Ashish’s life might have taken a different course if his parents had not built a new home with Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh. Without decent shelter, they would still be afraid whenever the weather turns bad. Ashish’s young son would also have to do his homework on the bed, as his father had done for many years.

But a safe, secure home laid the foundation for a better life. “I was the unemployed son of a poor family. Today, I have social standing and a decent life. It was possible because of Habitat’s support. My family and I will always be grateful,” said Ashish who lives in Raghurampur Majhipara, a village in north-central Mymensingh district. 

He recalled that in 2000, nearly two decades ago, Habitat Bangladesh’s staff were in his village to survey housing needs. His parents could not afford to repair their windowless bamboo house after it had been badly damaged by a storm. So they approached Habitat Bangladesh for help in rebuilding their home.

With the help of a kind neighbor, Ashish’s parents were able to make a down payment of 3,000 taka (over US$35) for a five-year housing loan. Together with two other families, they became the first Habitat homeowners in Mymensingh. 

As Ashish was already 22, he and his parents each needed their own rooms. They took loans to provide the additional construction materials for building a 27-square-meter house that was bigger than Habitat’s core houses in Bangladesh.

Although he wanted to be a doctor, he stopped his studies at the age of 16 after his grade 10 examinations. He gave private tuition to supplement his family’s income. With the money he earned, Ashish was able to buy food and pay for household expenses. He could also afford new clothing for his parents for religious festivities.

When Habitat Bangladesh started building more homes in his community, Ashish’s life began to change. To improve the rate of repayment, Ashish was hired by Habitat Bangladesh in 2001 to monitor and collect monthly repayments from families. In August 2005, he became a construction supervisor with Habitat when the new position was created.

“That was a new beginning for me as I had a new meaning in life,” Ashish recalls. With a stable job, he could repay the loans his family had taken to build a larger house and buy appliances and furniture on hire purchase.

He became the bread winner when his father Himangshu Chandra, who had typhoid, lost his source of income. “All the responsibilities of the household fell on my shoulders.”

When Ashish turned 30, he delayed his arranged marriage so as to expand the house and install a tube well. He married Orchona in 2010 and they have two children Aditta and Rakhi, aged 7 and 2 respectively.

Despite having to provide for his family and caring for his mother who has health problems, he was able to further his education. In 1998, Ashish enrolled in a government polytechnic and completed a diploma course in engineering. Ten years later, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in social science. In 2018, he graduated with a Masters degree in development studies from a public university.

After two decades of involvement, Ashish identifies with the cause of secure, affordable housing. “I will continue to take personal responsibility for achieving the mission and vision of Habitat.”

MANILA (Nov. 9, 2020) — In commemoration of World Habitat Day, October 5, a livestream was organized by Habitat for Humanity in support of its global fundraising campaign, Homes, Communities, Hope + You. The webinar, “Is housing the secret to economic recovery from COVID-19?”, focused on the housing sector as a key economic driver and how different stakeholders could foster affordable and inclusive housing markets.

The webinar also coincided with the release of the Habitat-commissioned report, Cornerstone of Recovery: How Housing Can Help Emerging Market Economies Rebound from COVID-19. The study revealed how emerging economies that have been struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic may be significantly underestimating the housing sector’s contribution to their respective gross domestic products. As a result, these countries could be missing opportunities for economic and social revival.

On social media, Habitat’s various national organizations in the Asia-Pacific region promoted the livestream, key findings of the Cornerstone report, relevant housing data, and the webinar panelists. Other content including videos, stories, and photos were also shared.

A summary of some related activities is given below:

• In an opinion-editorial, Rajan Samuel, managing director of Habitat India, homed in on the vulnerable Irula tribal community and their critical need for housing. In tackling land tenure and housing, he advocated partnering with the Indian government and community-based organizations and actively engaging the community.
• A webinar organized by Habitat Nepal was well-received by 85 participants including local town officials. The event also helped to connect the policymakers and the youth, who were positioned as changemakers in addressing issues related to COVID-19 and housing.
• Habitat Singapore’s event, Cycle Out Poverty, raised almost S$18,000 (about US$13,100) to build homes for vulnerable families on Indonesia’s Batam Island.
• In Hong Kong, Habitat worked with a corporate partner, Raze, in raising awareness and funding support for the former’s home sanitizing projects.
• Habitat Philippines aligned their fundraising campaign, Together We Rise, with Urban October celebrations. Together with Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, they hosted ‘BAHAYnihan: Rising Together through Housing,’ an online forum to raise awareness of the housing needs of the country and its unserved population, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development, Eduardo Del Rosario, led panelists from key housing organizations in the country. A new report, “Impact of COVID-19 on the low-income housing market systems in the Philippines” was also launched at the event.

Marking International Volunteer Day in the year 2020 will be different, not least because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the health and economic crises have profoundly affected the way Habitat for Humanity operates, the positive impact of volunteers continues. In Japan, where Habitat has been mobilizing volunteers since 2001, some supporters share their stories.

Mami Maruyama had always been interested in international volunteering. Then a freshman, she took action after hearing Habitat campus chapter members share about their enjoyable Global Village experiences. “I thought, ‘if I join the campus chapter, I could gain broader perspectives from the members,’ ” says Mami, 33. Her first overseas volunteering trip was to India in the summer of 2006 with another build in Bangladesh.

“As a program, Global Village is sustainable and I can understand why it is needed,” says Mami who is currently a volunteer coordinator with Habitat Japan. By sharing their stories, Habitat volunteers encourage their friends and others to join the Global Village program. Working alongside volunteers, future homeowners demonstrate self-reliance by contributing their ‘sweat’ equity, or own labor. After gaining construction skills, some homeowners go on to help others in their community to build homes.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly curtailed volunteer activity, Habitat volunteers can take advantage of the pause. They can focus on housing issues in Japan to realize Habitat’s vision of a world everyone has a decent place to live, Mami suggests. “No matter when the GV program resumes, there are always housing issues in Japan. Habitat Japan should keep or even develop the current Project HomeWorks to respond to vulnerable individuals in need of decent homes. It would be great if Habitat Japan can extend a helping hand when the next big disaster happens.”

Like many campus chapter members, Chika Tagawa, 21, supports Habitat Japan because of an interest in overseas builds. With the suspension of volunteer builds, she thinks it may be difficult to sustain campus chapters’ interest. But local volunteering activities provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the housing issues in one’s own home country.

Project HomeWorks has changed her thinking, Chika says of the program that mobilizes volunteers to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people in Japan. “Before getting involved, it seemed like housing issues were someone else’s problem. Through communicating with the homeowners, I realized that anyone could face such problems.”

“I think this pandemic is our chance to realize and appreciate that home is where we can live comfortably. I do have a regret that I’m not able accomplish my goals for this year. But it has been a precious time for me to rethink the importance of having a decent place to live.”

Chika reminisced about the first and last time — before Global Village builds were put on hold — she worked on a house in Indonesia in 2019. “During the trip, I felt I received more than what I gave to the homeowner family and the people in the community. This is why most Global Village teams shared their experiences with others, to give something back to the community, so that more could join the program to build decent homes.”

According to Mami, Japan needs to address issues such as rebuilding homes after natural disasters, homelessness, and an increase in vacant houses in the suburbs. She did her part by coordinating volunteers in Habitat’s response to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan as well as the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake response.

While not all campus chapter members can afford to go on a Global Village trip, they may also find it hard to take time off after joining the workforce. Mami shares: “As a campus chapter alumni, I would like to help solve housing issues in Japan. There are also many alumni who would like to contribute to their local communities. If more and more campus chapter alumni can join Habitat Japan again, we can expand our network to reach more people in need of decent homes in this country.”

One such alumnus is Ryota Matsumoto, 23, who described himself as a ‘retired’ campus chapter member. He was a freshman in the University of Tsukuba when he had his first taste of a Global Village build. Recalling his 2018 experience in Myanmar, he says: “Everyone — homeowner family, people in the community, international volunteers — worked hard together toward the same goal. It built a strong connection and that was most memorable for me.” He was among 74 volunteers from Japan who took part in Asia Build 2018 under the Habitat Young Leaders Build campaign.

In sharing their experiences and learnings from Global Village builds, campus chapter members helped to inspire a new generations of youth volunteers. With the suspension of volunteer builds, Habitat Japan’s connection with campus chapters may be affected, Ryota notes. To cement ties, he suggested that Habitat Japan raises awareness of how youth can be involved in its program and discuss collaboration opportunities with campus chapters. “To overcome these challenging times, the connection or relationship between Habitat Japan and campus chapters should be solid to continue the mission.”

The weaving loom that is Senghouch’s means of livelihood fits nicely into a sheltered space outside her home on stilts. It was not always like this.

With her weaving skills, she could earn some money to supplement the US$150 month wages of her husband Cheat, 32, a steel factory worker. But the lack of a decent, spacious home made it almost impossible for her to weave traditional fabric for making dresses.

“The house was messy and cramped. Because of that, my husband and I would feel stressed, which led to bitter arguments,” says Senghouch, 27, whose family of four lives in Kandal province, Cambodia. That was back in early 2019.

In addition, her two children, then 5 years old and 6 months respectively, could hardly move around the house safely. Heavy rains and strong winds would rock their house, causing them sleepless nights and leaving holes in the walls and roof that had to be repaired regularly. Besides using the toilet in her mother’s house which was 30 meters away, they could also get water to bring back to their place.

In March 2019, Senghouch and Cheat took the step of becoming Habitat homeowners, leaving their inadequate living conditions behind. They were among 36 families who have built new homes with Habitat for Humanity Cambodia in a Dutch-funded project. Another 46 families gained access to safe sanitation through latrines built while over 8,400 primary students were trained in hygienic and sanitation practices.

With the help of Habitat skilled workers, the couple were able to build a durable home with their own toilet with sufficient space for the weaving loom. The family moved into their new house in Puk Russey commune, Khsach Kandal district, in May 2019. Having a place that they could proudly call their own has improved their family life.

“My husband and I can now have a proper conversation. We both felt secure having our own home. This lessened the stress,” says Senghouch. Now that she can work comfortably at home, she can earn up to US$40 for each swathe of fabric woven.

In the first six months after moving into their new home, she noted that her two children did not have diarrhea as often as before. It helps that her family, along with others in the project, attended training in water, sanitation and hygiene conducted by Habitat Cambodia.

Seeing Senghouch weaving at home has led her daughter Mengchou to take an interest in weaving. “I am happy to see my children thrive in our new home. I hope they can grow up well and have proper education.”

She is looking forward to saving money to set up a small business with her husband. “It could be a steel workshop or a tailor shop,” she shares.

Since 2003, Habitat Cambodia has served more than 90,000 families including Senghouch’s by the end of the financial year on June 30, 2019. Visit habitatcambodia.org or follow facebook.com/HabitatCambodia1/ to find out more.

For more than 30 years, former soldier Bunthoeun — who lost both his arms in a landmine accident in 1986 — had to live with the fear of eviction while struggling to provide for his family. He relied on his monthly military pension of US$125 to bring up his eight children in Kandal province, Cambodia.

His family used to live in a small shack made up of rusty tin sheets and wood debris. “Aside from heavy rain that would seep through holes in the roof, what worried me the most was that our family could be evicted anytime since we don’t own the place we were staying in.”

When it wasn’t raining, the heat would be too unbearable. “I could barely move around inside, but we had no place to go.” Having to move several times, his children had never experienced living in a permanent home.

After his six sons and two daughters have grown up and found jobs in other provinces, Bunthoeun, 56, and his wife Samuth, 63, were able to have their own home.

In late 2018, staff of Habitat for Humanity Cambodia contributed their labor during a weeklong build in Veal Thmey village, Ponher Leu district. Buntheoun and his wife help to prepare the areas for washing up, meals and breaks and clean up the worksite each day. Buntheoun constantly checked with Habitat Cambodia’s staff and skilled workers to see if he could help in other ways.

After the five-day build, Bunthoeun and his wife were able to move into their own home in September 2018. The house, which comes with a proper toilet, features the use of zinc in its roofing, walls and timber framing.

“It’s easy for me to move around,” says Bunthoeun as doors are easy to open in the spacious house. Now he could sit comfortably in front of his house, telling his visitors stories of his family and his days in the military. With more space to work at home, Samuth hopes to weave more baskets for a living and save some money.

After years of instability and hardship, Bunthoeun and Samuth have greater peace of mind and freedom. Settling down nicely, they have started growing ornamental plants to make their home more welcoming. They have also planted vegetables and fruit trees for food.

Since 2003, Buntheoun and Samuth are among more than 90,000 families who have joined hands with Habitat Cambodia and their partners to build better lives through decent homes and microfinance services. Visit habitatcambodia.org or follow facebook.com/HabitatCambodia1/ to find out more.