Houses Across the World:
Latin America and the Caribbean


BRAZIL
Parents Struggle to Raise Families in Deplorable Conditions
As alarming as any modern-day plague, extreme poverty in the Latin America/ Caribbean region grips one in six people in its vise-like clutches, while about one-third of the population is poor. One in three families either lacks housing completely or lives in substandard housing. Compounding the overwhelming lack of safe, secure housing is the fact that the region has been battered by some of the globe's worst natural disasters in recent memory. And to further exacerbate the plight of the poor, the region suffers from a severe lack of adequate sanitation and access to safe water and modern energy supplies.

	When Valderene de Souza--now a Habitat homeowner--was pregnant with her second child, all she and her husband, Ademar, could afford for housing in Goiânia, Brazil, was this shack made of scrap wood, cardboard and plastic.
	Much of the region's poverty housing consists of mud and thatch, providing breeding ground for the insect that causes Chagas--a disease endemic to Central and South America, where it annually infects some 24 million people.
	Inadequate sanitation--or none at all--poses a multitude of health problems, not the least of which are disease-carrying parasites, flies, rats and other pests.
	Precarious structures are especially vulnerable to collapse and often result in injuries, or even death, when mudslides, flooding or earthquakes strike.
	Land titles are difficult to obtain, especially where land ownership is informal at best and illegal at worst. Without titles, families are hard-pressed to improve their housing because they cannot prove ownership.

COSTA RICA
Habitat's Modest Beginning Results in More Than 40,000 Houses

It was a tiny, rural community in Guatemala that launched the modest beginning of Habitat for Humanity's efforts in the Latin America/Caribbean area in 1979. From the interior highlands village of Aguacatán, Habitat today has grown to serve in all but a handful of countries in the region. With more than 40,000 Habitat houses built to date, some 120 affiliates continue to build momentum with a focus on reaching poorer families in need, strengthening national organizations, improving sustainability and increasing local fund raising. In 2004, HFH Mexico will celebrate Habitat's 25-year presence in the region by hosting the 21st annual Jimmy Carter Work Project.

	While 75 percent of the Habitat houses here are constructed of concrete block with corrugated iron roofing, construction specialists in the region continually explore appropriate alternatives such as "Habicon"--a prefabricated construction system that is earthquake resistant.
	Fernando Calvo Sanduval and his daughters, Hannia and Kerlyn, have been Habitat homeowners in San Ramón, Costa Rica, since 2001.
	Sturdy, adequate windows and doors help keep families safe, while complete indoor bathrooms, electricity, proper ventilation and light add to healthful living.
	Grass, plants and trees help prevent water and wind erosion, in addition to helping purify the air, block wind and slow water runoff.
	Acquiring proof of land ownership provides families with land tenure security and a legacy for the future.