In Bulgaria, HFH Sofia executive director Atanas Petrov helps Stefan Enchev, 8, with his homework. Stefan's parents have been approved for a Habitat house.

5. Go Beyond U.S. Borders
Translating Habitat's Mission for a World in Need

By Rebekah Daniel

As if the plane ride hadn't been enough of a clue, all the volunteers from Northern Ireland had to do to remember they were in a very different place was listen.

Mortar? Try dhaga.

Good morning? Emolweni.

Party? Instead of the Gaelic ceilidh, it was imbizo.

These 18 volunteer builders visited South Africa and experienced first hand one of the challenges of Habitat for Humanity affiliates separated by distance, climate and culture: What works for one location may not make sense in another.

Yet, despite differences, Habitat affiliates manage to maintain a uniform spirit by focusing on common principles instead of divergent methodologies and procedures. Outside the United States, affiliate operations tend to center around three essential tasks, aside from construction, according to HFHI program support director Karan Kennedy: collecting house payments, raising funds and selecting families.

Since a high repayment rate is one of the most visible indications that an affiliate is doing well, affiliates often struggle to resist the urge to seek out middle-income homeowners who are more likely to have the resources to make timely payments. To work with truly low-income homeowners, affiliates run the risk of selecting a family that may not be able to make payments in the face of illness or job loss.

	Rosa Zakaria (left) and Yasin Juma, local committee members at Habitat for Humanity Igunga in Tanzania, discuss new training materials that will support them in their efforts to reach more families in need.

At Habitat for Humanity Los Tuxtlas in Mexico, each community manages a revolving loan fund made of members' contributions and proceeds from community fund-raising activities. Members may use the fund to take out a temporary loan to cover their Habitat house payments in hard times.

"People are smart," Kennedy says. "They understand that if they pay, someone else will get a house. The issue is why should they do it. The fact that people pay when they have so little means that they care for their neighbor. This process of mutual help and respect can be truly transformational for communities."

"Fund raising, even in very poor countries, can be accomplished with a little creativity. On the local level, affiliates generate cash through bake sales and auctions, while in-kind donations supply materials. At a national level, corporate partnerships, such as the partnership between Marriott and Habitat affiliates in the Latin America/Caribbean area, boost income as well as raise awareness of the organization. Marriott partnerships in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Guatemala have raised thousands of dollars while involving Marriott employees on the build site.

Global Village trips are an increasingly popular way for affiliates to raise funds, elevate public awareness of their activities and boost their construction capacity. From July 2002 to June 2003, six countries--Australia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand, the Philippines and Romania--each raised more than US$50,000 by hosting Global Village trips, with New Zealand topping the list at more than US$250,000.

Family selection is the third emphasis for international affiliates. But in countries with widespread economic woes, maintaining a fair process can be a challenge when the affiliate leaders need decent housing as much as other people of the community.

"Usually, if you're on the local committee, you are not eligible to receive a house," Kennedy says, "and that is a big deal. ... In many cultures, the extended family is huge. So it's hard not to have a conflict of interest."

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