WEST JAVA, Indonesia, Feb. 23, 2023 — In Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, 22 million households — one in three persons — live in homes with at least one substandard feature such as overcrowding or lack of access to basic services, according to the World Bank. These families included Sani and her husband Ace from West Java province who lacked the financial means to build or improve their homes. As the sole breadwinner, Ace supports his family of five working as a farm hand while Sani tends to their home garden on a small 0.75-acre plot. Every year, the family can earn about 4.5 million Indonesian rupiah (US$290) by selling the produce from their small home garden.

After saving for five years, the couple started improving and upgrading their house incrementally. By paying in instalments, they were able to purchase building materials such as bricks, wood and sand. Three years on, the home improvement progress was slow even though Ace took on another job as a porter earning 50,000 rupiah per day and the family was selling homegrown bananas at 2,000 rupiah per pound. They had to constantly repair the bare brick-and-mortar walls and the roof continued to leak whenever it rained. Meanwhile, their bathroom and laundry area remained unrenovated.

Things began to look up after Sani took out a housing microfinance loan in March 2022 from KOMIDA, or Mitra Dhuafa Savings and Loans Cooperative. One of the largest microfinance institutions in Indonesia, KOMIDA lends exclusively to women, most of whom live in rural areas. In 2017, KOMIDA partnered with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter and Habitat for Humanity Indonesia to develop viable housing microfinance solutions that aligned with KOMIDA’s social mission. The Terwilliger Center provided advisory support to KOMIDA with a people-centered approach to product development.

The pilot in 2017 was successful with KOMIDA offering the housing microfinance product to 310 families through five branches. In 2021, Habitat’s MicroBuild Fund invested US$1.5 million in KOMIDA — its first disbursement in Indonesia — to help scale the institution’s housing microfinance product which is currently offered in more than 50 branches across the country. As of December 2022, KOMIDA has supported almost 10,400 low-income families with loans to improve their homes, disbursing a total of US$10.3 million.

Despite being a member of KOMIDA for over 13 years, Sani had only borrowed for income-generating activities in the past. After taking out two housing microfinance loans, each about 20 million rupiah, her family was finally able to complete improving and renovating their home. The bare brick walls have a clean finish and coat of paint while the leaky roof has been repaired.

“With this (loan), I was able to repair the roof and the walls that were damaged. Our finished house has a kitchen and bathroom, so there is no need to walk so far out to use the bathroom and washing area,” Sani said.

Minah, another member of KOMIDA, had taken out loans ranging from 500,000 rupiah to 9 million rupiah for her family’s needs. It was only after she took out her first housing microfinance loan from KOMIDA, combined with the proceeds from selling the old house, that her family could start building a new house incrementally. Construction, which began on a plot of land that Minah has inherited from her parents, took over three years to complete.

Minah is thrilled with her new two-bedroom house that comes with a living room and bathroom. There is even outdoor parking space for the family motorbike. “I’m especially grateful that our home has a strong ceiling, so we can live comfortably and safely,” she said. Having improved her family’s living conditions, Minah hopes to start a home business to increase their household income.

Like many low-income households in Indonesia, Nurhayati and her family were hit by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her husband’s weekly earnings as a security guard decreased to 150,000 Indonesian rupiah, which was one-fifth of what he used to make. To increase the household income, he took on construction jobs earning an additional 600,000 rupiah.

While Nurhayati stays home to take care of her three children aged between 4 and 19, she is determined to improve her family’s living conditions. She had previously purchased a plot of land in West Java province. To build a new home, she decided to apply for a housing microfinance loan from KOMIDA at a neighbor’s recommendation.

With financing including a loan of 10 million rupiah from KOMIDA, she was able to purchase building materials and hire local construction laborers to start building a two-bedroom house in stages. She applied for another 10-million-rupiah loan from KOMIDA to buy more construction materials to complete home construction.

After repaying the housing microfinance loans, Nurhayati wants to borrow again from KOMIDA to have electricity supplied to her new home. She also plans to build a new kitchen. “For me, home is the most important place for a family to gather after a long day outside,” she said.

Nurhayati’s experience reflects the findings of a lean data impact assessment study conducted by KOMIDA and Habitat in 2021. Overall, 93% of housing loan clients reported that their quality of life had improved or greatly improved since receiving the loan. The study also found that 71% of loan clients stated they were more confident of themselves and their abilities while 57% reported increased decision-making power related to household spending.

Marking the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022, the United Nations secretary-general called for turning the clock forward for every woman and every girl. It is a challenging call amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We share stories from Cambodia, New Zealand, India, Nepal, Philippines and Myanmar. These highlight women’s efforts to create a better and more sustainable future through home and land ownership, entrepreneurship and volunteering.

In the past, Ny from Cambodia had to repair her hut every few months after heavy rains, an expense her family could barely afford with their low wages. Building their own home with a vegetable garden marked a big change. “We no longer feel discriminated against. Now we can focus on growing vegetables for our daily consumption, and I can sell these vegetables to support my family. I hope this will improve our livelihood,” says Ny.

Both Brianne and Michelle had their share of challenges when they started their homeownership journeys over a decade ago in New Zealand. Brianne admitted she would have given up if not for the kids. But it’s worthwhile. “So once the children move out, they’ve got a home to come back to. They’ve got a backbone.” Former stay-at-home mother Michelle now works in a home improvement store. With newfound skills, she is keen to renovate her kitchen and bathroom. “I’ve got a whiteboard and I’ve written our home and personal goals. I’m really excited.”

To help support her family, Deepanjali turned her talent for designing concrete flowerpots into a business that manufactures doors, window frames and other concrete products. Now, she’s set her sights on helping her community in India’s Odisha state. “Currently, I have one person supporting me in my workshop. I want to expand my business so that I can provide employment to other people in my village,” says Deepanjali, who received training and support under Habitat India’s Project Nirmanshree. The European Union-funded project aims to equip women in India’s Odisha and Maharashtra states to contribute to the housing sector. “My association with Habitat for Humanity is helping me enhance my skills and diversify my products.”

Rupa and her family are Haliyas who were freed from their bonded agricultural labor under a formal declaration by the Nepal government in 2008. But life had not been easy for the Haliyas who are largely landless and live in inadequate housing. Rupa partnered with Habitat for Humanity Nepal to build her own home in Kanchanpur district, Sudurpashchim province, She also gained access to secure land tenure with Habitat’s support. Referring to the land title that now has her name, Rupa said, “No one in my family has had one before. It has empowered me. I went from being a very dependent wife to an empowered woman. In my village, women are never given land entitlement. It is only given to the men, so I am very proud that I have land entitlement.”

Mardee Tangian is making a difference in her community. The Habitat Philippines volunteer participated in a training created by Habitat for Humanity International and the International Federation of the Red Cross that teaches young emerging leaders how to help reduce disaster risks related to home safety in their neighborhoods. The training gave Mardee the confidence to lead a group of youth to reach out to the local government with a plan to help solve waste management issues. “Initially, they refused our projects,” says Mardee. “But we never gave up. We always remember that we are youth. We have the power to change anything.” Read more.

Volunteering with Habitat Myanmar inspired Daw Thin Thin Aye, a teacher, to train 300 students in her school in good hygienic practices. In December 2021, she helped Habitat to conduct hygiene promotion training in her village. After the training, she saw children in her village applying what they had learned, particularly handwashing. “I’m really proud of this project. I heard from the parents about the behavioral change in their children. As long as (I am) given the chance to work with school children, I am committed to transforming their lives by doing this every year,” says Daw Thin Thin Aye.