Photo: Mother and daughter reading a book together, Uganda

Stories

Habitat for Humanity Europe, Middle East and Africa

The latest housing updates

from Habitat for Humanity

Housing as Climate Adaptation for the Urban Poor

Across Africa, millions of families living in informal settlements face growing climate risks, including floods, extreme heat, storms and other climate-related shocks. As governments and development partners seek scalable solutions, the Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor (BCRUP) Programme is emerging as a landmark initiative to strengthen resilience in some of the continent’s most vulnerable urban communities.

Lessons from Africa: ADH-funded WASH for Food Security programme

After nearly 18 months of implementation across six African countries, the WASH for Food Security programme funded by Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH) through Habitat for Humanity Germany is generating valuable lessons that extend beyond individual country projects. Across six Habitat for Humanity National Offices in Africa, teams are testing different approaches to WASH, food security and climate resilience, while building a shared body of learning that can strengthen programmes across the region.

Opening doors to decent housing in Tanzania: Building on 40 years of partnership and impact

For 40 years, Habitat for Humanity Tanzania has worked alongside multiple partners including communities, government, donors, civil society and the private sector to open doors to decent housing for more families in Tanzania. On September 30, these partners came together in Dar es Salaam to celebrate four decades of impact and look ahead to the next chapter of transforming lives through housing. The testimonies shared at the celebration highlighted the difference access to decent housing has made for families and communities. The celebration also marked Tanzania’s local activation of Habitat for Humanity’s global Let’s Open The Door campaign, bringing more people and partners together around a shared ambition: a Tanzania where every family has access to safe and decent housing.

Photo: a women and two children from Zambia sitting on stairs in front of their house

Africa

In Africa we empower low-income people to build a better life for themselves and their children.

Learn more

Inside a flat in Lebanon - two girls and their mother reading a book together

The Middle East

Our mission in the Middle East is to build a safe and stable environment where families and communities can thrive.

Learn more

Europe

More and more people in Europe face problems to find a decent place to live. We help to make homes affordable.

Learn more

Press releases

woman and child looking out on the balcony

What do people give up to afford a home?

October 05, 2026

[BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — 5 October 2026] — A new Habitat for Humanity study finds that people around the world are cutting back on food, using savings and changing plans for the future to afford housing.Three in four people surveyed worldwide said they had cut at least one expense to afford housing. One in three spent less on food; nearly a third used savings or emergency funds, and 31% took on extra work. Nearly half, 48%, worry that one unexpected problem could threaten their housing security.

Habitat for Humanity joins Transforming Invisible Buildings project to advance affordable housing through building reuse

September 17, 2026

(BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – 17 September 2026) — Habitat for Humanity is contributing to the Transforming Invisible Buildings project, which has been underway since February 2026 and is helping cities turn vacant and underused buildings into affordable, energy-efficient homes. The partnership builds on Empty Spaces to Homes, our flagship initiative helping European cities put unused buildings to work for people who need a decent place to live.

London Opened the Door and the Conversation Followed

June 08, 2026

For two remarkable days, Covent Garden became a gathering place where reflection, conversation and connection unfolded through art, storytelling and shared experiences. On May 29–30, Habitat for Humanity’s global public art installation Let’s Open the Door arrived in London, transforming one of the city’s busiest public spaces into an immersive experience exploring what home means, why it matters and why everyone deserves one. As one of only two international cities selected to host the campaign outside the United States, London joined a global movement that has already inspired audiences in New York, Washington D.C., Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago. Through striking artistic doors, real homeowner stories and opportunities for public participation, the installation invited thousands of people to consider a simple but profound question: What does home mean to you?

New research: Financial Instruments for Renovation of Vacant Spaces in Europe

June 05, 2026

Across Europe, millions of buildings stand empty while people struggle to find affordable places to live. HFHI conducted this research to better understand which financial mechanisms and models are most effective in converting vacant spaces into affordable housing. Looking across different European cities, the study examines how tools like loans, grants, revolving funds, and blended finance actually perform in practice - and why some approaches succeed while others fall short.

2023
2022
2021
2020
All stories

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.”

Uniting through building: Habitat for Humanity's volunteer effort in Romania

Dozens of corporate professionals from all around the world. Different backgrounds. Different experiences. But united for the same cause. To help build houses with families that deserve a new beginning.

What you need to know about the Africa Housing Forum

The first Africa Housing Forum is rapidly approaching, and we can’t wait to lead off the discussions on the future of African cities. This hybrid event will take place both virtually and in-person at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya on 12 – 14 May 2022.

Housing Poverty in Romania: A New Housing Model

Habitat for Humanity Romania has recently launched a pilot project which aims to find the most cost-effective housing solution. There have been 6 buildings already built. Is it possible to build a house in 5 days? Find out more in this episode with our guest Roberto Pătrășcoiu - national director of Habitat for Humanity Romania.

Climate Change and Housing: How Must Our Homes Adapt

Climate change affects all areas of our daily lives. Recent study published by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change says that Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the world. Do our homes need to change or has the process already started? How can we save energy? This and much more in the first episode of season 2 of Home Sapiens Podcast with our speaker Besim Nebiu.

What is a slum?

In episode 3 of our podcast series, we talk about informal settlements in Africa with Charles Witbooi, Program Head for Advocacy and Volunteering Engagement at Habitat for Humanity South Africa.

Studying by candlelight

Episode 5 is driven by young enthusiasts. Linus Wahome, founder and CEO of ManPro Systems Ltd, shares his childhood and school memories . As a family of three tried hard to provide best conditions for their children, Linus and his siblings had to share one candle while doing their homework. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending.

Equality in an unequal society

Episode 4 brings up the issue of gender equality. We take a closer look at customs and traditions in Lesotho. Stories of women evicted from their homes are typical in many communities in this country. Fungai Mukorah, national director of Habitat for Humanity Lesotho, walks us through women’s experiences and their fight for shelter.

Understanding housing in the Middle East and the impact of the Syrian crisis

Almost a decade since the start of the Syrian crisis, the hardships and suffering of millions of Syrians continues. More than half the Syrian population has been displaced, and over 5 million are registered as refugees in neighbouring countries.

COVID-19: Housing at the Center

Since COVID-19 pandemic first broke out in China in December 2019, affecting over 199 countries to date, it has brought the plight of poverty, inequality and the lack of services and opportunity into the spotlight and underscored one glaring reality.

Measuring and Reporting Social Impact

Ethical Corporation by Reuters Events hosts a one-hour webinar with senior leaders sharing their practical ideas on how to approach measuring and reporting social impact. This discussion is moderated by Heather Alner, EMEA Resource Development Director, Habitat for Humanity International.

Stories

Habitat for Humanity Europe, Middle East and Africa

The latest housing updates

from Habitat for Humanity

Stories from Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Press releases

All stories