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

Volunteers lifting a wall from the ground on build site

The power of donor impact in Romania

A home is where you spend Christmas, where you sleep through the night without cold air slipping in through broken windows. A home is where homework happens at the kitchen table, where families can cook, rest, feel safe, and dream together.Without decent housing, everything becomes harder. Health, education, stability, and even relationships suffer. That is why Hope Builds in Romania, unique volunteer house-building events, are so important.

Read more
CEO of Habitat for Humanity Romania sitting next to Mihaela, signing her house form

Our family’s story – Mihaela Albisteanu

This year, Mihaela moved into her new house, a home that she helped build alongside volunteers during Habitat for Humanity Romania’s Hope Build, a unique volunteer house-building event. In just five days in June 2024, volunteers from companies and the community came together for a so-called Hope Build. This project changed the lives of two households forever. One of these families is the Albisteanu family, led by a mother whose strength and resilience have carried her family through years of hardship, Mihaela Albisteanu. “I can’t believe it! The children will have their own space, just for them.”Mihaela’s excitement rings out as she shares her feelings in a video from the build. 

Read more
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Stories from Europe, the Middle East and Africa

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.

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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. 

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mother and daughter from Ukraine

Europe

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

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Press releases

A photo of an apartment building in Ukraine

Ukraine adopts new housing law to replace Soviet-era system and make housing affordable

February 03, 2026

In January 2026 a new housing law was adopted in the second reading in Ukraine’s parliament. This marks the beginning of a major housing reform, something that has not happened for over 30 years in the country.New Bill No. 12377, “On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy,” replaces the 1983 Soviet-era Housing Code, includes the establishment of social housing, new financial mechanisms to support the construction and purchase of housing, digitalization of processes, as well as putting vulnerable people and their specific needs as a priority. It is now awaiting Presidential approval and signature to come into effect.

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Turning Empty Buildings into Homes. How Bytom Shows a New Way Forward in Affordable Housing

December 15, 2025

In the heart of Bytom, a historic 19th-century tenement building on Piekarska Street, Poland, has been given a new life. Long abandoned and deteriorating, the building has been transformed into four warm, safe, and modern apartments, offering families—including Ukrainian refugees and local residents—a chance to call this central Silesian city home. What was once a vacant, neglected property is now a symbol of hope, cooperation, and sustainable urban regeneration. It is proof that solving Europe’s housing crisis does not always require new construction—sometimes it’s about breathing new life into what already exists.

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A collage of photos including a mother and a child, and an elderly woman and man

Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company Limited and Habitat for Humanity launch landmark housing microfinance solution in Tanzania

December 15, 2025

Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company (TMRC) signed a memorandum of understanding with Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) in August 2022 to engage in an effort to promote the ability of TMRC in unpacking the potential of Housing Microfinance (HMF) in Tanzania and supporting TMRC to develop and expand its commercial relationships with low-income consumers as a means of increasing their access to affordable and quality housing solutions, a first step in the organizations’ joint-effort to expand and strengthen the low-income housing finance sector in Tanzania.

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New housing research. Repurposing Empty Spaces to Address the Housing Crisis in Great Britain

December 15, 2025

Across England, Scotland, and Wales, the housing crisis continues to deepen. Record levels of homelessness, rising temporary accommodation costs, and a chronic shortage of genuinely affordable homes are placing enormous pressure on households and local authorities alike. At the same time, thousands of buildings—many of them publicly owned—sit vacant or underused, representing a missed opportunity to respond more quickly and sustainably to housing need.

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All stories

family sitting in lobby

From Gaza to Romania: A story of strength and hope

“We were waiting for death,” says Asma, a 23-year-old nursing school graduate and the daughter of Khaled and Daniela. Reflecting on the past month in Gaza, she recounts the experiences of her family. Her father, a 60-year-old mechanical engineer, and her mother, a 54-year-old born and raised in Brașov, Romania, were part of the first group of evacuees from the Gaza Strip to arrive in Romania on November 8. Their large, close-knit family of 13 includes their 6-month-old granddaughter Hanan, whose name means compassion and affection.

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light bulb

What is energy poverty?

Energy powers communities. Healthcare workers and teachers depend on energy to heal and educate their communities. Energy keeps homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

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Build better lives

Build better lives

On the 29th August 2023, ahead of the second EPBD trilogue under the Spanish Council Presidency, 67 civil society organisations, social, health and environmental NGOs, trade unions and youth movements across Europe have signed onto a joint statement calling on their elected representatives to deliver an ambitious and socially just EU Buildings Directive (EPBD) before the end of the year.

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water-bucket

Water is life

In Zambia, many families are challenged every day to survive. Mathabo Makuta, national director of Habitat for Humanity Zambia, discusses problems with access to clean water and water borne diseases.  

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woman-in-africa

Building Solid Ground

Habitat’s Compendium of Best Practices for Housing in Africa, produced by the EU-funded Build Solid Ground project, documents positive stories of change in the areas of adequate and affordable housing, including basic services, land tenure and slum upgrading.

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building

Does the right to housing exist?

Episode 1 welcomes listeners to the world of housing. Architect Esben Neander Kristensen, Director at Gehl, explains the difference between home and housing, discusses the right to housing, and provides insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic changed our perception of home. This episode opens the first season of Home Sapiens. 

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Habitat CEO Jonathan Reckford

Habitat CEO: Coronavirus pandemic calls for a world where we care for each other

In recent days and weeks, a wave of closures, cancellations and postponements has unfurled as the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged. Those decisions — taken individually, totaled in the aggregate — have been stunning acts of solidarity, expressions of concern and collective responsibility for the health and well-being of our communities and our neighbors.

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WUF 2020 Habitat for Humanity International

Sharing our expertise at the UN’s 10th World Urban Forum

With countries around the world continuing to face rapid and large-scale urbanization, Habitat for Humanity is honoured to once again share its insights with global leaders on how to ensure cities and human settlements grow in ways that are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

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Global Education Toolkit

Global Education Toolkit

Our Global Education Toolkit is an online educational resource that shares knowledge and practical educational tools on housing, land rights and sustainable urban development. Find out more.

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Volunteers lifting a wall from the ground on build site

The power of donor impact in Romania

A home is where you spend Christmas, where you sleep through the night without cold air slipping in through broken windows. A home is where homework happens at the kitchen table, where families can cook, rest, feel safe, and dream together.Without decent housing, everything becomes harder. Health, education, stability, and even relationships suffer. That is why Hope Builds in Romania, unique volunteer house-building events, are so important.

Read more
CEO of Habitat for Humanity Romania sitting next to Mihaela, signing her house form

Our family’s story – Mihaela Albisteanu

This year, Mihaela moved into her new house, a home that she helped build alongside volunteers during Habitat for Humanity Romania’s Hope Build, a unique volunteer house-building event. In just five days in June 2024, volunteers from companies and the community came together for a so-called Hope Build. This project changed the lives of two households forever. One of these families is the Albisteanu family, led by a mother whose strength and resilience have carried her family through years of hardship, Mihaela Albisteanu. “I can’t believe it! The children will have their own space, just for them.”Mihaela’s excitement rings out as she shares her feelings in a video from the build. 

Read more