April 16, 2008

Habitat for Humanity Africa and the Middle East to Celebrate the Dedication of its 50,001st House

PRETORIA, April 16, 2008 – On April 24th, Habitat for Humanity Africa and the Middle East will dedicate its 50,001st house in Area 49, Lilongwe, Malawi. The celebration will be preceded by three days of building, where homeowners, community members, and corporate and church volunteers will work together to build six homes in Area 49.

Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International and a HFHM Board Member will speak at the event. The Guest of Honor for the day’s celebration will be the Honorable Chimuntu Banda, Minister of Transport, Public Works and Housing, who will partake in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new houses, and dedicate the 250 houses which were completed in December 2007. Community members will also contribute to the joyous occasion, as children from Area 49 will recite a poem they wrote for the event, and others will honor the achievement with dances and dramatic performances.

In Malawi, where 65 percent of the population lives below the National Poverty Line and 42 percent live on less than one dollar per day, the need for improved housing is great. In rural and urban areas alike, Malawians live in substandard conditions that undermine their health, and educational and economic opportunities.

HFHM has worked to eliminate poverty housing in the country since 1986, and has succeeded in helping provide decent, affordable housing to over 6,000 families. In 2002, HFHM piloted innovative programs, including Building in Stages (BIS) and the Home Improvement Loans (HIL), which continue to benefit both community members and HFHM. The BIS program affords homeowners the opportunity to improve their living conditions gradually, by building onto their homes incrementally; the HIL program helps families repair their existing homes. HFHM’s novel approach helps make improved housing more affordable to low-income families, while also helping HFHM grow its reach.

HFHM’s achievements have helped instill hope in the lives of the families with which it works. James Kapera, a homeowner in Area 49, said “it has been my dream for a long time to build a house for my family, but I had to wait because I couldn’t afford it. The moment I brought my family to our new home and saw the expression on their faces made me feel very happy. It was the proudest moment of my life.”

About Habitat for Humanity Africa and the Middle East
Habitat for Humanity International has been working to build decent, affordable housing throughout the Africa and Middle East region since the first house was built in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1979. Today, Habitat for Humanity Africa and the Middle East works in 22 countries throughout the region.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global non-governmental organization that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in the USA in 1976, Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses in dozens of countries, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than one million people with homes they helped build and which they have paid for with affordable, non-profit loans.

For more information, visit www.habitat.org .