Forty-five percent of people in Nepal live in substandard housing and 30% have unsafe pit latrines. Residents in the region mostly live in thatched homes and have limited access to health care, a water supply and educational opportunities.
East Nepal is an important housing innovation region for Habitat Nepal, where they have supported local bamboo farmers and helped establish bamboo treatment centers to supply sustainable home building materials. Since 1997, Habitat for Humanity Nepal has reached more than 17,600 families with new homes, and in 2022 alone, helped 32,021 families finance their homes, which totaled more than $41 million.
Habitat Nepal has active projects in Koshi Province, including the Impact 2026 initiative, a collaboration between Habitat and the Hilti Foundation to create safe, green and durable bamboo housing solutions. Habitat volunteers will help a building contractor and local volunteers build new homes made of bamboo.
Some of the construction tasks include:
- Mixing mortar.
- Moving bricks.
- Preparing bamboo columns and beams.
- Weaving bamboo walls.
- Applying mud mortar to walls and paint.