Habitat continues efforts to rebuild Haiti

Habitat for Humanity China is extending its “lai see” or red packet campaign in Hong Kong to raise funds for post-earthquake reconstruction in Haiti to March. The campaign was launched in late January to encourage supporters to donate the money from the traditional cash gifts received during the Lunar New Year. About 260 churches received direct mail appeals with a written endorsement by Dr Lawrence Yick, general secretary of the Chinese YMCA in Hong Kong, to support Habitat’s rebuilding effort in Haiti. In addition to churches, HFH China sent tens of thousands of direct mailers to corporate supporters, members of American, British, Canadian and French chambers of commerce as well as residential households.

As part of the fourth Habitat on the Hill conference which began on 24th February, more than 240 advocates and supporters of Habitat will gather in Washington, D.C., to ask the US Congress to set aside funding to support Habitat’s transitional and permanent shelter solutions in Haiti. Learn more about the three-day legislative and advocacy conference.

Meanwhile, in the US and Dominican Republic, Habitat volunteers are pressing on with the preparation of emergency shelter kits for earthquake-affected Haitians. Thousands of such kits will be assembled at the Whirlpool Distribution Center in Georgia, US, and shipped to Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti which was devastated by the 12th January earthquake. Earlier, 500 kits which were prepared by volunteers in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, had arrived in Port-au-Price for distribution. Each kit comprises building materials and tools for basic home repairs and construction of temporary shelter. Items in each sealed bucket include tarpaulin, utility wire, solid braided rope, a pry bar, a mason chisel, roofing nails, a hammer and a saw. Read more. To view photos of the kits being assembled, click here.

Under a collaboration between Purdue University in the US state of Indiana and US and international Habitat chapters, a group of engineering students are designing homes for Habitat. The students belong to a project which first began two years ago to focus on safe and stable designs to expand core homes built by Habitat. More details.

Following Habitat for Humanity’s announcement that it aims to help 50,000 earthquake-hit families in Haiti, Latin American star Ricky Martin has added muscle to the appeal by producing a video featuring various celebrities. The Ricky Martin Foundation is partnering with Habitat to rebuild lives and communities in Haiti. Well-known faces such as singers Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Julio Inglesias, actress Eva Longoria and comedian Ellen DeGeneres urged viewers to rebuild hope, rebuild homes and rebuild Haiti. Watch the short video.

To mark International Women’s Day, Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh is organizing a Women Build on 5th March. It is inviting volunteers for a one-day build in Savar in the capital Dhaka where they will be involved with a range of tasks including laying foundations. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to take part in an open dialogue on issues which affect Bangladeshi women. For more details, check out HFH Bangladesh’s new Facebook account.

For the same occasion, HFH India will also host more than 100 volunteers in Bangalore, in the south of the country, for a Women Build. The event will open with a special ceremony to commemorate International Women’s Day and the two-week blitz build will see some 20 homes built in the slum resettlement of Hegde Nagar, north of the city. In addition to building homes, the volunteers will be able to visit self-help groups whose members are saving toward the cost of their Habitat houses. Read more.

Two houses built by a Global Village team from the US were dedicated in the Western Highlands province, Papua New Guinea. About 21 houses have been built in the Western Highlands by Habitat for Humanity and its partners. Families who benefited from permanent houses include Lina Boldy, a mother of five who is an amputee. Habitat also partnered with local organizations to raise the awareness of HIV and Aids in communities where Habitat works. Young people in the community were trained to help Habitat families farm timber from their forests with the use of chainsaws and sawmills. The Western Highlands provincial government provided additional support worth 50,000 kina (about US$18,100).

Habitat for Humanity Singapore will open registration for its annual barefoot 5 km charity walk, Bare Your Sole, this weekend (27th February). It will also unveil its partnership with Barclays Bank which will be the title sponsor. Local actresses Eileen Wee and Irene Ang, singers Gayle Marilyn Nerva and Xue Yi, and Singapore bands Reverie Band and 2 Peas in a Pod will provide entertainment for the launch. Walking barefoot gives participants a chance to experience one of the commonest features faced by impoverished families — going without shoes. This year’s event, the second, will be held in June at a park in the east of the island nation. More than 800 people took part in last year’s walk.

Globe Telecom is organizing the second Run for Home race on 21st March in aid of a Habitat for Humanity Philippines project to build and refurbish homes in a resettlement community in Laguna province. The organizers aim to attract 8,000 participants with a few novel features. The race in Makati City, Metro Manila, will allow runners’ times to be automatically updated on their Facebook accounts upon reaching the finishing line. Runners will also be given singlets made from recycled plastic (PET) bottles in a nod to the environment. Participants can choose from 3 km, 5 km, 10 km, 15 km or 21 km races. More information.

Disaster Response News

HFH India starts rebuilding in flood-stricken Andhra Pradesh

Habitat for Humanity India has started post-flood reconstruction in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Under an agreement with the state government, HFH India will build more than 400 new houses for families affected by massive floods which struck Andhra Pradesh last October. By the third quarter of 2010, HFH India expects to have built some 430 new homes with another 400 houses renovated or repaired. The state government has agreed to fund US$653,600 for the new house construction, covering nearly 80 percent of the US$1,850-per-house cost. Each house will have access to electricity, water and sanitation. Under the repairs and renovations project, the cost per house is estimated at US$200 and will be covered by Habitat and its partners. Habitat will also work with local community development organizations — Society for National Integration through Education and Humanizing Action (SNEHA) and Association for Needy and Kindle the Illiterate Through Action (ANKITA) — on the flood response. There will be a repayment component for both new construction and repair projects for the portions funded by Habitat. Repayments will be channeled into a revolving Habitat fund to support other disaster response projects.

HFH Philippines distributes water filters to typhoon-hit communities
Habitat for Humanity Philippines has received a donation of 40 water filters for communities affected by Typhoons Ketsana, Parma and Mirinae last year. To date, 15 of the water filters have been distributed to public schools which serve as evacuation centers in Pangasinan province. HFH Philippines and its partners have distributed nearly 2,600 shelter repair kits in communities affected by the typhoons. The latest distribution was made at the Lingayen Gulf resettlement site in Pangasinan where 256 families received the kits.


Other News

Home dedication for Carter Work Project families in Vietnam

Thirty-two Vietnamese families who built their homes during last November’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project moved in ahead of Tet or Lunar New Year, the most important holiday of the year in Vietnam. A home dedication ceremony was held last month with all 32 families, government partners and Habitat for Humanity Vietnam staff in attendance. A Global Village team also helped prepare the ground for the laying of foundations for a new kindergarten in Dong Xa village, site of the Carter Work Project outside the capital, Hanoi. Read more.

Habitat for Humanity Australia has unveiled its annual report for 2009. It looks back on its record for 2009 where its partnerships assisted nearly 950 families through shelter, house repairs, and access to water, sanitation and electricity supply in the Asia-Pacific region. In Australia, Habitat has helped 83 families achieve their dreams of home ownership. More details. (2.7 MB)

Students’ day out at HFH Japan’s office
Six Japanese students who spent a day helping out at Habitat for Humanity Japan’s office in Tokyo found the reason for volunteering. The students from Tokyo Jogakkan Middle School volunteered their time as part of their school’s social responsibility program. One volunteer said: “Through this visit, I learnt how important it is to have a house to go home to. Seeing how Habitat’s programs are worth giving a try, I would like to sign up for it when I am in college.” Read on.

Habitat to mark 100,000th family served in Latin America and Caribbean
More than 30 years ago, Habitat started working in the Latin America and Caribbean region by building its first house in Guatemala. Come March, Habitat will mark its 100,000th family served in conjunction with the World Urban Forum to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Read more.


This and That

New contact details for HFH India’s Mumbai office
Habitat for Humanity India’s national office and resource center in Mumbai has moved. The new address is: 303, Dhanthak Plaza, Makwana Road, Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai 400 059. Telephone: +91 22 2920 9851/52. Fax: +91 22 2920 9854.

Habitat for Humanity is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Published by Habitat for Humanity’s Asia-Pacific office, Bangkok, Thailand.