International Projects

Guatemala

Empowering Families with People with Disabilities in Solola (multi-year)

Objectives: To improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, and improve community inclusion in the

In Guatemala, the majority of families of people with disabilities are living in poverty. Disability further aggravates their economic situation and prevents them from breaking the cycle of poverty. Additionally, society has created physical, structural, organizational, and worst of all attitudinal barriers, that continue to oppress and exclude people with disabilities and their families.

In this context, most families that have members living with disabilities, do not have a decent home, lacking basic amenities like water, electricity, bathroom, kitchen, etc.

Planned interventions:

1. 7 new houses, 8 houses improved (annually).
2. Care and support for families with disabilities.
3. Access to health care, nutritional programs, and education integration.
4. Capacity building activities and training on livelihood, and advocating for empowerment.

Vietnam

WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) Solutions in Van Lang

Objective: To enhance the quality of life through improved living conditions of vulnerable families, through improved housing, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

Van Lang Commune is home to the H’mong people, one of the poorest of Vietnam’s minority groups. The H’mong people dwell in small, damaged, make-shift thatched houses without proper sanitation, ventilation, and little protection from the extreme cold in the winter. Women are especially prone to indoor pollution due to exposure of smoke from cooking with firewood, without proper ventilation.

Planned interventions:

1. 92 houses built and/or renovated.
2. 60 low-cost latrines built.
3. Community interventions and training on WASH, household safety and management, and financial security.
4. Three communal houses built and four communal water facilities rehabilitated.

Honduras

Healthy housing for ethnic groups

Indigenous (ethnic) peoples make up 9% of the Honduras population. With limited access to financing resources or opportunities to help families save money to improve their homes, Ethnic families often live in substandard housing that can lead to health problems such as chagas disease and dengue.

Habitat Canada and Habitat for Humanity Honduras recently partnered with ethnic Tolupán and Lenca communities located in the central and western part of the country.

Planned interventions:

1. Repair 93 homes.
2. Construct 93 latrines.
3. Construct 93 eco-stoves.
4. Lay 93 concrete floors.
5. Develop 8 training sessions on housing maintenance and care.

Haiti

100% Women

Haiti has a rich history, but decades of political instability coupled with poor governance and ineffective development choices have left most Haitians without access to basic services or opportunities for economic growth. Women in Haiti are disproportionally affected by poverty , due to unequal distribution of power and access to resources, lack of economic opportunities, political barriers and social roles at the individual family and social levels. In Haiti, the female labour force is estimated at 38.4% according to statistical analyses published by Haitian Institute of Statistics and Information (IHSI).

Habitat for Humanity Haiti aims to address the gender gap in the Haitian job market by supporting women working in construction in the communes of Beaumont, Pestel, and Corail, all heavily impacted by a catastrophic earthquake in 2021. This Global Neighbours project will train women in construction methods by building homes for women-led single-parent households.

Planned interventions:

1. Deliver capacity training in construction and entrepreneurship skills for 28 women.
2. Conduct 1 safeguarding focused training.
3. Develop 1 resource guide to support post-training opportunities.
4. Conduct 1 training on financial literacy and career development.
5. Build 5 homes with latrines and water collection tanks.

Haiti - Simon Pele

Building Success for a Healthier Simon-Pele

Haiti has the lowest rates of access to improved water and sanitation infrastructure in the western hemisphere. Public schools across the country struggle to provide quality school services to children within a healthy environment, and the schools in Simon-Pele are no exception. Most schools are free to attend and the limited financial support they receive is used for teachers’ salaries and some school activities. Due to limited resources, access to quality water and sound sanitation facilities do not exist. For the past three years, Habitat Haiti has implemented a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) program, which provides access to quality hygiene and sanitation facilities and equips children and their families with the knowledge necessary to live healthier lives. Habitat Haiti is committed to continuing to build on its work in Simon-Pele to best serve the community. Access to adequate water and sanitation facilities are key to long lasting development and are considered essential components to basic health services. Sound hygiene practices can prevent infection and the spread of disease within vulnerable populations.

In partnership, Habitat Haiti and Habitat Canada have worked to reduce water-borne and sanitation related diseases through effective provision of safe drinking water and improved sanitation practices for children, their families and the community and to support youth in the community through conflict-resolution and job training. As a result of this partnership, we were able to provide access to safe drinking water, latrines, and handwashing facilities at seven schools. This was accompanied by training on proper hygiene knowledge and practices to over 300 students and 40 teachers throughout the seven schools.

Malawi - Salima

Eighty percent of families in Malawi live in substandard housing. A typical house is made of mud walls, a grass-thatched roof and dirt floor, without a proper latrine. Conditions can be worse for people living with a disability, who constitute just over 10% of the population. In Malawi, people living with disabilities face numerous challenges that result in social exclusion, with many experiencing impoverishment, abandonment and malnutrition, with no access to education.​

Habitat Canada with Habitat for Humanity Malawi, Hope and Healing International, Malawi Council for the Handicapped and Homes4Hope, embarked on a multi-year partnership to improve the physical living conditions of families and the community at large in the Salima District by building accessible homes for families who have children living with a disability.​

Program results:

1. Construction of 132 disaster-resilient, accessible homes with improved sanitation​.
2. Will writing, property, inheritance rights and people with disabilities-focused training​.
3. Families trained in livestock.

Honduras - Santa Elena

Santa Elena is a small island off the northern coast of mainland Honduras with a population of 11,000. Due to its geographical location, Santa Elena is considered a vulnerable zone; the island is affected by tropical storms and other natural phenomena year after year. Over 90% of Santa Elena’s population does not have access to water or sanitation services, and 63% of families experience poverty.​

Habitat Canada together with Habitat for Humanity Honduras and the local Rotary Club of Roatan partnered with 19 families to provide housing, electrical, water and sanitation support in Santa Elena during the global pandemic and in the aftermath of cyclone Ana. ​

Program results:​

1. Construction of 132 disaster-resilient, accessible homes with improved sanitation​.
   
2. Will writing, property, inheritance rights and people with disabilities-focused training​.
3. Families trained in livestock.