Habitat for Humanity International is calling on delegates at the COP28 climate change conference to prioritize the housing needs of vulnerable populations, particularly those who are living in slums and informal settlements, by taking action that will meaningfully address the impact of climate change on safe, decent, and affordable housing.
“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.”
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.”
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.
Habitat for Humanity’s Human Resource Learning and Organisation Development (HRLOD) team participated in a build in Machakos County, Kenya. This is one of the special builds organised to give staff hands on experience in the field and make them connect with the mission.
Iryna, a new mother, found herself saying things she never expected. On an ordinary day in February, her life and her family’s life took a sudden turn. This one event forced her to make a decision that would change everything forever.
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.
Enida, 30, was born just before the outbreak of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She grew up in a one-room household on a hilltop of Baščaršija, one of the oldest neighborhoods of Sarajevo, with her brother and parents. For 23 years, the family occupied a 25 square meter space with one window and no dedicated bathroom nor kitchen.
Over half of Roma families experience housing deprivation across the European Union. “Being part of Habitat Macedonia’s project, at first for the legalization of our home, and then for its refurbishment, gave us hope that we can raise our children in decent conditions.”
Last year, Habitat for Humanity International had the opportunity to participate in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) Forum of Mayors in Geneva, Switzerland. This high-level event brought together representatives from 40 national governments, local authorities, and housing and climate experts from across the continent to explore sustainable urban solutions. We joined the forum to present one of our most transformative initiatives—Empty Spaces to Homes—a project that reimagines vacant buildings as a key part of solving Europe’s housing and climate crises.