrating families with disabilities back into the community. Through this partnership we're creating a ripple effect in this community in the following ways:
Meet Yabunwork Lema Yabunwork Lema is a widow and a grandmother who used to live in an old rented house in a slum area of Fitche. On a small pension she supports her daughter and granddaughter Bethlehem who is eight years old and suffers from cerebral palsy. In addition to having no kitchen, toilet, or running water, the poor condition of the home was creating health problems for the family. In November 2016, Yabunwork and her family moved into their new Habitat home in Fitche. The home is safe and accessible and there is space for Bethlehem to play. In their new, healthy home, Yabunwork no longer needs to worry about her home conditions posing a risk to her family – this has been lifechanging for her. “I can’t find the words to thank those who helped us,” says Yabunwork.
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Empowerment
Dignity
40 families
100 families
supported with access with disabilities to sanitation facilities supported with new, and community safe, accessible homes integration for people with disabilities
In partnership with:
Leverage Dollars
Doubling
our impact with matching donations from $200,000 to $400,000
empowering youth in El Salvador
The “Building Young Neighbours for Peace” project brings together young people in three at-risk communities in El Salvador to participate as volunteers on six different home builds. In the process of transforming the lives of six families through improved shelter, this project gave more than 500 vulnerable youth an opportunity to help build four homes in their communities in 2016. “To work alongside my classmates who are in unity with others for a good cause, has been a great experience, and one that has marked my life. I have some classmates who are violent, but here they have taken on a different attitude. We are fostering peace, working here together, motivated to help this family.” - Sara Sofia Renderos, Building Young Neighbours for Peace volunteer
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peace of mind for families in Cambodia The goals of the “Safe and Empowered Communities� project in Cambodia are to secure land tenure for low-income families living in informal settlement communities and provide 40 families with new, affordable homes. In 2016, 15 families in Cambodia were supported with a new home, making their dreams of safe, decent and affordable housing a reality. In addition, more than 1,200 people living in informal settlement communities were provided training workshops on how to secure land tenure through official channels, which would eliminate their risk of eviction.
Meet Nguon Saroeun You and your family, friends and colleagues can take part in a life-changing Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip to Cambodia this year. A special event, a Big Build, involving 200 volunteers will be taking place in Battambang, Cambodia, from November 13 – 17 2017 For more information contact Karla Bonilla at kbonilla@habitat.ca 10
Like many other low-income families in Cambodia, Nguon Saroeun, along with her husband and daughter, used to live in an informal settlement community on public land in Cambodia. Saroeun suffers from chronic illness due to diabetes and arthritis, but together with her husband they make a small living from their monthly pensions as retired members of the military. Living in an informal settlement they faced challenges including no water supply, poisonous insects, poor sanitation, and an unclean environment made significantly worse with flooding during the rainy season. With the support of Habitat for Humanity, Saroeun first received a secure land plot which eliminated the fear of eviction, and then qualified for a partial home subsidy for a new Habitat home. Since moving into their new home, Nguon says that she feels very safe and happy to live in a clean environment with improved sanitation and security from flooding.
celebrating five years of rebuilding in Haiti Habitat Canada was the first NGO working in Simon Pelé in Haiti after the earthquake that left 1.5 million people without shelter. By the end of 2016, after five years working in the community, 250 homes were retrofitted and more than 3,200 residents were trained in topics such as construction, business developments, disaster risk reduction and vocational skills. The “Investing People and Business” project, undertaken in partnership with the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, aimed to strengthen the long-term economic future and social fabric of Simon Pelé.
5,225 community members directly supported 1200+ people experienced an increase in paid employment 250 retrofitted homes attracted $10 million from the World Bank to continue the rebuilding work! In partnership with:
Meet Dominique Bourjolly Dominique Bourjolly, 28 years old, was devastated to find herself living out of a makeshift tent with her four children after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti left her home damaged and uninhabitable. It was the only home that she had ever known. Months later, Habitat began work in her community, Simon Pelé, and supported Dominique and her family through a retrofitted home. “Habitat did a great job in this neighbourhood. Before the repairs started, most of the homes in this area did not have support. Habitat came in and retrofitted them and educated our community on the ways to build back better for the future. Habitat also held training sessions to teach our community about construction and basic household repairs. I received an actual certificate and tool kit upon completing the training series. I felt empowered as I walked away with my certificate!”
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Improving housing quality for people in sub-Saharan Africa the need Almost 99 per cent of people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to formal financing including housing loans that would enable families to start building or improving a home. Traditionally, people in Africa build incrementally, as their resources allow, so housing is a process, not a product. These families cannot afford a long-term, traditional mortgage. Instead they build in stages – creating a makeshift shelter and then eventually replacing it with permanent materials and expanding it. Small, short-term loans can fund the steps in this process with payments that are affordable for families with little money who want to improve their living conditions.
about the partnership In partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, Habitat Canada's "Building Assets, Unlocking Access" project uses a unique marketbased approach to build the capacity of local financial institutions to develop housing microloans for low-income families. The project also seeks to convene and support other actors in the housing process, including local masons and construction companies. Ultimately, this work focuses on families and improving lives through better housing.
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25,000 families
have accessed loans to improve their homes
Meet Risper Atonga Risper Atonga has lived with her husband Jacob Okello Atonga in Kenya on a piece of land they bought in 2010. Together they have six children and one grandchild and the whole family of nine used to live in a one-room house.
“With this loan, I have been able to start building a house. When I complete this house my children will have a better place to stay.”
Risper and her husband make a monthly income of about CAD$270 growing sugar cane and maize and selling dry fish. Risper heard of a small housing loan for home renovations and improvements from her bank, which was developed as part of Habitat’s “Building Assets, Unlocking Access” project. Risper and her husband qualified for a CAD$2700 loan to be paid back over 24 months and used it to purchase some of the remaining materials needed to expand her home to have a sitting room, two bedrooms, a veranda and an outside kitchen. Risper’s home is currently under construction with support from skilled artisans and her loan officer to ensure her new home will be safe, decent and affordable.
-Risper Atonga
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Cossette’s team building trip to Cambodia In April 2016, 19 team members from Cossette embarked on a Habitat Global Village trip to the Battambang community in Cambodia. Cossette team members worked together alongside Cambodian families to help build safe, decent and affordable homes. This project in Battambang would not have been possible without Cossette's support of the Global Neighbours Program. A long-time supporter of Habitat Canada's international work, this trip was an opportunity to see their dollars in action. “At Cossette we believe that the mission of Habitat for Humanity, to provide safe and affordable housing for families, is extremely meaningful and is making a real difference in Canada and around the world,” says Brett Marchand, CEO of Vision 7 and Cossette.
Brett Marchand, CEO of Vision 7 and Cossette
From the passion of the fundraising to the comradery of the trip and build, together the team shared experiences and stories that they will never forget. "Our support made a real impact on how employees feel about our company and our values,” says Brett, “A Global Village trip will change your life forever.” Thanks to the generous support of:
Take part in a life-changing Habitat for Humanity Global Village trip to the Cambodia Big Build this November. For more information contact Karla Bonilla at kbonilla@habitat.ca 14
Separated by 10,000 miles, connected by identical dreams. Building impact at home and abroad Habitat for Humanity works in communities across Canada to make affordable homeownership a reality for families who need a hand up. Thanks to all 56 local Habitats working in communities across Canada contribute to our global mission by supporting the Global Neighbours program. To find your local Habitat visit habitat.ca Habitat would like to recognize the following local Habitats working across Canada for their outstanding commitment to Habitat’s global mission. For every home that they built for a family locally in 2016, they supported the cost of a home to serve one family internationally through the Global Neighbours Home for Home program. Habitat Brant-Norfolk Habitat Camrose Habitat Chatham-Kent Habitat Edmonton Habitat Greater Ottawa Habitat Greater Vancouver Habitat Grey Bruce Habitat Huronia Habitat Iqaluit Habitat Kamloops Habitat Kingston Limestone Region Habitat Lethbridge Habitat On the Border, Lloydminster
Habitat Mid-Vancouver Island Habitat Newfoundland & Labrador Habitat Niagara Habitat Northumberland Habitat Northwest Territories Habitat Okanagan Habitat Ontario Gateway North Habitat Peterborough & Kawartha Region Habitat Prince Albert Habitat Prince-Edward Hastings Habitat Prince Edward Island Habitat QuĂŠbec Habitat Sarnia/Lambton
Habitat Saskatoon Habitat Sault Ste. Marie Habitat South Georgian Bay Habitat Sunshine Coast Habitat Thousand Islands Habitat Thunder Bay Habitat Victoria Habitat Waterloo Region Habitat Wellington Dufferin Guelph Habitat Windsor-Essex Habitat Wood Buffalo Habitat Yukon
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You can make a difference! Your action today will help double the families reached in 2017 This past year, your support was life-changing for families across the globe, but the work is not done. The number of families living in urban slums is growing faster than ever before. Now, more than ever, families around the world need your support. Join the movement to help families build strength, stability and self-reliance. Here are three ways you can help:
support global neighbours
build with us abroad
become an ambassador
Give now and be part of a global movement. Donate to our Global Neighbours fund and your dollars will be leveraged with contributions from other like-minded donors, reaching hundreds more families in need.
Join the thousands of volunteers from around the world who are working hand in hand with families to improve living conditions.
As an ambassador for Habitat Canada we welcome you to advocate, raise awareness and fundraise on behalf of Habitat Canada and families around the world.
Contact resourcedevelopment@habitat.ca for more information.
To learn more, visit habitat.ca/intl
To participate in a Habitat Global Village trip to support families in one of our projects around the world please contact globalvillage@habitat.ca for more information.
To learn more visit our website at www.habitat.ca or contact your local Habitat office.