Growing up during Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war, Jeyanthini had to move from one refugee camp to another. The lack of stability took a toll on her education. She had to drop out from school in the eighth grade. “All I wanted was to make sure my children would get a sound education,” said Jeyanthini, 36. Since she has green fingers, she wished to have a big garden and a neat and safe home.

Jeyanthini fulfilled both her dreams by partnering with Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka under the European Union-funded “Homes not Houses” project. She opted to build her house with eco-friendly compressed stabilized earth blocks or CSEBs after learning about the advantages of using such appropriate construction materials.

“We used to suffer in the scorching heat in our temporary shelter but this CSEB home is cool and comfortable. My youngest son sleeps in a hammock during the day without the fan,” she said.

In addition to building a safe home with a door that can be locked, Jeyanthini’s family received Habitat’s support in installing a water pump to irrigate their three-acre farm. Chillis, peanuts, coconuts and long beans are grown. “We harvest nearly 500 coconuts per week and can easily make about 30,000 Sri Lankan rupees (about US$150) in profit alone. Earlier, we could only depend on my husband’s income as a daily wage earner,” she said.

With enough savings, her family could paint the walls in the pastel colors that Jeyanthini likes. Her older son, Thevipuram, 4, is in primary school and is doing well in math and science. She would wait for him to come home from school in the afternoon while rocking Satheeshan, 1, to sleep. “Ever since we moved into this home in 2018, we have been blessed with good health and good income.”

As of June 14, 2021, a total of 2,370 returnee families have built or repaired their homes with Habitat Sri Lanka in the multi-year “Homes not Houses” project that began in January 2016. In addition, more than 46,000 people benefited from the project’s flanking measures implemented by Habitat’s partner World Vision Lanka. Such measures included disaster risk reduction mapping, establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises, and other capacity development activities. To improve communities’ resilience, culverts and roads were built, and flood water drainage systems were renovated.

For people like Nalini’s family who live off the land, the years of displacement during the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka were particularly tough. “There were no shops nearby so everything had to be cultivated, grown and home-made. We lost all our assets during the war and my greatest worry was how to secure a good marriage for my daughter,” she said.

During the war-torn years, they had to contend with the demands of the Tamil Tiger rebels. In addition, they had to manage their relationship with the majority Sinhalese community in the North Central Province that bordered their village. The opportunity for change came in 2017 when Nalini and her family were among the first in Sinnawattai village to build homes with compressed stabilized earth blocks. Despite various challenges including access to the remote village, 39 families in Sinnawattai partnered with Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka under the European Union-funded “Homes not Houses” project.

Nalini and her husband Sivaprakasam, both 64, still work in the paddy field and tend their cows and goats. Now they can earn about 15,000-20,000 Sri Lankan rupees (US$75-100) a month, double their income before they built their own home.

From the original pair of goats that Nalini’s family received as part of the project’s livelihood program, the herd has grown to 50. With the support of Habitat, the couple has fulfilled their goal of providing their only daughter Vadivalagi with a respectable dowry consisting of 50 goats and a brighter future.

“The house and the goats enabled us to provide for my daughter when she got married. She and her husband are now happily settled in with us,” Nalini said. “We only had a hut, and I still keep it behind our new home as a reminder of how far we have come. We have always made everything with our own hands, so building the house ourselves has brought me great satisfaction.”

Beyond livelihood, Nalini’s grandson Theekshan, 8, is also pleased. His favorite pastime is to play in the paddy field with his four-legged friend, a kid named Kannukutty. Speaking of her grandson, Nalini said, “He is very lucky. He never has to be dragged from one refugee camp to another like I had to with my daughter. He has his own room now.”

In 2020, her family welcomed another grandson Thanushan. Living in a stable home, Nalini feels content and peaceful. She said, “My grandsons are now able to get an education. We get to spend time with them in our old age. I will never forget how things were and how things have changed for us as a family.”

As of June 14, 2021, a total of 2,370 returnee families have built or repaired their homes with Habitat Sri Lanka in the multi-year “Homes not Houses” project that began in January 2016. In addition, more than 46,000 people benefited from the project’s flanking measures implemented by Habitat’s partner World Vision Lanka. Such measures included disaster risk reduction mapping, establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises, and other capacity development activities. To improve communities’ resilience, culverts and roads were built, and flood water drainage systems were renovated.

Over 12 years have passed since the civil war ended in Sri Lanka. Yet generations of families still bear the scars from the decades of violence and conflict. By building or repairing a place they can call their own, 2,370 families are starting a new chapter in life. They partnered with Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka and World Vision Lanka under the European Union-funded “Homes not Houses” project completed in June 2021.

Thushanthini (main photo), 31, was raised by her aunt after her parents went missing during the 25-year civil war in Sri Lanka. To this day, she does not know what happened to her parents. Without any siblings or a home of her own, she was considered as among the most vulnerable in Navagirinagar village, Batticaloa, eastern Sri Lanka.

But she takes pride in a decision that she and her husband made in February 2018. “Ours was the first CSEB home in our tightly-knit community,” Thushanthini said. “Many of my neighbors came to visit us out of curiosity about this new material. Once they saw how versatile the bricks are and how nice they look even without plastering, the CSEBs became a popular selection for home construction.”

Her husband Mathivathanan is a mechanic and block-maker. In February 2018, he learned how to produce and build with CSEBs at the block yard run by World Vision Lanka in Batticaloa. Through a livelihood grant, he bought a hand-operated machine to produce the compressed stabilized blocks for the community as well as mold that he uses to produce bricks with decorative motifs. Almost one third of the 138 people trained in skills to produce and build with blocks were women. After being trained, 94 people were in block production yards with an average monthly income of 24,000-28,000 Sri Lankan rupees (about US$120-140).

The compressed stabilized earth blocks were among appropriate construction materials and technologies that were promoted in the “Homes not Houses” project implemented by Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka and World Vision Lanka. Made of locally sourced materials, the energy-efficient blocks provided an alternative to mining sand and lowered the construction’s carbon footprint. The CSEBs are also known for the ability to keep a house cooler in hot weather and warmer when it is cold outside. In addition, a feasibility study published by the European Union cited CSEBs as a low-carbon, low embodied energy solution for sustainable development.

Based on a homeowner-driven approach, families managed their available resources using grants from Habitat Sri Lanka and built homes at their own pace with Habitat’s technical assistance to ensure construction quality. Although families had a choice of traditional construction materials like fired bricks and cement sand blocks, more than 1,000 of them or 45% of homeowners chose to build their homes with compressed stabilized earth blocks.

These homeowners included Nalini and Jeyanthini who had experienced hardships during the war-torn years. Now that they have a place to call home, they have built strength, stability and self-reliance.

As of June 14, 2021, a total of 2,370 returnee families have built or repaired their homes with Habitat Sri Lanka in the multi-year “Homes not Houses” project that began in January 2016. In addition, more than 46,000 people benefited from the project’s flanking measures implemented by Habitat’s partner World Vision Lanka. Such measures included disaster risk reduction mapping, establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises, and other capacity development activities. To improve communities’ resilience, culverts and roads were built, and flood water drainage systems were renovated.

Growing up without a decent home, Thushanthini has found stability in life. In the evening, she and her family often sit together on the veranda to watch the sun set. “This home,” she said, “is my most precious possession.”

As a widow struggling to raise two children, Samita did not know how she managed to survive after a devastating earthquake hit Nepal in 2015 and reduced her house to rubble. “In my opinion, it is difficult to live as a single woman in our society and it is even more difficult if one does not have a decent house,” she said.

Samita and her sons had to live in a temporary shelter for three years. Life started to look up in 2018 after she rebuilt her house in Baluwa village, Panchkhal municipality, Kavrepalanchok district, with Habitat for Humanity Nepal’s support.

“I rented land and with the help of my sons, we grew potatoes and other vegetables which brought in income and food for us,” Samita recalled. She also added a kitchen and a new line for electricity has been connected to her home. She shared, “My elder son just got married. I recently purchased a cow and I plan to add an extension to the back of the house for a cowshed.

“Having a Habitat house built up my confidence to take out and repay the loans. I have started saving for the future as a member of a local microfinance institution.”

“My sons are now grown up. I can breathe a sigh of relief,” said Samita. “If one has the courage to fight, solutions for survival will be revealed through the difficulties. Now I do not feel that being a single mother will make any difference if one is self-empowered.”

On April 25, 2015, Nepal was hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people and destroyed over 400,000 homes, and left 2.8 million people displaced.

Habitat Nepal and Architecture Sans Frontiers partnered with over 5,000 families in Kavrepalanchok and Nuwakot districts to rebuild earthquake-resilient homes. A report commissioned by Habitat and published in April 2020 outlined four emerging lessons with insights for future disaster responses by governments and various stakeholders.

Meet other families like Samita who have found lasting solutions to their shelter needs.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle Valeri Tantra, 20, has continued to support Habitat in Indonesia. “My purpose in life is not only to work for myself but also to give back to the community by helping others, especially during the pandemic,” she said.

A third-year student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, she has been studying online from her hometown in Jakarta after the coronavirus outbreak in 2020. In the second quarter of 2020, she volunteered as the chief campaign officer for Habitat Indonesia’s temporary shelter project for medical workers. Her role was to find accommodation where frontline workers could safely rest before resuming work.

Michelle said, “Home is where I feel at ease, comfortable, and safe. The healthcare staff are unable to enjoy those, knowing that they might bring the virus to their loved ones when they come home every day.

“It makes me happy to be able to assist frontline healthcare workers, helping them get temporary homes as they fight the coronavirus and put themselves at a very big risk. My effort may seem small but small acts are needed to make a big impact. That’s why I continue to help little by little, hoping that it would eventually be a big impact to those who are in need.”

To support the campaign, Michelle donated earnings from her own home-made pasta business to Habitat. As of March 2021, she has also raised over 10 million rupiah (nearly US$690) on social media for Habitat Indonesia’s COVID-19 response.

As a member of the Indonesian Students Association, she organized a competitive gaming activity, or e-sport known as PUBG in June 2020, which attracted over 100 participants and raised 3.5 million rupiah. “It warmed my heart that one of the winning teams donated all of their cash prize to help the healthcare staff,” she said.

Michelle hopes to inspire and encourage other young people to support healthcare workers and vulnerable communities during the pandemic. “If my friends and I can do it, I believe many people can do it as well. It is very crucial for us to help each other, especially at this time.”

Kitchy Dy, 21, and her fellow members of the Habitat campus chapter based in Philippines’ Ateneo de Manila University are also motivated to help. “Habitat stood out because their mission is so strong especially in the context of Philippine where the homeless and poverty housing are so prominent.”

While volunteering opportunities are limited due to restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Kitchy said it is crucial to continue contributing to the community. “We had to adapt to change during the pandemic. Our fundraising efforts kept going and they are generally easier to do online. We also worked with seven other chapters to gather experts to speak on the importance of decent housing.”

So far, Habitat for Humanity Blue Chapter—a nod to the university’s colors—has raised over 300,000 pesos (over US$6,200) to provide relief and sanitary items and other aid to vulnerable communities. The campus chapter members would typically participate in construction activities during the weekends and use social media and school platforms to raise awareness of housing needs. “With effective storytelling, effective education efforts, and letting people know that it (housing) is an important issue, there are tangible ways to support it,” said Kitchy.

The campus chapter also focuses on helping communities reduce disaster risks and build resilience. Key speakers are invited to equip Habitat homeowners with knowledge about preparing for potential disasters in their communities.

Throughout the Asia-Pacific region, young volunteers like Michelle and Kitchy are contributing to Habitat’s COVID-19 responses, in support of the regional #HabitatYLB movement and Habitat’s global Homes, Communities, Hope +You campaign. Now in its tenth year, the Young Leaders Build 2021 campaign will mark its peak on April 24 with a volunteer conference. Register for the conference at https://bit.ly/YouthfromHome. Follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In a year dominated by COVID-19, it may be easy to overlook disaster-affected families whose lives have been transformed through safe, secure housing. We share stories of two Habitat families in India who rebuilt their homes and lives following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Mahadevi was at a local market on December 26, 2004, when she heard people talking about huge waves that were going to hit India’s coastal areas. Worried about her three young children, she rushed to get home. “My children were safe but the tragedy had just begun,” said Mahadevi, recounting the day when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit Killai village, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu state.

Her husband Mohan had gathered their children up and run out of the house before the waves hit. “We just ran and ran before the tsunami engulfed the whole village,” said Mahadevi’s daughter Praveena who was 6 years old when the disaster struck. “When we returned, all the houses were flattened.”

The family of five took refuge in relief camps before moving to a transitional shelter. With the support of Habitat India and its partners, Mahadevi and her family was finally able to settle in into a secure, permanent home in 2006.

A decent home opened up new opportunities. Mahadevi said, “Fifteen years ago, we only thought about catching fish from the sea and selling them to make a living. For a long time in our lives, nothing changed beyond mere subsistence. A thatched roof was the best we could have hoped for.

“Our lives are not the same anymore. In the aftermath of this tragedy, things have turned out for the best. We now have a house that we call our own. My children have grown up and one has gotten married.”

Praveena, the middle child, graduated from college with a major in science. In March 2020, she married Shiva, who is a fisherman. Pratap, the eldest son, followed in his father’s footsteps to take up fishing full-time after completing the equivalent of high school. The youngest daughter Prasanna is a high school student.

The family has greatly improved their core house since moving into it in 2006. An additional bedroom and a new kitchen were built while the verandah was painted for Praveena’s wedding.

Fisherman Nagarajan, who lives in Cuddalore district, could also recall the horrific day. “When the tsunami hit the village, we ran for our lives to get to higher ground. Our flimsy thatched houses could not withstand the towering waves. They were flattened to the ground. Twelve people from our small fishing village were lost.”

In the aftermath, Nagarajan and his family of six joined many others in a relief camp. For a year, his family lived in a tent provided by a relief agency. Having their own home at last opened the door to positive changes.

“We were fishermen, barely making ends meet. Now, 15 years after the tsunami, our economic condition has vastly improved. For many years after the tsunami, we fished only in the backwater and rivers, too scared to venture out to the sea. With time, we started fishing in the high seas again,” said Nagarajan.

He added, “Thanks to Habitat who gave us the foundation to rebuild our lives, I could extend my house by building three more bedrooms, a hall and a kitchen.” His sons Punaraja, Vedmungan and Manigandan are married with children. His youngest daughter Rasjeshwari had graduated from college in 2020.

Mahadevi and Nagarajan were among more than 11,000 tsunami-affected families who rebuilt their homes and lives as of September 2009 through Habitat India’s response. In addition, Habitat India trained about 27,000 families on the country’s east coast through disaster mitigation and preparedness programs.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was one of the worst disasters in recent history. More than 225,000 people died or disappeared and another 1 million people were displaced. Habitat for Humanity’s overall response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has assisted about 22,500 families including those in Indonesia’s Aceh province, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Over the past decade of the Habitat Young Leaders Build, volunteers had actively worked on home construction until the global COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to in-person activities. But all is not lost. Vas Menon, 17, said: “There is more to helping Habitat for Humanity than going out for a build.” A volunteer with Habitat Indonesia since 2017, the high school student had helped build homes, painted walls and laid foundations in various locations in Indonesia. He also took part in fundraising activities.

In Indonesia, where the number of new COVID-19 infections has dropped to over 4,800 a day on April 12 from a high in January 2021, the role of housing as the first line of defense against the pandemic remains crucial. “Housing is more important than ever; housing keeps people safe from the pandemic,” he said.

Vas became friends with Diego Marques due to their shared passion for volunteering. They met through the Habitat club in Jakarta Intercultural School which has actively supported Habitat Indonesia for over 15 years. The club had planned to raise their target for volunteer builds from five to eight per academic year.

Besides builds, the club had organized fundraising swim meets in 2018 and 2019 in which parents and teachers sponsored students for each lap that they completed. In 2020, the swim meet was cancelled to ensure safety amid the pandemic.

While the buddies cannot volunteer on build sites due to the pandemic, they and their peers at the Habitat club continued their community outreach activities remotely. They donated to provide food care packages, comprising cans of preserved meat, rice, and oil to communities most affected by the pandemic.

Through the virtual volunteering activity, “Giving for Giving,” Diego provided Spanish lessons while Vas taught English. Fees from the lessons went toward supporting Habitat Indonesia’s temporary shelter for medical workers project.

Fellow Habitat club members Ananya Sahai and Sara Bohra, both 18, also found ways to continue engaging with Habitat. Other than joining “Giving for Giving,” they participated in the online events that marked the launch of the Habitat Young Leaders Build campaign in December 2020.

Ananya and Sara look forward to visiting Habitat communities again because of the opportunities for students to build relationships and strengthen the communities. Ananya said, “We get to talk to people; sometimes we sit and have lunch with them. And just observe life in the village to get a better context of who we are helping.”

Throughout the Asia-Pacific region, young volunteers like Vas, Diego, Ananya and Sara are supporting the regional #HabitatYLB movement including implementing activities that contribute to Habitat’s COVID-19 responses and Habitat’s global fundraising initiative, Homes, Communities, Hope +You. Now in its tenth year, the Young Leaders Build 2021 campaign will mark its peak on April 24 with a volunteer conference. Register for the conference at https://bit.ly/YouthfromHome. Follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.