HABITAT FACTS:
- Habitat began working in El Salvador in 1992.
- Individuals served in FY2021 – 130,255
- Through new constructions– 1,945
- Through housing rehabilitation – 270
- Through repairs – 8,060
- Through incremental building – 10,095
- Through market development – 109,870
- Volunteers hosted in FY2020 – 1,743
COUNTRY FACTS:
Capital city – San Salvador
Population -- 6.3 million
Life expectancy – 73.3 years
Unemployment rate – 6.9%
Below poverty line – 27.2%
The housing need in El Salvador
El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in the Central American region. Eight out of every 10 Salvadorans live in inadequate conditions, according to a 2016 study by INCAE and Habitat for Humanity. Based on a 2019 multipurpose household survey of the Ministry of Economy, three in 10 households live in multidimensional poverty.
Many families lack access to clean water and safe sanitation, education, financing to improve their homes, and land ownership. El Salvador is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries, with 88.7% of the territory considered to be at risk and a vast majority of the population, or 95.4%, living in those areas.
How Habitat addresses the need
Building homes and communities
Habitat El Salvador builds affordable homes with families and enables them to make housing improvements, depending on their needs. Each project is carried out in accordance with the national and international construction standards. We have also produced a catalog with house designs and three funding modalities: credit, credit subsidy, and subsidy.
Risk management and disaster response
We work together with authorities, partners, and communities in responding to disasters through the rehabilitation and construction of permanent or temporary housing. Habitat El Salvador also launched awareness campaigns about COVID-19 and distributed hygiene kits to vulnerable families in response to the pandemic, in coordination with the Humanitarian Country Team.
Community projects
Our projects strengthen communities through comprehensive, innovative, and resilient development. Thanks to the support of volunteers and allies, local and international, we impact more families through projects such as:
- Construyendo empoderamiento con mujeres or Building empowerment with women. We have partnered with 50 women and their families through housing construction or improvements, productive ventures, and seed capital. By empowering women, we promote gender equality in access to housing and development, leading to healthier homes and a better quality of life.
- Juntos construyendo mi casa or Together building my house. While Habitat’s masons build safe and stable homes with Salvadoran families with great commitment and responsibility, many of them do not have a decent place to live. Through this project, nine Habitat masons and their families have already improved their housing conditions and we plan to serve 51 more masons.
What you can do
DONATE
Donate at www.habitat.sv/donacion
VOLUNTEER
The Global Village program was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please go to habitat.org/gv for updates, including when and where the program will resume.
TITHE
Habitat affiliates in the U.S. can establish a tithe partnership to help build houses. Write EL SALVADOR on checks sent to: Habitat for Humanity International, Attn: Affiliate Tithe, 322 West Lamar St., Americus, GA 31709
CONTACT
Habitat for Humanity El Salvador, Col. General Arce, Cl. Jorge Domínguez H-4, San Salvador, El Salvador, phone: +503 2510 6400, [email protected], www.habitat.sv
