Nearly 1.1 billion people worldwide are live in informal settlements, such as slums, riverbanks, railway tracks, and illegally on government or corporate land. Their situation is exacerbated by a lack of access to basic rights such as clean water, adequate sanitation, and secure land tenure, making them vulnerable to climate change.

“These individuals are often ignored, looked down upon, and deprioritized. They are frequently blamed and judged without understanding their background. Their difficult lives are worsened by the lack of access to basic rights such as clean water and adequate sanitation, legitimate land rights, and they are also vulnerable to climate change,” said Susanto, national director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia.

According to him, a key element of the right to adequate housing is land tenure security, which guarantees legal protection against forced evictions, harassment, and other threats. The lack of land tenure security prevents families from accessing financing to improve their homes. This occurs because they lack collateral, formal employment, and have minimal income.

“Currently, both government and nongovernmental organizations have numerous housing programs, but these mostly target low-income individuals who meet the criteria for land ownership. These programs have yet to reach those living in informal settlements with extreme poverty, who cannot meet the requirements of financial institutions or banks.” said Susanto.

On this basis, Habitat for Humanity is committed to improving access to adequate housing through the ‘Home Equals’ campaign, which aims to amplify the voices of informal settlers and advocate for fairer policies.

To achieve this, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia collaborates with the Tangerang Regency Government to build adequate homes for those in need. This effort involves all community elements, especially village, sub-district, and regency governments, to provide and build adequate housing for those in need.

This program is located in Kampung Tanjung Kait, Desa Tanjung Anom, Kecamatan Mauk, Tangerang regency. The residents of Kampung Tanjung Kait live on land owned by the Tjo Soe Kong Temple Foundation, with inadequate housing conditions, limited access to basic services, and threats of disasters and climate change.

The Tanjung Kait area improvement program begins with increased participation through the Participatory Approach for Safe Shelter Awareness, or PASSA. This approach results in community agreements in area planning area improvements, financing, and land legality. The program is fully supported by the Mauk sub-district and regency government for the processes of land legality, permitting, and funding.

In addition to organizing the Tanjung Kait area, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia is collaborating with the Rujak Center for Urban Studies and the Tangerang regency government to develop recommendations for land, funding, and financing for the poor in informal settlements in Tangerang regency. This initiative aims to identify problems and formulate comprehensive recommendations to address them.
The study results provide several recommendations:

• Respect the right to adequate housing by promoting principles of collaboration and mutual cooperation, integrated solutions, diversity of solutions, and progressive realization;
• Establish land, funding, and financing policy prerequisites with an open and transparent database, structured institutions, and multi-stakeholder forums;
• Integrate agrarian reform as a land solution for the poor in informal settlements through steps such as recognizing rights, legalization, cooperation in use and utilization, redistribution, grants, state takeover, purchase and selling, and court decisions;
• Provide funding and financing solutions for housing and settlements by utilizing state budgets such as the national budget, regional budget, and village budget, national programs, philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and affordable financing institutions; and
• Develop an institutional roadmap with priority steps such as a regent’s decree on the formation of an agrarian reform task force, a regent’s regulation on housing quality improvement, and determining locations and action plans for housing quality improvement.

Slum areas
In a new brief titled “Slum Blind: The overlooked links between climate migration and informal settlements,” Habitat for Humanity reveals a blind spot in the discourse around climate-induced migration and adaptation efforts. Habitat highlights that most forcibly displaced people do not cross international borders, and most climate migrants are moving from rural to urban areas within their own countries, often residing in slums and other informal settlements.

Countries with large populations in urban informal settlements and expected to face the largest surge in internal climate migrants by 2050 include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Implementing a climate migration perspective in policies to improve informal settlements is crucial in all countries, especially in these regions.

“Habitat wants to call attention to the opportunity to promote climate adaptation in places that need it most, specifically informal settlements, which host most climate-induced migrants within developing countries,” said Susanto.

Despite the challenges, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia is not only builds adequate housing but also empowers families to create better lives. Through the Home Equals initiative, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia is committed to advocating for basic rights such as access to adequate housing, land tenure security, climate resilience, and the availability of basic services for residents in informal settlements.

Susanto explained that the Home Equals campaign in Indonesia aims to improve the quality of life by 4%, the quality of national education by 28%, and national economic growth by 10.5%. He believes that everyone deserves a safe, healthy, and dignified life.

“We hope that with the support of all parties, significant changes will occur to improve the quality of life and create a better future for all. Let’s realize this vision together, where every home is a safe and comfortable place for all residents.”

This campaign is a concrete step in building a more prosperous and sustainable society by providing fair and adequate access to housing. Habitat for Humanity Indonesia is committed to continuing to collaborate with all parties to create broader and more sustainable positive change.

This article is translated from an article written in the Indonesian language that was published in Bisnis Indonesia newspaper on July 21, 2024.

MANILA (Feb. 5, 2024) — “I want to take meaningful action in helping build and strengthen the community, leaving behind a positive impact on those who are less privileged,” said Jerhuy Shen-Puoy, a volunteer student from the International School of Phnom Penh. He was among more than 13,000 people in eight countries who supported Habitat for Humanity’s largest youth movement in the Asia-Pacific region in 2023. About 470 families were served through the construction of 95 new homes and the repair of three community facilities. Supporters also raised a total of more than US$257,000. During the multi-month Habitat Young Leaders Build, Jerhuy helped Habitat for Humanity Cambodia in rallying other young volunteers in fundraising and constructing decent homes.

Helping neighbors
Local volunteering remains a strong component of the campaign that is currently in its 13^th year. Students and young professionals work alongside community members to construct new houses, declutter, deep clean or repair orphanages and homes of families in vulnerable conditions.

In India, Habitat’s youth ambassador and Miss India 2019 Muskan Lund led fellow youth in supporting the campaign. A volunteer with Habitat since 2015, she speaks up and raises funds for the cause of affordable housing in India.

Others showed support in different ways. The Canadian International School of Hong Kong donated HK$45,000 (more than US$5,700) and their students helped older people to improve their living conditions through Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong’s Project Homeworks.

International impact
The 2023 campaign also marked the return of international youth volunteering in select countries since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Habitat for Humanity Japan sent more than 270 youth volunteers to Cambodia and Vietnam through the Global Village program. Besides building homes alongside local families, the volunteers also learned of the country’s housing need and the impact of inadequate housing on a family’s safety, health and financial stability and children’s educational opportunities.

“I was shocked by the reality that some families cannot live together because they do not have a decent home. At the same time, I realized that even we, as students, could help so that the family could live under one roof,” said Juntoku Koda, a student at Hosei University who worked on homes in Cambodia. He quoted a future homeowner saying to the volunteers on the last day of their build, “Thank you for coming from Japan to build our home. Now we can live with our children. It’s like a dream come true.”

Ryusei Masuda, from another Japanese team, shared about his experience in Vietnam. “Building a house means building a future.”

2024 campaign

The latest campaign was launched on International Volunteer Day on December 5, 2023, with a social media activation. In February 2024, Habitat will turn the spotlight on the need for secure, affordable housing. The online event “Amplified,” an initiative of the 2024 Habitat Young Leaders Build campaign, will showcase the winning housing solutions of five young leaders and provide an opportunity for volunteers to virtually interact with other young leaders in the region. Please support the campaign by contacting the local Habitat office in your locality.

INDONESIA (June 2023) — In Indonesia, only one in five women in rural areas could claim to own their homes, as a 2023 report on housing finance in select countries showed. Nurhayati, who lives in West Java province, had to put on hold her dream of building a new home though she already bought a plot of land. Due to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, her husband’s weekly earnings dropped to one fifth of what he used to make. He had to take on construction jobs to make ends meet.

While Nurhayati stayed home to take care of their three children, she was determined to improve her family’s living condition. She took out loans totaling 20 million rupiah (about US$1,280) from Indonesian microfinance institution KOMIDA to build a two-bedroom house incrementally. Nurhayati succeeded despite the hurdles that Indonesian women faced in accessing housing finance. The challenges included lower participation in the workforce, greater likelihood of informal work, and lower incomes than men.

A report “Her Home II: Housing Finance for Women in Ghana, Senegal, and Indonesia” by the International Finance Corporation, launched in mid-2023, highlighted these challenges. Ghana and Senegal were the other countries featured. The report included data from research on Indonesia that were provided by Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. The Terwilliger Center has been working in Indonesia with microfinance institutions to develop and grow the scope of housing finance products targeted at female-led households.

The estimated housing finance market size for female-headed households in Indonesia totals US$51.88 billion. Of this figure, nearly 80% is for new housing demand while home renovations and extensions make up the rest of the housing finance loans.

Some of the key findings for Indonesia in the report are:

• A majority of women in Indonesia, both in rural and urban areas, do not have the title to their property. Formally, the percentage of female rural dwellers owning their home drops to less than 4%. This lack of assets (which could be used as collateral), limits women’s capacity to apply for loans on their own.
• Less than half of working-age women are employed. Based on the cultural norm, women are expected to manage the household and raise children. Lower participation in the workforce, greater likelihood of informal work and lower incomes than men hamper women’s to formal lending.
• A significantly higher proportion of women saved money compared with men in Indonesia. However, men were more likely to use banks, while women tended to save more outside of the financial system, which makes underwriting women’s savings much more difficult when they request loans.

Recommendations for Indonesia, which overlap with those for Ghana and Senegal, include the following:

• Provide new business models that rapidly and efficiently expand housing finance access for women who work in both informal and formal sectors.
• The use of gender disaggregated data can help financial institutions to develop customized solutions for women.
• Gender-based targets can help ensure equitable distribution of government funding in the housing sector.
• Develop incentives for land tenure and property registration in women’s names so women can pledge property title as a collateral for housing loans.
• Increase access to housing finance for women. Not only does this grow the economy but it also improves women’s financial resilience. Housing finance is also a largely untapped market for financial institutions in developing countries.

This story is part of a series marking Habitat for Humanity’s 40 years of building homes and building solutions in Asia and the Pacific.

BATTAMBANG, Cambodia (October 2023) — After a decade of fighting for secure tenure for his community, Sreang is satisfied with the outcome. “My big achievement is the success of getting the land certificate, I own the land. I am happy to get the land and build a house,” said Sreang, 74, a community leader who lives in Battambang, one of Cambodia’s most populous provinces. According to an ESCAP report, rapid migration and urbanization has resulted in the formation of more than 60 informal settlements in Battambang city. Like Sreang, many informal settlement residents live along roads, or riverbanks, railway tracks and private land.

Since 1985, Sreang’s family and more than 60 other families have been living on a public road in Battambang city in northwest Cambodia. These families are under constant threat of forced eviction and often live in precarious conditions. Their lack of land titles deters the government from authorizing any upgrades to the informal settlements such as access to water, drainage, road, waste management and other housing conditions.

Led by Sreang as head of the residents’ committee, the Ponler Prek Preah Sdach informal settlement community took 10 years to reach an agreement with the local government to be allocated land. It involved long hours of numerous meetings and discussions between the residents’ committee and community members, and the committee with government representatives.

Unanimously, 55 of the families agreed to move to one side of the road. In return, each family received a 32-square-meter plot of land from the Battambang provincial government in 2015. Some families were living on more land before the allotment, others on less land. Those with more land were willing to share their land to receive their land certificates that provided security of tenure and protection against forced eviction. The project requires Sreang and other community residents to live 10 years on the allocated plots of land before the Battambang provincial government will grant land titles to the families.

With his land certificate as a proof of secure tenure, Sreang was able to get a loan of up to US$10,000 from Habitat’s microfinance institution partner, KREDIT and CBIRD. The money was used to buy a small truck which Sreang’s son-in-law refurbished to become a mobile ice cream store.

The following year in 2017, the families partnered with Habitat for Humanity Cambodia to construct their homes together with more than 250 volunteers in a weeklong build. “I remember the volunteers who came to help me build, I still have a photo of them in front of my new house,” Sreang shared. His eyes welled up when he described the dilapidated condition of his old house. In the rainy season, it would be flooded due to the lack of a proper drainage system. Sometime dangerous insects and venomous snakes would come into the house.

Habitat also supported Sreang and other community members to get access to basic services such as water and electricity. Community Empowerment and Development, a local nongovernmental organization that partnered with Habitat Cambodia, trained the community to build proper drainage systems.

Without having to relocate, the residents could build adequate housing on land that will belong to them. Residents in the community could continue working close to the city as cooks, barbers, drivers, welders and carpenters. Their children go to a school nearby. The families can buy fresh food from a local market and go to a local hospital for medical services.

Currently, Sreang lives with his family of 12 in Battambang city. He and his wife Vanna, 71, are taking care of their grandchildren whose parents have gone to Thailand for work. The COVID-19 pandemic had taken a toll with some of his children losing their jobs. His sons who are working abroad send him money for living expenses.

This community is one of four existing communities of Sangkat Prek Preah Sdach, where Habitat works to build awareness on land rights; provide land tenure security; strengthen partnership in social land concession; and provide housing solutions and support services.

Sreang continues to be active as the community leader. “My committee worked closely together, cooperating, not finding fault of putting blame on others when things go wrong, we find ways to bring people together.” He helps to maintain unity in the community by mediating between neighbors who may have conflicts over division of land, sharing of resources, relationships and financial matters.

In 2025, Sreang and his neighbors will finally receive land titles that give them and the future generations secure tenure. “My neighbors are grateful to me, I’m very grateful to them, we supported each other to get the land,” he said. Sreang shared that he has asked his children not to sell the house and land after his passing.