Habitat World Online


	Mixing mortar is hard work, but a sleeping basket helps a Chinese boy rest while his mother works in the Lishanao Village of Kunming, China.

Building Houses, Meeting Needs

"How can Habitat for Humanity play a catalytic role in the reduction of poverty housing?" That was the question posed one year ago to key Habitat leaders charged with taking the organization into the future.

It's a question for which there is no easy answer. Throughout the world, while Habitat affiliates adhere to the founding principles upon which the organization is based, there is a need to be innovative--even bold--in order to reach more families in need across the globe.

Every day, Habitat staff and volunteers encounter rich diversity in the families with whom they partner. And while all partner families share a need for better housing, there are often other needs that a secure home can help meet as well.

Some family members may have physical disabilities that handicapped-accessible housing accommodates; others may have emotional or mental needs that the security of a Habitat house helps stabilize.

There is diversity in culture, in religion, in the severity of need. No matter the differences, however, Habitat is there to work in partnership with people everywhere, striving to build decent housing that is responsive to individual needs.

The following stories help illustrate some of these innovations and provide insight into the ways Habitat pursues its mission of eliminating substandard housing from the world ... one house, one family at a time.