building a better world spring edition

Building a better world

Spring Newsletter 2013

In this issue:Exciting news about homes in Cambodia

World Habitat Day 2013

Success in Manahara, Nepal

2 Building a better world

There are currently over one billion people live in inadequate housing globally, with more than 500 million of those living in slums in the Asia-Pacific region.Conditions in urban slums are unimaginable. Homes are nothing more than makeshift structures, cobbled together from scrap materials, with dirt floors and inadequate ventilation.

There is little or no access to toilets or clean water and diarrhoea, asthma, depression, water-borne and dermatological diseases and illnesses, and even accidental death, are common.

In addition to health problems, residents are also vulnerable to eviction, crime, fires, earthquakes, floods, and other hazards.

Over the next two decades, the population of slums is expected to increase to nearly two billion, and research indicates that the frequency of natural disasters — storms, hurricanes, floods and droughts — is increasing.

Because of these trends, it is more important than ever to protect the urban poor from a life of squalid living conditions, disease and poor health, as well as from the catastrophic consequences of these natural disasters and climate change.

WE DO MORE THAN BUILD HOUSESYour support allows us to work with families to transform their lives, and build stronger futures.

In slums, we improve living conditions by replacing dirt floors with cement and improving ventilation. We also provide

access to clean water, toilets, drainage and hygiene education.

Improvements to housing not only reduce the incidence of disease and poor health, it creates a safe and secure place for people to earn a stable income, and for children to reach their full potential through education and study.

I have recently travelled to some of the countries we work in, and I am incredibly proud to see the transformation of communities across the Asia-Pacific region. More so, I am humbled by the support and generosity of people like you, who make these transformations possible.

You are helping to change the lives, and futures, of so many families.

You can read about the progress of our current projects in this edition of Building a better world.

I hope you enjoy the read,

Jon BlackwellCEO, Habitat for Humanity Australia

UPCOMING GLOBAL VILLAGE TRIPSNepal 30 Nov – 6 Dec 2013Vietnam 1–8 December 2013Cambodia 4–11 January 2014Sri Lanka 1–8 Febuary 2014

Be part of a team that builds a home for a family living in poverty. Find out more at www.habitat.org.au/globalvillage

Safe and adequate housing is more important than ever

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR SO FAR…MAYWe launched a life-changing training and education program for people living in slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh

JUNEYou helped us raise enough to build all 69 homes needed in Cambodia!

AUGUSTThe Hon. Joe Hockey MP officially opened our new national office in North Sydney

OCTOBEROur inaugural Urban Slum in Martin Place, Sydney, attracted tens of thousands of visitors

Jon with Habitat for Humanity homeowner, John

Earlier this year we appealed to you to help us finish our Hands and Hearts project to support orphans and vulnerable children in Cambodia.Our goal was to raise enough funds to build the last 69 homes in our 140 home project. We now have wonderful news to share with you! Thanks to the outstanding generosity of our supporters, we raised even more than we were hoping for — and have already started working on 42 of the 69 houses! Because of the amazing progress made to date, it won’t be long before we start working on the remaining 27 houses!

“Having a new house is like having a new life for my children and me. It gives us true happiness.”

VannyWE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOUWe want to say a big thank you to our supporters, for giving so generously. The Hands and Hearts project is transforming the lives of hundreds of people devastated by HIV/AIDS.

We did it! Thank you for your incredible support

3Spring 2013

HOW YOU’RE HELPING FAMILIES

74 families training in water and sanitation

102families HIV/AIDS care

66 families training in vital livelihood skills

113families a clean, safe and decent place to live

To date, your support has helped our Hands and Hearts project give:

Theymorn’s family will receive one of the next Hands and Hearts homes, and she cannot wait for the day she they can move into their new house.Theymorn’s husband is HIV positive, but thankfully neither she nor their two children have been infected. Yet the living conditions they have to endure are appalling.

The family lives in an unstable wooden house on top of piles of rubbish. There is no toilet, so they

have to use plastic bags and throw the bags away. Safety is a huge concern in their area — drug use is rife, and Theymorn’s husband has been attacked and robbed several times.

Theymorn and her family will soon join local tradesmen, Habitat for Humanity and volunteers to help build their own safe, decent home — and a brighter future.

Vanny at her home dedication ceremony

Theymorn’s current home is unhealthy and often dangerous

Vanny’s new house

Changing lives for the better

We have launched an innovative new program to provide leadership training for emerging professional women.

With less than one in ten women holding key management positions in ASX 500 companies, it is important that emerging female leaders are equipped with critical leadership skills, to help them success in a heavily competitive environment.

Leadership in Action is a high impact leadership program for emerging female leaders, and builds upon our tried and true Global Village program. Over the course of the program, women will build a home for a family in Cambodia and participate in both formal and self-led leadership development activities.

Building a home for a family overseas provides a challenging, but risk-free environment where emerging female leaders can develop, test and consolidate leadership competencies and build self-confidence to apply in their workplaces.

Helen Conway is the Director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and a Habitat Women Ambassador, and believes that Leadership in Action is the perfect challenge for up and coming female leaders.

“Leadership in Action provides leadership training in a challenging and safe environment in a condensed timeframe. It is a high impact program which facilitates the full experience of the various components critical to good leadership — mental, physical and emotional. Building in an environment of poverty adds a values element which other leadership programs don’t offer. Participants are equipped with competencies and techniques they can apply when they return to their workplaces.”

We are excited to be launching Leadership in Action, and hope it marks the turning point for many women in their leadership journey. You can learn more about Leadership in Action on our website. Visit www.habitat.org.au/leadershipinaction

A unique, high impact program for emerging female leaders


Karin Hawkins receiving a tikka blessing as an traditional welcome from the Itahari community.

BUILDING HOMES, BUILDING LEADERSOn the centenary of International Women’s Day in 2011 a network of 100 women came together for the Hand in Hand project in Itahari, Nepal, to build ten homes for ten extraordinary female-headed households — all in just one week!

Karin Hawkins was one of the women who participated in the Hand in Hand project and feels the experience strengthened her skills as business leader, as much as it impacted her on a personal level.

Karin recalls how the experience changed her both personally and professionally:

“Since coming home from that first trip, I have a completely different perspective on my work and its challenges. No matter how tough the situation is, it really doesn’t compare to the challenges that the women in Nepal faced. ”There were times on the build when I thought I had nothing left, but there was a family depending on me, needing me and the rest of the team to deliver what we had committed to, and it forced us to draw on physical, mental and emotional strength to get the job done. I came home from that build a more resilient, confident and self-aware person, and it has made me a better leader.”

Your support is continuing to help to build new homes — and a new future — for 106 families from the Klabat community in Bitung, Indonesia.

These families were forced to flee their homes more than a decade ago due to conflict and instability. Ever since, they’ve lived in temporary, sub-standard shelters.

But with the help of our wonderful supporters, partners and two exceptionally generous anonymous donors, we’re working with these families to acquire land, build homes, and provide training to help them rebuild their shattered lives.

One of this project’s major sponsors, Communities for Communities, has not only contributed significant funds, but has also mobilised two teams to help build homes in Bitung in April and September 2013.

YOU’VE BROUGHT NEW HOPE TO CHILDREN LIKE ENDRIKIOEndrikio is nine years old and lives in Bitung. He and his family were one of the hundreds who were driven from their homes.

They used to live in a rickety house made of tin that let in all the rain. Endrikio was always cold and wet, and his schoolbooks were constantly soggy. “I often felt embarrassed in front of my friends,” he told us.

Endrikio’s parents partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build a new house, and have even bought a TV. “Yay! I love TV,” Endrikio said.

And more importantly, Endrikio can now study in a warm, safe and clean home, using his nice, dry schoolbooks.

If you’d like to make a gift to help build more homes for children like Endrikio, please visit habitat.org.au/donate

5Spring 2013

Building a new life for an entire community

HERE’S WHAT YOU’VE HELPED US DO SO FAR:

31 new homes have been completed

20 other new homes under construction

28 septic tanks and toilets have been installed

AND HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN HELP US DO NEXT:• Complete106newhomes• Giveallhomesaccess

to electricity, water and sanitation

• Providetraininginhealth and hygiene, and in vocational and small business skills

SOUTH AUSTRALIARobin and Astrid were renting a small house in a serious state of disrepair. Astrid and all four children were constantly suffering from bad allergies and asthma.

On 28 July this year, Robin and Astrid’s homeownership dream was realised when they received the keys to their brand new home in Smithfield Plains, South Australia.

Astrid says “I never thought we would own our own home”.

The family absolutely love their new home, and were excited to tell us that since moving, none of the children have required their asthma medication!

Building hope at home


Donate Your donation will help us carry out vital work building homes and communities at home and across the Asia Pacific region. Visit www.habitat.org.au/donate

Buy a HabitatGiftWhen you give a loved one a HabitatGift, you’re also giving hope to those most in need. Buy your HabitatGift at www.habitat.org.au/habitatgifts

Become a HopeBuilder Your monthly gift will help us commit to long-term projects, so together we can transform families and communities! To become a HopeBuilder call 1800 88 55 99 or visit www.habitat.org.au/donate/monthly

Become a LegacyBuilder Help give families a safe, secure place to call home by leaving a bequest to Habitat for Humanity Australia in your Will. To learn more, call 1800 88 55 99 or visit www.habitat.org.au/bequest

Volunteer overseas with Global VillageChange the world while you travel! Learn more at www.habitat.org.au/globalvillage

Volunteer in Australia Lend a hand here in Australia! Find out more at www.habitat.org.au/get-involved

NEW SOUTH WALESVirginia has lived in her St Helen’s Park Habitat for Humanity home since November 2006, and was recently reflecting on how having their own home has completely changed life for her family…

“I was in Michael’s room the other day and I caught a glimpse out of his window and saw the plum tree in full bloom. Years ago I was reading a book by psychiatrist Scott Peck ‘A Bed by the Window’ and I remember thinking to myself how important it must be for a person with a disability to at least have a nice window to look through… so this became my goal after Michael was diagnosed… I’m often reminded how wonderful this opportunity which Habitat for Humanity gave to me.”

VICTORIARuth, her partner Anthony and their six children have finally set up camp for good.

As they prepared to accept the keys to their new family home in Yea Heights in July, Ruth said “We haven’t been able to afford to keep the cold out in the caravan and now in the middle of winter, we are looking forward to being warm next winter.”

Ruth was particularly grateful for the opportunity to settle into a long term home which would allow their children to build lasting friendships, “The last 10 years have been a constant worry about where we will end up next and what sort of stability are we giving the kids” Ruth said.

Ways to help

Earlier this year we asked for your support to launch a life-changing program in Dhaka, where the slums are among the worst in the world — overcrowded, filthy, extremely vulnerable to disasters, and rife with disease.

The project has been launched, and families are very eager to receive the tools and training they need to improve their living conditions and health.

We’re excited to report back to you on the incredible progress we’ve recently seen.

WHAT’S BEEN ACHIEVED?• Acommunitycleaningevent

was held, with huge amounts of garbage cleared away. The event also increased awareness amongst the community about the benefits of clearing the slum of rubbish and waste.

• 350peopleparticipatedinwater,sanitation and hygiene training

• 250peopleparticipatedinwastemanagement training

• 250peopleattendedconstruction technology training

• Over480metresofdrainage was cleared, while 275 metres of drainage was repaired

• 350waterfiltersand350bucketsto use as bins, were distributed to the community

• Over 30 houses have been repaired

7Spring 2013

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING IN BANGLADESH?Habitat for Humanity has a new four year project starting in Bangladesh this month. The project aims to improve the health of poor and vulnerable families in 36 rural villages.

The project will build 100 wells, more than 600 toilets and train more than 10,000 people on hygiene behaviour such as washing hands with soap.

We will also be training more than 300 local labourers and youth apprentices in construction techniques, to improve the quality of infrastructure being built in these villages, and increase income earning opportunities for many.

The impact of life-changing training in Bangladesh

A safer, healthier way of life for the Manahara community

Manahara community and newly built toilets and wells

In western Nepal, more than 20,000 people worked as indentured labourers to repay their ancestor’s debts. The Nepalese government ended this brutal ‘Kamaiya’ system in 2000. The freed labourers were given land by the Nepalese government, but it was dry, infertile and could not be farmed.

Over a decade later, ex-Kamaiya families remain trapped in extreme poverty, with no opportunity for paid work, no access to clean water and no toilets.

Determined to empower ex-Kamaiya communities to rebuild their lives, we asked our supporters to help us launch a project focused on improving health and sanitation, providing access to clean water and helping families to develop income-producing skills.

We’re thrilled to report back to you on the amazing transformation we’ve seen as a result of the program.

TURNING LIVES AROUNDOver the past year, we’ve worked with 113 households in Manahara to build toilets, provide access to clean and safe drinking water, and help families gain the skills needed to earn a regular income.

The Manahara community now has 72 wells and all households have a toilet. Many of the community members who volunteered to help build the wells and toilets have since gained work using the skills learned during construction.

We’ve been told (with much excitement!) that families can now afford to send their children to school, and are saving to repair or rebuild their homes!

As well as building wells and toilets, more than 250 community members have participated in water, hygiene and sanitation training.

Training participants learnt about basic personal hygiene and different ways to keep their households clean and disease-free, and were given essential cleaning supplies.

One of the participants, Sanchala Chaudhary said “It is very important for the women and children to receive training like this. We are more vulnerable to diseases and all kinds of health risks. With the help of such training we have become more conscious about our husbands, children’s and other family members’ health and hygiene.”


JOIN OUR HAND UP FOR NEPAL TEAMA Global Village team is travelling to Nepal in November for the Hand Up for Nepal project. The team will help construct six demonstration shelters, which will be templates for families to build their own homes upon.If you’d like to be a part of the team that builds the demonstration shelters, you can register online at www.habitat.org.au/nepal

PLEASE HELP MORE EX-KAMAIYA FAMILIESWe now need your help to roll out this successful program to another 437 families trapped in poverty.Please help us transform the lives of ex-Kamaiya families.Your donation will provide better health, education and livelihood opportunities.Please donate now at www.habitat.org.au/donate/nepal

Sanchala and her son

Helping families rebuild after devastating floods

9Spring 2013

In June, many consecutive days of heavy pre-monsoon rain lead to severe flooding in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Entire villages were swept away by the raging flood waters, while other towns were obliterated by devastating mudslides. More than 500 people were confirmed dead and many thousands more are still missing, with little hope of being found alive.

Kamala’s family is one of thousands who lost their homes and livelihoods, helplessly watching their home and every last possession being swept away.

Kamala recalls “That night, we saw the water level rising and entering our village. We heard lots of trees and rocks falling and were very frightened. We had to leave our house behind and took shelter in an elevated place. We saw our house being washed away and our farmland was destroyed with mud and rocks.”

Kamala’s family are now living in emergency shelter.

Habitat for Humanity India is working with local and international agencies to support 2,000 families in Uttarakhand, who like Kamala’s, have lost everything, supplying emergency shelter kits and transitional shelters.

Working with the community, Habitat for Humanity are helping families repair their damaged houses. “Many of those affected are low-income farmers in urgent need of safe, permanent shelter, and without the means to rebuild on their own.” said Eric Christopher, CEO, Habitat for Humanity India.

In addition to short term repairs, Habitat for Humanity India will also assist the community over the next two years with building disaster resilient houses for families who lost their homes.

Habitat for Humanity does more than provide short-term disaster relief; we are in there for the long-haul helping families to re-build their lives, long after relief agencies have moved on.

“My children and I are now living in a government camp that has no doors and is very small. We’re always afraid of wild animals entering at night.”

Kamala


National Brush with Kindness DayNearly 100 volunteers joined Habitat for Humanity Australia for the first National Brush with Kindness Day on Saturday 12 October 2013.

The day was spent gardening, repairing and maintaining homes in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia,

National Brush with Kindness Day allows people to give back to their communities by helping people who, for various reasons, are unable to complete these jobs themselves.

A big thank you to all the volunteers and residents, the results are amazing!

A

E F

G

C D

B

(A) RYDE, NEW SOUTH WALES45 volunteers from QBE rolled up

their sleeves to tidy gardens, using tools donated by Home Timber & Hardware.

(B) GOODNA, QUEENSLANDThe Habitat for Humanity Ipswich team and the Rotary Club of Goodna tackled

a flood-damaged property, filling two skip bins in just one day!

(C) BIDWELL, NEW SOUTH WALESResidents of all nine Habitat for

Humanity houses chipped in to tidy their shared gardens.

(D) KIRRIBILLI, NEW SOUTH WALESHabitat for Humanity staff teamed up with volunteers from local churches to turn neglected land into a garden.

(E) FLAGSTAFF HILL, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The team helped clear the overgrown garden of an elderly resident.

(F) BIDWELL, NEW SOUTH WALESChris Franks, Chair of Habitat for

Humanity, helped tidy common gardens.

(G) BUXTON, VICTORIAOver 30 volunteers helped clear

fallen trees and branches on a property damaged by bushfires.

11Spring 2013

SOUTH AUSTRALIA (ABOVE) On the move…. a whole

house was recently transported on the back of an oversized truck in SA. The house was built as a joint project

between Habitat for Humanity South Australia and TAFE SA.

(ABOVE) SYDNEY The Hon. Joe Hockey MP

(pictured with Chris Franks, Chair of Habitat for Humanity) officially

opened our national office in North Sydney on Friday 9 August.

(LEFT) NSW/ACT Carol Sherman (second from left)

from Habitat for Humanity’s ACT Chapter, was recently presented

a $1,000 grant from the Bendigo Bank. The grant will be used to launch a

Brush with Kindness program.

Our photo album

(LEFT AND BELOW LEFT) CAMBODIA Justin Yoong’s before and after photos from his build in Takeo,

Cambodia in April 2013.

(RIGHT) CAMBODIAAt work hammering nails on a

Global Village trip in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in April 2013

(BELOW AND BELOW RIGHT) SYDNEY Chris Franks, Chair of Habitat for

Humanity, and Angela Catterns, Habitat for Humanity’s Ambassador, at our annual Gala Dinner which raised over $130,000!

Gala Dinner guest were entertained by a glowing hula-hoop show.Before

After

Together we can build a better worldPlease accept my gift: $25 $50 $75

How often: Single donation Monthly Quarterly

Yes! I want to help transform lives and build a future for families by giving them solid foundations.

Please find enclosed: Cheque/Money order (payable to Habitat for Humanity Australia) — OR —Please debit this card: Visa MasterCard

Credit card number: Expiry date: /

Name of cardholder: Signature:

Your donation will help Habitat for Humanity Australia carry out its vital work in helping to build homes and communities across the Asia Pacific region.

Your contact details (to receive a tax deductible receipt for your generous donation!)

Title: First name: Last name:

Address: State: Postcode:

Phone: (h.) (mob.) Email:

Please complete and return this form in the enclosed reply paid envelope, or visit www.habitat.org.au and donate online. PO Box 1048 North Sydney, NSW 20591800 88 55 99All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.Habitat for Humanity Australia ABN 36 747 459 174. Personal information is collected to process donations, issue tax receipts and send updates. Please contact us if you wish to limit the use of your information. Our Privacy Policy is available at www.habitat.org.au

Thank you...

SPRDC13

Please send me information on how to become a HopeBuilder Please send me information on how I can volunteer overseas Please send me information on how to leave a bequest in your will to Habitat for Humanity Australia

World Habitat DayWe celebrated World Habitat Day this year with a unique experience — an interactive slum in Martin Place, Sydney!

(BELOW) Hundreds of people shared why they think having a home is important on the slum wall.