World Habitat Day highlights

Macedonia

On World Habitat Day, Gjorge Ivanov, president of the Republic of Macedonia, received in his official residency, Villa Vodno, members of Consolis team and their Macedonian hosts.

Throughout the year, corporate volunteers have been helping Habitat Macedonia to complete 90 homes in 11 buildings for low-income families in Veles, an industrial town in central Macedonia. In September, president of Macedonia also volunteered at the Veles build site.

Bulgaria

Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria held a drawing competition for children from the village of Hristeni, where home renovations for the prevention of child abandonment have recently started. Roma families in the area live in overcrowded homes. Many leave their children in orphanages, as they are unable to accommodate them and provide for them.

Habitat is offering such families loans for home extensions and incremental repairs to better living conditions. The aim is to keep children in families and in simple, decent homes.

Armenia

In Armenia, where Habitat last year launched a project in the village of Nshavan to assist low-income families in completing homes left half-built since the fall of communism, local volunteers and partner families gathered to work on the build site. Later in the day, a short film about Habitat Armenia was broadcast on a local TV channel.

Hungary

Habitat for Humanity Hungary, in partnership with a non-profit urban rehabilitation company Rév8, organized a youth volunteer event. Jeffrey Lodinsky, US consul general in Budapest, acted as its patron.

Students from the American International School of Budapest and from Lakatos Menyhért Általános Iskola és Gimnázium worked on a joint renovation project of Rév8 and Habitat for Humanity Hungary. They helped rehabilitate social rental units in Józsefváros. By the end of the year, seven families will be able to move into simple and decent homes.

Poland

In Poland, Habitat marked World Habitat day on Saturday October 10, 2009. Around 40 local volunteers, American students, neighbors and partner families, gathered in Józefosław, outside the Polish capital, Warsaw, to build a house for six families in need of simple, decent shelter. Despite cold weather, everyone worked hard and enjoyed the build.

To see how you can be involved with Habitat for Humanity’s work in the region, go here.