Behind the Scenes:
Sharing Knowledge Through a Global Classroom
Fulfilling Dreams of Decent Housing

Habitat for Humanity University director Shari Campbell demonstrates online learning programs to John Kooti, dean of the School of Business Administration at Georgia Southwestern State University, at HFHU's opening in Americus, Ga., in September.

Sharing Knowledge Through a Global Classroom

'What is the greatest need in Habitat for Humanity?"

Habitat for Humanity founder and president Millard Fuller hears this question frequently from reporters, he says. But instead of answering with "funding" or "land for building," he offers for consideration an even scarcer commodity: leadership.

Developing leadership is at the heart of the mission of Habitat for Humanity University. Neither a corporate training program nor an academic university, HFHU serves as a coordinating hub for information, knowledge and research in an effort to nurture the next generation of leaders in the movement to eliminate substandard housing, says HFHU director Shari Campbell.

"We have an intellectual capital that is staggering in terms of thinking of a global organization working in 89 countries in a variety of communities and environments," says Marty Kooistra, content and knowledge manager for HFHU. "All we need to do is figure out how to better take those experiences and what we learned--good and bad--and use that capital to enhance our ability to eliminate substandard housing."

HFHU has been compared to a railroad, with information coming in on different boxcars to be unpacked, organized, repacked and sent on its way to the people who could benefit. And just as freight transportation delivers goods to all kinds of people, the potential "students" of HFHU include anyone interested in learning about Habitat and community-based affordable housing, from college students to potential donors to the interested public.

In October 1999, Fuller proposed the idea of Habitat for Humanity University at an international board of directors meeting, prompting several years of planning and testing. Since October 2002, Habitat staff have been designing computer courses, collecting material, trouble-shooting technology and spreading the word.

Computer-based learning and other technological vehicles of modern times enhance HFHU's ability to make information available to people in the farthest-flung corners of the world. For the staff working with HFHU, however, local history surrounds them. The offices for HFHU are located, appropriately enough, in a renovated house next door to Fuller's 1977 law office in Americus, Ga. Originally contained in one room in the law office, Habitat for Humanity expanded through the 1970s and early 1980s to the current HFHU building. In the early years, the building housed up to 14 volunteer secretaries simultaneously pounding out correspondence in a front room with carpet on the walls to cut the noise. Later, the building served as training facilities for Habitat's International Partners and Habitat's Tour Center.

Grounded in Habitat's ongoing commitment to seeking new ways to eliminate substandard housing, HFHU is open to ideas and suggestions. For more information on courses available through HFHU, or to make a suggestion, visit www.habitat.org/ hfhu, e-mail habitatuniversity@ hfhi.org or call (800) HABITAT.

--Rebekah Daniel, Ariane Rollier

Joe Black and Bill Marris helped Habitat homeowner Bertha Calloway build her house in Albany, Ga., during Building on the Dream 2003.

Fulfilling Dreams of Decent Housing
"There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we now have the resources to get rid of it."
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In a spirit of partnership and remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Habitat affiliates across the United States will join in a weeklong drive Jan. 16-23 to build decent, affordable houses. More than 100 affiliates are expected to participate in Habitat for Humanity International's "Building on the Dream" initiative. As King sought to tear down divisive racial walls, Habitat volunteers will build walls of unity, reflective of King's "beloved community" in which the activist envisioned nonviolence as the backdrop for brotherhood. They will work with families in need-regardless of race or religion, nationality, politics or gender.

Last January, 48 affiliates in 22 states participated in a pilot for the project. To date, Building on the Dream has resulted in 60 houses, and its success prompted Habitat for Humanity International's leadership to make it an annual event, according to program director Victoria Peagler.

Beyond the immediate goal of building decent housing, Peagler says the initiative aims "to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King" by bridging racial divides and combating poverty through the construction of affordable homes.

Building on the Dream draws from a diverse pool of community support, from civic and humanitarian organizations to the faith and business communities, celebrities and individuals. In addition to construction activity, affiliates will arrange special holiday ceremonies that honor King's memory and celebrate his legacy.

Peagler says she anticipates this year's event to spread to more than 40 states. To find out how you can participate, please contact your local affiliate or Victoria Peagler at Habitat for Humanity International, (800) 422-4828, Ext. 2639, or e-mail her at vpeagler@hfhi.org.

--Shawn Reeves