Stories section

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Habitat for Humanity is present in more than 20 countries in EMEA region. We are a nonprofit housing organization that helps low-income people around the world access decent housing.

In order to find out more about our work in the region we bring you interesting stories.

Habitat can offer detailed information, case studies, and housing research as well as hi-resolution photos to cover regional housing issues or specific problems in a country.

For more information contact:

Brian Feagans
Senior Director
International Communications

Phone: +1 404 420 6726
Email: [email protected]

Latest stories

The Cretu family: building more than a home

In the modest embrace of their Holboca commune apartment, the Cretu family finds joy in the simple things: the children’s daily tales from school, shared meals, and laughter. Andreea, a nurse, and Marius, a construction worker, have built a life that honors commitment and love.

Building capacity for greater impact

“We used to have very small apartments,” Alma Mushi says of Albania’s Communist period from 1944 to 1991. Alma serves as deputy marketing director for Fondi BESA, Albania’s largest microfinance institution. “In my father’s house, there were eight or nine people living in two rooms and one kitchen. Everyone was living like that, with two or three sons (and their wives) in the same small apartment.”

Building capacity for greater impact

Valbona Xhafa, regional manager at Fondi BESA, emphasizes the deep cultural value placed on homeownership in Albania: “We Albanians are very sensitive about our houses. We all want to [own] houses. That’s what it means to live well.” This widespread desire for better living conditions drove Fondi BESA to introduce a new housing loan product in 2021, backed by an investment from MicroBuild. The initial rollout of this product faced challenges, as Alma notes: “We’d had the product for more than a year, but we were hardly disbursing any housing loans.”