Tennis star builds again with Habitat

Tennis star Nadia Petrova traded in her racket for a hammer on April 28 to help combat poverty housing.

Petrova joined Habitat for Humanity to build a home with a family in need in Poland. This is Petrova’s second year with Habitat for Humanity in her role as spokesperson.

“After the incredible and very rewarding experience of helping a Romanian family on a similar project in 2005, it was an honour to be invited back again to help another family here in Poland,” said Petrova, who traveled to Cluj, Romania last year to help build a home of a family there.

This time, Petrova helped build the home of a family in a town 30 minutes outside of Warsaw called Gloskow. Retired tennis players Magda Grzybowska and Christie Boogert joined Petrova in building the walls of the house.

The funding came from the Aces for Homes Women Build initiative. Whirlpool and the Sony Ericsson Women’s Professional Tennis Tour will donate the €10 raised for every ace scored throughout the 2007 season to Habitat for Humanity Women Build in Europe.

The program is designed to specifically recruit, train and empower women to build housing for women-led families. The program addresses the lack of affordable housing, an issue which disproportionately affects women and children.

Habitat for Humanity International officially formed Women Build in 1998. Nearly 1,000 homes have been built by women crews around the world. Women Build’s key objectives are to provide women with: an opportunity to develop leadership skills and learn construction skills in a non-threatening environment; to do things that are traditionally not thought of as “feminine” and to engage in cooperation, teamwork and partnership with the goal of having fun.

Almost one in four apartments in Poland should be condemned, according to research from the Economic Housing Institute. Poland needs more than 1.5 million apartments just to meet its current housing demand. Out of existing housing in Poland, approximately one in eight do not have a kitchen and almost one in 10 share a toilet with an entire floor of apartments or have no indoor facility at all.

From summer 2006 to spring 2007, Habitat for Humanity helped 46 families in Poland by building a new home or renovating or repairing existing homes.

Whirlpool teamed up with Habitat for Humanity in 1999, and is now a Cornerstone Partner. In March 2004, the partnership expanded into Europe and Central Asia. Whirlpool donates an appliance to every Habitat home. For homes unable to use appliances, Whirlpool donates €250. Whirlpool has sent numerous employees and teams around the world to build with Habitat.