Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International helps to turn such expectations into reality by transforming lives through the provision of safe, decent and affordable homes.A decent home opens the door to improved health, better performance in school, greater economic opportunities and increased community cohesion. For 35 years, Habitat for Humanity has been a catalyst for such transformations, often achieving great success by working with like-minded partners. The impact is not only felt by families whom Habitat helps. Entire communities are also transformed when partners support Habitat by providing power, water and sanitation facilities, schools, community facilities and employment opportunities.

The challenges of combating poverty housing are complex. The Asia-Pacific region encompasses many unique and diverse societies. A housing solution that makes sense on an island in the western Pacific is very different to what works in a New Zealand suburb. Or a fishing village in Orissa. Or a slum in Metro Manila. Or a mountain village in China.Every day, across the Asia-Pacific region, Habitat for Humanity and family partner rise together to the challenges.

Koinonia Farm and the Fund for Humanity
The concept that grew into Habitat for Humanity was born in the USA at Koinonia Farm, a small, interracial, Christian farming community. Koinonia Farm was founded in 1942 outside of Americus, Georgia, by farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordan (pictured right) and others to promote racial reconciliation. 
Millard (middle photo) and Linda Fuller first visited Koinonia in 1965. They had recently left a successful business and an affluent lifestyle in Montgomery, Alabama to begin a new life of Christian service.

At Koinonia, Jordan and Fuller developed the concept of "partnership housing." The concept centered on those in need of adequate shelter working side by side with volunteers to build simple, decent houses.

The houses would be built at no profit and interest would not be charged on the loans. Building costs would be financed by a revolving fund called “The Fund for Humanity.” The fund's money would come from the new homeowners' house payments, no-interest loans provided by supporters and money earned by fund-raising activities. The monies in the Fund for Humanity would be used to build more houses.

An open letter to the friends of Koinonia Farm told of the new future for Koinonia:“What the poor need is not charity but capital, not caseworkers but co-workers. And what the rich need is a wise, honorable and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance. The Fund for Humanity will meet both of these needs. Money for the fund will come from shared gifts by those who feel they have more than they need and from non-interest bearing loans from those who cannot afford to make a gift but who do want to provide working capital for the disinherited…The fund will give away no money. It is not a handout.” 
The Inception of Habitat for Humanity
In 1968, Koinonia laid out 42 half-acre house sites with four acres reserved as a community park and recreational area. Capital was donated from around the country to start the work. Homes were built and sold to families in need at no profit and no interest. The basic model of Habitat for Humanity was begun. Zaire.

Testing in Africa
In 1973, the Fullers decided to apply the Fund for Humanity concept in developing countries. The Fuller family moved to Mbandaka, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo.) The Fullers' goal was to offer affordable yet adequate shelter to 2,000 people. After three years of hard work to launch a successful house building program, the Fullers returned to the United States.

Habitat for Humanity International
In September 1976, Millard and Linda called together a group of supporters to discuss the future of their dream. Habitat for Humanity International as an organization was born at this meeting. The eight years that followed, vividly described in Millard Fuller's book, Love in the Mortar Joints, proved that the vision of a housing ministry was workable. Faith, hard work and direction set Habitat for Humanity on its successful course.

Phenomenal Growth
In 1984, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn took their first Habitat work trip, the Jimmy Carter Work Project, to New York City. Their personal involvement in Habitat's ministry brought the organization national visibility and sparked interest in Habitat's work across the nation.
Habitat for Humanity experienced a dramatic increase in the number of new affiliates around the country, and across the globe.

The Results
Through the work of Habitat, hundreds of thousands of low-income families have found new hope in the form of affordable housing. Companies, churches, community groups, governments and others have joined together to successfully tackle a significant social problem – safe, decent, affordable housing for all.

Today, Habitat for built, rehabilitated and repaired homes for millions of people in thousands of communities in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

How We WorkHabitat for Humanity International builds, rehabilitates and repairs simple, decent houses with the help of homeowner (known as “partner”) families, volunteer labor, and donations of money and materials. Often, skilled personnel such as masons and carpenters are employed for specialist jobs.  
A new house can cost from as little as US$1,300 in some parts of Asia. Costs depend on location, labor, land and material costs, and ancillary development expenses.

Habitat houses are sold to home partner families at no profit and are financed through affordable long-term loans. Mortgage lengths vary from four to 30 years, though most are around six to eight years. Their monthly mortgage payments go into a local revolving fund to be used to build still more Habitat homes. In short, Habitat for Humanity is not a “giveaway” program.

In addition, home partners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor – “sweat equity” – into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.

Additional “muscle” for construction comes from volunteers from within the country or all over the world. Volunteers hail from corporations, churches, schools, among other organizations. The annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Projects are major volunteer events. The 2009 JRCWP took place in five countries in the Mekong River region – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China’s Sichuan province.

Habitat for Humanity's work in the region is accomplished by its Habitat Resource Centers, affiliates and partner organizations.

Habitat Resource Centers broaden the reach of Habitat’s home-building programs in one or more of these principal services uE83A construction services; skills training; disaster response and housing microfinance.

Affiliates are independent, locally-run, non-profit volunteer groups. They secure building sites, organize mortgage services as well as house construction using volunteers, among others.

Partner organizations contribute expertise and/or financial resources, and often volunteer labor. Other groups such as non-government organizations and government-linked bodies contribute services and facilities such as schools, water and sanitation access to communities where Habitat builds.

The work of the affiliates and resource centers in a country is coordinated and supported by legally independent national offices which are overseen by their own board of directors.

Habitat uses a variety of innovative approaches to funding and offers various ways for partner families to become Habitat homeowners.