Country Facts:
- Capital city – Cairo
- Population – 100+ million
- Life expectancy – 73 years
- Unemployment rate – 8.1%
- Below poverty line – 32.5%
Habitat Facts
- Habitat started in Egypt in 1989
- Individuals served in FY 2019 – 23,460
- Through incremental building – 9,750
- Through market development – 13,710
- Volunteers hosted in FY 2019 – 604
The housing need in Egypt
In Egypt, more than 20 million people live in substandard housing conditions, with minimum means of improving their situation.
Substandard housing is particularly common in the rural areas, where many families live in old, mud-brick houses with dirt floors, no doors or windows, and inadequate roofs made from thatch, branches or even sugar cane. These conditions provide little protection from snakes, insects, intruders, rain, or extreme variations in temperature. The houses are dangerously hot in summer and experience below freezing temperatures in winter. Access to toilets and clean, piped water is limited, causing severe health problems. Moreover, large families are often crowded into one- or two-room structures. Some even share their homes with their livestock or poultry
How Habitat addresses the need
CONSTRUCTION
Houses built by Habitat Egypt are decent, durable and affordable. They are built using appropriate and locally available building materials, which meet specific housing requirements. Houses have cement or tile floors, plaster or limestone brick walls, inside plumbing and sanitary systems, secure wooden roofs, and enough rooms to separate parents from children, boys from girls, and families from their livestock. These changes create secure homes, protecting the families from the elements and also allow families the opportunity to build a second floor in the future.
PEOPLE IN THE POOREST PLACES
Based on the belief that every Egyptian has the right to a healthy house, Habitat Egypt has agreed with their local partners to allocate 7% of annual housing through non-refundable grants to those families and individuals living in the country’s poorest places. The success of this program has motivated some donors to allocate a fair part of their donations to serving this disadvantaged group.
What you can do
DONATE
Go to habitat.org/donate and designate your gift to Habitat Egypt.
VOLUNTEER
Join one of the scheduled Global Village trips to Europe, Middle East and Africa or lead your own.
TITHE
All affiliate tithe gifts are sent internationally to serve families outside of the United States.
CONTACT:
Ashraf Eid
National Director
[email protected]
Mary Nabil
RDC Coordinator
[email protected]
Cyrus Watuku
Associate Director of Operations
Habitat for Humanity Europe, Middle East and Africa
[email protected]
To find out more about us visit our:
Website: www.habitategypt.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HabitatEgypt
