Annual ReportAnnual Report

July 2009 July 2009 -- June 2010June 2010

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Left: Community training on

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

and Appropriate Construction

Technology

Below: National Director Kelly

Koch at Open Build Nov 2009

Above: Staff training

on Compressed Inter-

locking Earth Block

(CIEB) technology

Right: Australian High

Commission staff

build with Habitat

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Table of Contents

A Snapshot of Our Year ........................................................................................................ 2

Where We Work .................................................................................................................... 4

About Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh ......................................................................... 5

A Message from the National Director .............................................................................. 6

Our Partners ........................................................................................................................... 7

Our Work ................................................................................................................................ 8

Our Volunteers .................................................................................................................... 12

Our Families ......................................................................................................................... 13

Financial Statements

Letter from the Auditor ............................................................................................ 14

Statement of Financial Position ............................................................................... 15

Statement of Changes in Net Assets ....................................................................... 16

Statement of Functional Expenses .......................................................................... 17

Our Future Plans ................................................................................................................. 18

How You Can Help ............................................................................................................. 18

Story: Shelter from the Storm ............................................................................................ 19

Volunteers from University of Galway, Ireland

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Where We Work

*An HRC or Habitat Resource Center may be a physical structure or a network of specialists offering support and resources. Centers provide expertise in areas

such as project and construction management; research on appropriate construction technology; and construction skills training. They also response to disas-

ters and provide housing microfinance expertise. An HRC may support a series of satellites.

** DR or Disaster Response project areas where Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh has worked.

*

**

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Everyone deserves a place to call

home. Habitat for Humanity

helps to turn such expectations

into reality by transforming lives

through the provision of safe,

decent and affordable homes.

A decent home opens the door to

improve d he al th , be t ter

performance in school, greater

economic opportunities and

increased community cohesion.

For 35 years, Habitat for

Humanity has been a catalyst for

such transformations, often

achieving great success by

working with like-minded

partners. The impact is not only

felt by families whom Habitat

helps. Entire communities are

also transformed when partners

support Habitat by providing

power, water and sanitation

facilities, schools, community

facilities and employment

opportunities.

Home to 160 million people,

Bangladesh is among the most

About Habitat for Humanity

Bangladesh

populous countries in the world.

While the country is predomi-

nantly rural, the exponential

growth in population and

urbanization puts tremendous

pressure on housing, sanitation,

health, education and infrastruc-

ture. In addition, Bangladesh

relies on a relatively narrow

range of resources and is subject

to frequent natural disasters.

In response to the pressing need

for housing, Habitat for

Humanity Bangladesh was

e s t a b l i s he d i n 19 9 9 i n

Mymensingh, and has since

increased its services to 13

locations around the country. It

works in mainly rural programs

i n v o l v i n g n e w h o m e

constructions, major and minor

renovations, disaster response

and mitigation, training on

water, sanitation and hygiene

practices and appropriate con-

struction technology. It currently

operates as a branch of Habitat

for Humanity International.

Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh staff at 2010 Annual Retreat

Total: 2802 families served

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FY2010 was a tremendous

year for Habitat for

Humanity Bangladesh.

Our organization had

come a long way since

the one-man venture in

Mymensingh in 1999.

Today, the more than

eighty members of our

HFH Bangladesh

family work across

nine districts of

Bangladesh in three Habitat

Resource Centers, nine satellite

offices and its national office in

the capital city of Dhaka.

In our first 10 years of operation,

HFH Bangladesh had adopted

the traditional Habitat Save &

Build program model to serve

the low-income families of Bang-

ladesh. In 2009, we conducted an

extensive survey and came to

realize that this Save & Build

model no longer suited the needs

of our families. Hence at the

beginning of FY2010, HFH Bang-

ladesh underwent a program

restructure to incorporate a more

demand-based approach in our

product designs and offerings.

Under our new model, we

provide low-income families

with housing loans and assis-

tance for not only new home

constructions, but also major

renovations and minor repairs.

This added flexibility allows us

to serve a more diverse range of

families and does not limit our

offering to the single one-room

new house option previously

seen in the Save & Build model.

A Message From The

National Director In addition to transitioning to our

new program model, HFH Bang-

ladesh also began project-based

funding in FY2010. Our first

project was for a Community-

Based Disaster Mitigation

(CBDM) project, which piloted in

January 2010. This project

focused on mobilizing local

c o m m u n i t i e s , p r o v i d i n g

adequate training, and offering

affordable loans to implement

d i s a s te r - s pe c i f i c h ous in g

retrofits. The success of this pilot

CBDM project saw the arrival of

further support and the project is

now being implemented in its

full scale. Other pilot projects

that began in FY2010 included

one on water, sanitation and

hygiene and another on

compressed interlocking earth

block technology.

With our activities in full swing

at the conclusion of FY2010, it

was with bittersweet regret that I

announced my resignation as

National Director after 2.5 years

to take on a regional role with

Habitat. I would like to thank all

the staff, volunteers, partners and

friends for their contribution to

HFH Bangladesh. I would also

like to extend a warm welcome to

the new National Director, Mr.

John Armstrong. I wish John all

the best and I’m sure he will

thoroughly enjoy his time at

HFH Bangladesh just as I did.

Sincerely,

Kelly Koch, National Director

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Our Partners

Habitat for Humanity Offices

HFH Europe Central Asia

HFH Canada

HFH China

HFH Great Britain

HFH Ireland

HFH Japan

HFH Korea

Corporate

Chevron Bangladesh

Delta Brac Housing Ltd.

Non-Profit

Association of Development

for Economic and Social Help

Banglar Mela Sangstha

Change

Community Development

Society (CDS)

Development of Endemic

Poor Program (DEPP)

Jesh Foundation

Protik Trust

World Vision Bangladesh

Education

American International

School Dhaka

International School of

Dhaka

Other

Australian High

Commission in Dhaka

Australian Youth Ambassa-

dors for Development

US Embassy in Dhaka

Employees of Delta Brac Housing volunteering with Habitat

Chevron presenting cheque to HFH Bangladesh

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Our Work

Regular Program

Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh has a range of different approaches to providing housing solutions to low-income families. Habitat understands that each family differs in size, circumstance and need. Habitat‟s approach is flexible enough to offer different and adaptable solutions to all.

New House Construction - Building in Stages HFH Bangladesh offers a low-cost „core house‟ design. Families start by building a house with a single room, a veranda and a latrine. Once this is built and 50% of the non-profit loan repaid, the design allows the owners to build a second room and another veranda if needed and if their finances allow.

Renovations Habitat house renovations are planned changes and upgrades made to a sub‐standard house so a family can have improved and adequate living space. In addition to providing the financial loans to undertake these upgrades, HFH Bangladesh offers technical support for a range of major and minor renovations.

A major renovation is recommended if a house is in a poor condition and requires a large amount of work to bring it to a decent, stable shape. The work includes strengthening foundations and concrete floors, building new walls or rendering existing walls, fixing roofs (framing and covering), raising plinths and building verandas.

When a house structure is stable, the need may be for minor renovation. The work might involve sealing a floor, rendering a wall, repairing a roof, extending a veranda, adding doors and windows, plastering and painting, building a sanitary latrine, installing a rainwater-harvesting system or building a shallow tube well for safe water.

Top right: Construction work

of a Habitat house

Middle right: Homeowner

working Inside her

Habitat home

Left : A complete

Habitat house

Right: Habitat staff

working with home

partner to plan a

manageable loan repayment schedule

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From left going down:

1. Meeting with a village disaster

manangement committee

2. Community awareness billboard

3. Celebrating Bangladesh’s

Disaster Reduction Day 31 March

2010

4. Community training on

disaster mitigation

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Our Work

Community-Based Disaster

Mitigation Program

Habitat seeks to mitigate or reduce not only the devastating effect of a disaster, but also to protect families and strengthen homes against future calamities. This mitigation work takes the form of rebuilding or renovating to higher standards with quality materials and designs. It includes strengthening the structures of existing homes, providing technical training, and teaching families and communities how best to prepare for and respond to a disaster.

The Habitat Community-Based Disaster Mitigation program mobilizes local communities to form village disaster management committees that actively prepare for and respond to disasters. The program focuses on encouraging as many members of a local community to participate. Habitat trainers explain and demonstrate the benefits of disaster preparedness, appropriate construction technology for disaster resilient homes, post-disaster first aid and water, sanitation and hygiene practices.

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Our Work

Compressed Interlocking Earth Block

HFH Bangladesh pioneered in-country research on compressed interlock-ing earth block (CIEB) technology in 2009. This environmentally friendly and innovative solution substitutes blocks made from a mixture of mud and cement for conventional fire-baked clay bricks. The blocks can be made at home using a manual block-making compression machine and then dried in the sun. When sufficient blocks are available, construction of a home can be as short as seven days. HFH Bangladesh has completed a comprehensive feasibility assessment study, developed a skills training program to promote the technology and built prototype houses. In the coming years, Habitat intends to introduce CIEB technology more widely across Bang-ladesh and to promote the approach as a timesaving, eco-friendly and cost-effective way of building homes.

Above : Making a

compressed interlocking

eath block

Left: HFH Bangladesh

staff building first

prototype house using

CIEB technology

Left: First complete CIEB

prototype house located in

HFH Bangladesh’s Dugarpur

satellite

Right: Blocks are left to dry in

the sun for 2 weeks

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Our Work

Water, Sanitation and Health

Diseases associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) are a major cause of mortality in Bangladesh. HFH Bangladesh studies revealed that the benefits of using safe water and good hygiene practices were not well communicated or accepted in many rural communities. For instance, villagers often did not understand that good WaSH practices led to better health for themselves and their families . Based on these findings, Habitat designed training sessions on appropriate WaSH practices and communicates these to the communities. The project also included the provision of sanitary latrines together with rainwater harvesting systems.

Above : Sanitary

latrine with water

harvesting system

installed under

WaSH project

Left and below:

Community

training on

WaSH and ACT

Appropriate Construction Technology

Few people living in rural areas have specialised knowledge or adequate skills to build houses. HFH Bangladesh has developed a set of comprehensive guidelines and training modules on different ways to build using a variety of materials and equipment; how to create water and sanitation facilities such as rainwater harvesting systems; and project management tips such as making estimates, managing labor and time, controlling waste and quality. Habitat trains existing building workers as well as community leaders and Habitat home partners who want to learn to build and repair their own homes in an effective and sustainable manner.

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Our Volunteers Habitat for Humanity is well

known for the tangible, “hands-

on” construc-

tion experi-

ence it offers

t e n s o f

thousands of

v o l u n t e e r s

every year

from around

the world.

The experi-

ence is

a l w a y s

rewarding and it provides

volunteers with the opportunity

to spend time with local families

who are directly benefiting from

Habitat’s work.

In FY2010, 11 local teams and 12

international “Global Village”

t e a m s

journeyed

to the

b e a u t i f u l

rural com-

munities of

Bangladesh

to volunteer

with Habitat

for Humanity

Bangladesh.

Local teams included students

from the American International

School Dhaka and Grace Interna-

tional School;

embassy staff

f r o m t h e

A u s t r a l i a n

High Commis-

sion and the

US Embassy in

Dhaka; and

c o r p o r a t e

volunteers fro

c ons tr uc t ion

company Delta

Brac Housing.

Amongst the international

“Global Village” volunteers,

HFH Bangladesh received five

separate teams from long-time

supporter the Shanghai Ameri-

can School; several other youth

teams from Japan, Korea,

Singapore and Saudi Arabia; a

couple of adult teams from the

the UK and the US; and a

first-time visit from the

University of Galway, Ireland

(photo middle left).

In celebration of two notable

days of observance, HFH Bangla-

desh held an “Open Build” event

in December 2009 to mark the

United Nation’s International

Volunteer Day and a “Women’s

Build” in March 2010 to celebrate

International Women’s Day

(photo bottom right). Both events

attracted enthusiastic local and

expatriate city dwellers who

travelled from Dhaka to nearby

rural satellites for a day of lifting,

laying, mixing and building.

With volunteerism being at the

forefront of Habitat’s work, HFH

Bangladesh extends its thanks to

all past, present and future

volunteers in joining us in the

fight against poverty housing.

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Our

Families

A place for livelihood

Rubina Akter, aged 28, lives with her husband and her son, her mother-in-law and her brother-in-law‟s family, side-by-side in two Habitat homes. They share some communal areas where the children play, meals are prepared, and garden vegetables are grown. Rubina uses a corner of her Habitat home to sew blouses and clothes which she will later sell. Many Bangladeshi women achieve a sense of em-powerment when they are able to contribute financially to the family. Agreements for Habitat loans and homes are often made with the women of the family, which helps to promote the woman‟s influence in household decision making.

A place to care

Since the construction of their new Habitat home in Savar, close to Bangladesh‟s capital Dhaka, Rashida Begum and her husband Atiar Rahman now have the space to keep a cow. Atiar is a construction worker, and Rashida takes care of the cow along-side her household duties. Each day the cow

is milked, the family keeps some of the milk for their own needs and is able to sell around two and half liters for extra income. At home, their daughter Julekha now has the space to study after school and their young sons Sun and Moon now have a safe place to play.

Above from left:

Atiar Rahman; son

Moon; Rashida

Begum; daughter

Julekha.

Above: Atiar Rahman and family cow

Above: Rubina Akter (in the pink shawl) with her family members —

mother-in-law, husband, sisters-in-law, son and nephew.

Left: Rubina’s income generating handiwork.

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Our Future Plans

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Globally and locally, Habitat

aims to achieve the following in

2011:

1. By 2011, Habitat will exponen-

tially increase the number of

families served annually.

In Bangladesh, this will be

achieved by improving opera-

tional methodologies, increasing

organizational capacity to

respond to disasters, and through

working with new and existing

partnerships.

2. By 2011, Habitat will attract

new capital to the global

affordable housing market.

HFH Bangladesh aims to expand

into public and private sectors in

order to supply new capital to

the affordable housing market in

Bangladesh.

3. By 2011, Habitat will help lead

the transformation of global

systems and structures that

impact affordable housing.

In Bangladesh and around the

world, this means prioritizing

investment through research that

demonstrates sustainability on all

fronts, and mobilizing key

individuals and institutions to

implement policies and practices

that produce affordable housing.

4. By 2011, Habitat and its

partners will be diverse,

motivated and high-performing.

The final major goal of Habitat

requires the diversification of

leadership throughout the world-

wide Habitat network, and

focuses on Habitat becoming a

more spiritually and profession-

ally rewarding place to serve.

How You Can Help

In Bangladesh, home to 160 million people, the need is great. 4 out of every 10 people live below the national poverty line, reflecting the inability to meet basic human needs such as decent shelter. HFH Bangladesh invites to you help in the following ways:

VOLUNTEER Join the teams of people of all ages and backgrounds who each year bring their energy and enthusiasm to HFH Bangladesh. Our tangible, hands-on construction experience offers the chance to be directly involved in the building of better lives for the people of Bangladesh.

PARTNER HFH Bangladesh offers many opportunities of partnership in our work, our projects and our activities. International agencies, businesses, schools and embassies partner with Habitat to make decent homes a reality in Bangladesh.

DONATE HFH Bangladesh accepts cash donations and gifts in-kind. To make a donation now, please visit habitatbangladesh.org

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Shelter from the Storm

Leah Sanderson* – Mymensingh – April 2010

That night in Mymensingh, the rain fell hard. Winds swept through at over 100 kilometers per hour. In northern Bangladesh and parts of India, 100 people were reported dead and 100,000 homes were damaged or leveled.

Yet Rashida and her husband Khokon did not hear a thing. Less than one month ago, Mason Khokon and his three assistants finished building the family‟s new Habitat home.

“Our old house would have been completely destroyed. We did not know how strong the wind blew last night because of our new cement walls,” Md. Khokon said in amazement.

Their younger daughter Suchi, aged 12, who is in class four, likes to study while sitting on the floor. However it wasn‟t previously comfortable sitting on the damp mud of the old house.

Elder daughter Suki, 20, and her husband are visiting from Dhaka for Pohela Boishak – Bangladesh New Year‟s celebrations. It is the first time she has been to the new home. She is surprised and delighted.

“In the old house we were always afraid, especially in the rainy season. Rain would get through the roof… it was an emergency to build this house,” Rashida says.

The family heard of Habitat through their cousin, also a Habitat Homeowner, and then they were encouraged to take a loan by their neighbours. “When did you first hope for this home?” I asked. “We never hoped! We were not able to even imagine this, until Habitat,” they replied.

Every year on Pohela Boishakh, it is said to storm, with this year being no exception. As Bangladesh heads dramatically into the rainy season, the urgency for secure, affordable shelter for all is becoming evermore apparent.

*Leah Sanderson was an Australian Youth Ambassador for

Development volunteer working with Habitat for Humanity

Bangladesh in FY2010

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Report designed and edited by:

Lydia Luo

Mahmudul Hasan

Published by:

Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh

February 2011

Copywright reserved for Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh.